Working while studying
21 Sep 2010
Foreign students who would like to take paid work alongside their studies are allowed to do so. Depending on your nationality you can only do this for a limited amount of hours per week and only if the employer has applied for a work permit for you.
If you want to do an internship, this is also seen as work, thus certain rules apply.
Work alongside your studies
If you are a foreign student (non-EU/EEA/Swiss) and you have a valid residence permit with the aim to study, you can work alongside your studies. This can be either full-time seasonal work in June, July and August, or part-time work of no more than ten hours a week outside the summer period. Under those restrictions your Dutch employer does need to apply for a work permit for you, but this is an easy process as the employer does not need to prove that there are no Dutch or EU/EEA/Swiss nationals capable of doing the job.
- EU/EEA/Swiss nationals:
You are free to work as many hours as you like alongside your studies. Your employer does not need to have a work permit for you. - Bulgarian and Romanian nationals:
The rules are a bit different for these nationals (at least until 2012). If you are a student from one of these countries you are allowed to work as many hours as you like alongside your studies. However, the employer does need a work permit and needs to show that there are no Dutch or EU/EEA/Swiss nationals capable of doing the job. This is a difficult process. Therefore, we advise you to work no more than ten hours per week outside the summer period, or full-time during the summer months June, July and August. If you adhere to that, the process to obtain a work permit will be easier.
Download the factsheet 'International students and part-time jobs' (153 kB)
Work Permit (tewerkstellingsvergunning, TWV)
Dutch employers who want to employ foreigners in the Netherlands need work permits in most cases. Only residents with an EU, EEA or Swiss nationality, excluding Bulgarians and Romanians, can work without their employer obtaining a work permit for them.
Your employer must apply for the work permit at the UWVWERKbedrijf in Zoetermeer. It will take about five weeks before a decision has been taken. You are not allowed to start work before a work permit has been granted, otherwise your employer risks being fined.
More information in Dutch (for the employer) can be found at www.werk.nl.
Links
- Expertise in labour Mobility (knowledge provider on international work issues)
- Working in the Netherlands
- Undutchables (recruitment agency for internationals)
- Together Abroad (international career portal for multilingual jobs & internships and education in Holland)
