Working while studying
Dec 03, 2009
Foreign students that would like to take paid work alongside their studies are allowed to do so. However, you can only do so for a limited amount of hours per week and if the employer has applied for a work permit for you. If you want to do a traineeship it 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 (either full-time seasonal work in June, July and August, or part-time work of no more than ten hours a week). In this case your Dutch employer does need a work permit for you, but this is an easy process as the employer doesn’t need to show that there are Dutch or EU nationals capable of doing the job. If you (also) have the nationality of the European Union, you are free to work as many hours as you like alongside your studies. Your employer doesn’t need to have a work permit for you.
Download International students and part-time jobs (176 kB)
Traineeships
If you are enrolled as a student in the Netherlands or in another country, you may work as a trainee. A traineeship is any work placement or practical training arrangement that aims to give you experience of the world of work while you are studying. If you have already graduated, you will not be able to work as a trainee in the Netherlands. However, there is a similar arrangement that allows you to gain practical work experience in the Netherlands for up to six months. This is called residency with the purpose of work experience.
In some cases your employer will need to have a work permit for you. In other cases a so called special ‘trainee agreement’ is sufficient. To find out in which case your employer needs to apply for a work permit for you or that the ‘traineeship agreement’ is needed, download the factsheet ‘immigration procedures for foreign students doing a traineeship’ (159 kB).
For more information also visit the Study in Holland webpage.