Groningen, an old city filled with many young and ambitious hearts,  is the healthiest and happiest city in the Netherlands. The average age of inhabitants - due to its many students - is 30! While student life is about making new friends, partying, and reinventing yourself, young people must face their obligations as well such as paying for their rent, utilities, and insurance, financing their studies, or buying groceries.

While the Dutch government offers options for getting extra financial support in the form of a loan (DUO) to cover your monthly expenses while being a student, these opportunities are mostly available for Dutch students. If you are an international (coming from an EU member country only!) living in Groningen, you are still entitled to get a DUO loan with the condition of working at least 56 hours a month. Sounds cool and totally doable next to your studies, right? Well…

It's always an option to find a part-time job in your study field, however, they either require you to speak Dutch fluently or have a couple of years of experience in the profession. All in all, it´s not easy to find a job in Groningen in your field that can also pay your bills next to your studies. Luckily there are other options to make a couple of bucks a month as a student 😉

Fun fact: in Dutch, we call the hospitality sector "horeca", which stands for ho(s)tel, restaurant, and café (bar) 🍹

Many young people are at the start of their careers as students but need the extra money to cover their living expenses or to enjoy their time in Groningen a bit more. (International) students often choose to work in the hospitality sector, as most of these companies hire internationals even without prior experience in Horeca, and it provides a very social and lively work environment with flexible schedules that can easily be tailored to their study life. You can make a lot of Dutch friends as they will be your colleagues, plus, you can put your Dutch knowledge into practice with the guests and become more fluent over time. How amazing!

Wanna work in the hospitality sector in Groningen, Drenthe, or Friesland, but you don’t know where to start your search? Check out Horeca Groningen, our trusted partner’s page for help:

Is hospitality not your cup of tea? Have you recently been feeling a little lost in finding a side job that fits your busy study schedule perfectly? No problem at all 😊

There are a bunch of companies in the North that are more than happy to hire internationals and non-Dutch speakers, however, they are often a bit hidden. Make sure to join career and/or networking events organised in the Northern Netherlands and get to know the companies you find interesting a bit better.

Have you already found your dream company(ies), but they don´t have a job opening fitting your background? No problem at all! You can and definitely should always send them open applications where you introduce yourself a bit along with your strong, relevant skill sets with the desired position you would like to apply for. In most cases, they will offer you an introductory interview and, if you´re lucky, you could land the position of your dreams in no time.

If you're looking for a job in retail or hospitality, you can always walk into the place you'd like to work at. This gives you a chance to find out if it's up your alley, and you can personally introduce yourself and ask if there are any vacancies. Take a printout of your CV with you or have a draft email ready to send!

If you're applying to a different kind of job, be sure to add relevant people on LinkedIn. Employees, people with roles related to your studies or experience, recruiters, and the CEO (be brave!). Include a personal message. You can also call the company/recruiter directly.

Applying for a job and all the tasks related to that process often require you to learn new skills: writing a CV and cover letter based on the latest trends, calling or emailing companies, doing a job interview or carrying out a networking conversation… We know it’s a lot. It’s FAR better to practice (and mess up) with some low-stakes jobs first, instead of going for your dream job immediately. Also, applying to multiple companies or jobs will also make any rejection you might get, easier to deal with.

As a student coming from a country outside of the European Union, you cannot work more than 16 hours per week in the Netherlands. Freelancing, however, doesn´t limit the hours of work you can do in a month, so it can be a very good alternative for earning money without the obligation to join a company. For more info about how to kickstart your freelancing career in the Netherlands, check out our article about freelancing.

Of course, it is of utmost importance to read your employment contract very well before signing and learn about your worker rights in the Netherlands. Do your research on the company/sector before signing your contract: and ask people with similar jobs to tell you about their experience regarding the employer. The main reason for this step is to make sure that you will be working in a friendly atmosphere and that you won´t end up getting used or discriminated against by the employer. Do you know someone who is being discriminated against at work? Make sure to get them familiar with the discrimination hotline.

Need more tips and tricks? Have a look at all the other resources on our website. We're rooting for you! 💚