Many students have a side job, often in retail or hospitality: working higher-education students in the third quarter of 2023 most often worked as sales assistants in retail (10%), in hospitality (8%) or as shelf stockers (5%) [1]. That work isn't lesser. It pays the bills and teaches you to take responsibility. But at your first application for a job in your field, it weighs differently from experience that connects to your studies.
Does a side job still count on your CV?
Yes, but differently from relevant experience. In a study by SEO Economic Research (2023), a side job during studies was associated with a shorter search for a first substantial job, and a side job in a relevant sector with an even shorter search than one in a non-relevant sector (in the study: hospitality, retail, events, postal and courier services, agriculture and temp work) [2]. A side job shows you can work and deal with customers or colleagues. Relevant experience also shows you know something about the field.
The problem: relevant experience isn't equally accessible
Relevant internships and working-student roles aren't always well paid. An internship allowance is not mandatory by law; in March 2024, 42% of secondary vocational students received one and an estimated 75% of students at universities of applied sciences, and in research universities 65% of students with a compulsory internship [3]. That makes unpaid or low-paid experience less accessible to students who also need to cover rent and groceries. Someone with a financial safety net can more easily afford it.
Paid and relevant don't have to be a trade-off
That you must choose between earning money and gaining experience isn't a law of nature. A working student has an employment contract and so a right to at least the minimum wage [4]. The cases VOIDS describes on its website concern paid working-student roles [5].
How do you spot a role that's both paid and relevant?
Watch for three things: a salary at or above the statutory minimum wage that isn't waved away with “experience is the reward”, tasks that clearly connect to your field of study or the work you're aiming for, and a contract with fixed hours rather than loose on-call shifts. If one is structurally missing, you're closer to a side job than a working-student role, whatever the vacancy calls it.
What you can do right now
- Actively look for working-student roles instead of only side jobs, even while you're deep in your studies
- Be critical about pay: relevant experience doesn't have to be unpaid
- Need a side job right now to get by? Fine, but keep looking for something more relevant as soon as you can
Why this is the reason VOIDS exists
The gap between who can afford relevant experience and who can't is the core of why VOIDS exists. Access to work that matters shouldn't depend on who can afford to ask for little in return [6].
Sources
- CBS (2023): Scholieren voortgezet onderwijs werkten derde kwartaal 11 uur per week (met tabellen gebruikelijke arbeidsduur en top 3 beroepen), accessed 11 October 2026.
- SEO Economisch Onderzoek (2023): Studie & Werk HO: de arbeidsmarktpositie van hbo- en wo-alumni (Bussink, Van der Ven & Klinker, in opdracht van EW Magazine), accessed 11 October 2026.
- Rijksoverheid (2025): Stijgende lijn stagevergoedingen voor studenten, accessed 11 October 2026.
- Rijksoverheid (2026): Bedragen minimumloon 2026, accessed 11 October 2026.
- VOIDS: Voor bedrijven: werkstudenten, cases en werkwijze, accessed 11 October 2026.
- VOIDS: Impact: onze missie en ambitie, accessed 11 October 2026.
Transparency: VOIDS connects working students with organisations and therefore has an interest in this topic. We back up facts with sources and connect research and trends to our own experience from practice.
