Remote work sounds appealing for a working student: no commute, easy to plan around lectures. But what does it offer a junior role? Research at one US company among software engineers shows that those who sat near colleagues received 18.3% more feedback on code and produced better code quality, especially younger and less experienced employees. Experienced engineers actually wrote less code when sitting near colleagues [1].
Is fully remote work good for a working student in a junior role?
That depends on the role and the guidance. Junior roles lean heavily on informal learning: overhearing a colleague on a client call and asking a quick question without scheduling a meeting. Remotely, you have to organise that on purpose.
Is hybrid the better middle ground?
For many working-student roles, yes. A few fixed days in the office give access to informal learning moments, while the other days leave room to plan flexibly around exams and project weeks.
When does fully remote work fit a working-student role well?
When the work is strongly independent and doesn't need much continuous coordination, like certain kinds of data processing or content production, and when there's still a structural moment for check-ins and feedback, even over video call. The problem isn't remote work itself, it's remote work without structure for guidance.
How do you stop a working student from feeling left out under hybrid work?
- Agree on fixed, shared office days instead of “come in whenever it suits”
- Make sure important decisions and informal updates don't only happen in the office with nothing recorded for whoever wasn't there
- Schedule a fixed weekly feedback moment, whether it happens in the office or over video call
- Involve a remote working student just as actively in informal moments as in formal meetings
What do young employees themselves expect from flexibility?
CBS reports that in 2024 young employees (aged 15 to 27) found the possibility of working from home the least important of the working conditions asked about. Young people in education found it important to set their own working hours (84%) and to work part-time (81%); 41% of them found the possibility of working from home (very) important [2]. So flexibility in time scores higher among young people in education than working from home.
Why discuss the way of working in advance?
Discuss upfront whether you work in the office, hybrid or remote. A mismatched expectation here can undermine a match.
Sources
- NBER (2026): The Power of Proximity to Coworkers (Emanuel, Harrington & Pallais), NBER Working Paper 31880; gepubliceerd in The Quarterly Journal of Economics 141(3), 2026, accessed 11 October 2026.
- CBS (2025): Werk: Jaarrapport Landelijke Jeugdmonitor 2025, 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.
