WHY WORK WITH WORKING STUDENTS? THE BUSINESS CASE

A working student suits work that recurs but doesn't fill a full job. You get flexible junior capacity for a regular salary over fewer hours, with more continuity than an internship. It works less well for tasks that need daily presence, a lot of experience or a lot of final responsibility. Below: the arguments, the limits and the rules.

Short answer

• Suits: recurring work of a few days a week, such as a sub-market, a financial process or weekly content production
• Suits less: work that needs fixed daily cover, or where an exam period causes direct damage
• Cost: a regular salary, at least the statutory minimum wage, over fewer hours. The total investment is lower than for a full-time starter; the hourly rate is not
• Contract: an ordinary employment contract. Minimum wage, the chain rule and the notice obligation apply

What does a working student offer an employer?

• Flexible scale. Working students in higher education (aged 15 to 27) had an average usual working time of 18.7 hours a week in the third quarter of 2023 ^[1]. At VOIDS, working students typically work 4 to 24 hours a week.
• Structural work calls for an employment contract. According to the Dutch government, an intern may not replace a regular employee: in an internship, learning is central ^[2]. Work that has to be done on an ongoing basis therefore calls for an employment contract, which is what a working student has.
• A large pool of students. In the 2025/26 academic year, preliminary CBS figures show more than 770,000 students enrolled in universities of applied sciences and research universities ^[3].
• Fitting work is different from a side job. The three most common occupations of working higher-education students in the third quarter of 2023 were sales assistant in retail (10%), hospitality service (8%) and shelf stocker (5%) ^[1]. According to SEO Economic Research, graduates with a side job in a relevant sector found a first substantial job faster on average than graduates without a side job ^[4].
• Labour market context. In the second quarter of 2026 there were 95 vacancies per 100 unemployed people (seasonally adjusted, preliminary CBS figures), against 142 in the second quarter of 2022 ^[5]. So the labour market is less tight than two years ago, but not slack.
• Getting to know each other without an open end. A fixed-term contract lets employer and student get to know each other before you offer a permanent one. Clients in the cases on our website describe moves into a permanent role.

Where does it not work?

• Work that needs fixed, full cover, such as a staffed phone desk from nine to five. A working student plans around lectures and exams, which clashes with rigid rosters.
• Roles with a lot of final responsibility and no guidance. A working student often has little practical experience and needs a point of contact.
• Knowledge that sits in one head only. A working student leaves at the latest when the degree is finished; plan a handover and a successor.
• Situations where you mainly look for the lowest cost. The minimum wage is a floor that applies to every employee, and a role with real responsibility should be paid in proportion to the work.

What does it cost, and why isn't it about the lowest possible cost?

As of 1 July 2026 the statutory minimum wage is € 14.99 gross per hour for employees aged 21 and over; for ages 15 to 20 lower youth minimum wages apply by age ^[6]. On top of that you pay holiday allowance (the Dutch government lists 8% holiday pay as a mandatory wage cost) and remit payroll taxes and contributions ^[7]. An illustration: 20 hours a week at € 14.99 is € 299.80 gross per week, excluding holiday pay and employer costs. Your total investment is lower than for a full-time starter because you buy fewer hours, not because the hourly rate should be lower. Always check the amounts with the Dutch government: they're set per 1 January and per 1 July.

Which rules should you know?

• In employment law a working student is an employee if the features of an employment contract are met: work under the employer's authority, pay and personal performance of the work ^[8]. You must give important terms in writing within one week and within one month ^[8].
• Chain rule: after more than three fixed-term contracts, or if those contracts together (gaps of at most six months included) cover more than 36 months, the last contract counts as entered into for an indefinite period (Article 7:668a of the Dutch Civil Code) ^[9]. A collective labour agreement can deviate from this.
• Notice obligation: for a fixed-term contract of six months or longer you must tell the employee in writing, at the latest one month before the end, whether you'll continue it and on what terms (Article 7:668 of the Dutch Civil Code) ^[10].

When is an intern or a starter a better fit?

An intern suits a defined learning goal with guidance; the work may not replace the work of a regular employee ^[2]. A starter suits work that fills a full working week. A working student sits in between. In our articles on working student, intern or starter and on the cost of a working student compared with a starter, we work this choice out further.

Your next step

Which work comes back every week at your company without filling a full job? Write it down, with hours and tasks. Then you already have your first working-student role.

Sources

1. CBS (2023): Scholieren voortgezet onderwijs werkten derde kwartaal 11 uur per week (met tabellen gebruikelijke arbeidsduur en top 3 beroepen), accessed 11 October 2026.
2. Rijksoverheid: Heb ik recht op het minimumloon als ik stage loop?, accessed 11 October 2026.
3. CBS StatLine (2026): Hoger onderwijs; ingeschrevenen, onderwijssoort, opleidingsfase en -vorm (tabel 85423NED), accessed 11 October 2026.
4. 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.
5. CBS (2026): Werkloosheid gedaald in tweede kwartaal 2026, accessed 11 October 2026.
6. Rijksoverheid (2026): Bedragen minimumloon 2026, accessed 11 October 2026.
7. Ondernemersplein (Rijksoverheid): Stappenplan personeel aannemen, accessed 11 October 2026.
8. Rijksoverheid: Wat staat er in een arbeidsovereenkomst?, accessed 11 October 2026.
9. wetten.overheid.nl: Burgerlijk Wetboek Boek 7, artikel 668a (ketenregeling), geldend per 1 juli 2026, accessed 11 October 2026.
10. wetten.overheid.nl: Burgerlijk Wetboek Boek 7, artikel 668 (aanzegplicht), geldend per 1 juli 2026, 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.