Finding a part time job as an international student

No money, no Dutch, no job – sounds familiar?

One of the biggest struggles faced by international students is finding a part time job. I have experienced it myself. This article will discuss my experience with trying to find a job as an international and the possibilities available here in Groningen.

I moved to Groningen from the UK last year September. I really wanted to find a job after a few months of settling in, however this has proved a bigger struggle than I thought.

I applied to many jobs in restaurants, shops and bars. Often the application procedures were online and therefore I would receive a phone call. However after finding out I did not speak much Dutch, I wasn’t phoned back or invited to the interview.

Many of my international friends do not work, but some have been the lucky few to find jobs. One place is food delivery. Although this is not an ideal job, especially in winter as it’s really cold outside; it does pay and does not require Dutch, only semi okay biking skills.

Another possibility is to find a bar job. There are many international bars around the city and many do indeed need staff who speak English. These places however are very competitive and prior experience is recommended, but maybe you will get lucky!

Furthermore, you could try working in hotels/housekeeping. Although it is hard and tiring, it does pay well and again does not require Dutch.

Also, there are many jobs available in the university itself, for example you could work as a student assistant, writing for a student newspaper, or other services. Many of these are advertised on Nestor.

I personally have not managed to find a job yet, but I have had a lot more success this year than last year. Mainly due to study commitments/travel I have not been able to find a position. I would therefore recommend taking your time and searching patiently.

Also learning a little bit of Dutch won’t hurt you!

Good luck on finding a job if you are even looking for one.

Written by Dominika – PR Committee