Working at a company while studying
If you are working alongside your studies and are from outside the EU/EEA or Switzerland, you'll need to take note of some restrictions and regulations.
Maximum number of hours
If you are from outside the EU, EEA or Switzerland, there are some restrictions if you want to work alongside your studies. You can either work for a maximum of 16 hours a week during the year, or you can work fulltime during the months of June, July and August. In both cases, you will need a work permit.
Work permit application
You will need a work permit (TWV) to work in the Netherlands. Your employer has to apply for your work permit at least 5 weeks prior to the start of your employment. The application is free of charge. You cannot apply for the permit yourself, but you can ask your employer for a copy. The organisation that issues work permits is called the Employee Insurance Agency (UWV).
The work permit is issued exclusively for the type of work and the employer mentioned on the document itself. If your employer was not issued a work permit for you or if you work for more hours than allowed, then you are working illegally. The Inspectorate SZW carries out inspections to check whether work permits were issued. If they were not issued this constitutes illegal employment, which is a violation of the Foreign Nationals Employment Act (Wav) and punishable with severe fines for your employer.
In case of an infringement, the Inspectorate SZW contacts the Immigration and Naturalisation Service (IND). The IND will contact AUAS to monitor your study progress. Moreover for international students that follow a Bachelor's or Master's at AUAS you need to obtain at least 50% of the required credits for each academic year to maintain your residence permit.
Health insurance
As soon as you work you need to be covered by Dutch basic health insurance. You cannot use the health insurance from your home country or private health insurance for international students. If you fail to take out the correct health insurance you might risk a high fine.
More information
This handy tool lets you fill in your situation and gives you relevant immigration information.