Students
Photos by Javier Garrido Jiménez

Cleaner, server or courier?

The perfect student job

Photos by Javier Garrido Jiménez
A side hustle is a necessity for most students, but how do you find the perfect one? Over the past two years, student editor Ingrid has tried (almost) every typical student job, so you don’t have to.
19 November om 13:05 uur.
Laatst gewijzigd op 19 November 2024
om 13:05 uur.
November 19 at 13:05 PM.
Last modified on November 19, 2024
at 13:05 PM.
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Door Ingrid Ştefan

19 November om 13:05 uur.
Laatst gewijzigd op 19 November 2024
om 13:05 uur.
Avatar photo

By Ingrid Ştefan

November 19 at 13:05 PM.
Last modified on November 19, 2024
at 13:05 PM.
Avatar photo

Ingrid Ştefan

When I first came to the Netherlands to study, my biggest priority was finding employment. My family and I had agreed upon this: I’d get a job, apply for student finance, and eventually support myself. 

In all my naivety, I thought finding a job in a new country, despite not speaking the language, would be a piece of cake. By week, I’d be a media student, but by weekend, I’d work in the glamourous world of fashion. Only in retail, of course, but all fashion icons have to start somewhere.

So I applied to everything retail and got rejected every single time: by Nike, then Snipes, Footlocker, and Zara. My illusions shattered, I started spiraling and decided I’d take any job that wanted me. Now, two years later, I’ve worked a whole range of typical student jobs. And because I want you to find your perfect side hustle sooner than that, I’m going to share my insights with you.  

Cleaner

The pungent smell of cleaning solutions, the tacky feel of the yellow rubber gloves, and the creaking sound of the cleaning trolley on the laminate floors; that’s what I recall from my first month in Groningen.

In Romania, working in cleaning is often associated with a lack of education. So I never saw myself as the type of person who could clean up after others for a living. Yet there I was, scrubbing gum off benches and wiping coffee stains while blasting ABBA in my headphones.

That was my first cleaning job, at an Alfa-college building. I eventually upgraded to corporate cleaning and vacation homes, but I didn’t last long there, either. It wasn’t such a bad job per se; it just wasn’t for me. 

I still vividly remember how I’d always finish earlier (or decide that I was done) and spend the last thirty minutes of my shift reading Vogue Runway in the janitor’s closet. Because if you can deal with the early working hours, your family’s jokes about cleaning toilets, and the amalgam of stinging smells, that’s the biggest perk of the job: not having a supervisor. 

Would recommend:
Earning potential: 10-12 euros per hour (depending on age)
I lasted: one month
What I learned: how to clean a school building in less than four hours

Warehouse worker

As I made my way up the corporate ladder, I managed to secure a temporary job at a warehouse for cooking equipment. Better pay, more breaks, and a whole fridge of snacks: it seemed like a dream. And for a student job, it was, really. 

You can listen to your favorite podcasts (after all, you need to fill eight hours) while dragging a cart around and filling it with exquisite household items: crystal glasses, a bright orange cooking pot, mahogany cutting boards, and more. If you pretend hard enough, it almost feels like a shopping spree.

Don’t underestimate warehouse work though, because it can be tough. In winter, I used to wear my coat and gloves inside all the time. I’d sometimes have shifts until midnight and get home exhausted. I’d have to do the same repetitive tasks over and over again. In the end, I could only pretend that I was wrapping Christmas presents for so long.

A word of warning: beware of the warehouse you’re working for. It’s all about the environment. I have also worked in warehouses where every task was a ‘challenge’ you needed to ‘pass’, and my manager would be breathing down my neck at all times.

Would recommend:
Earning potential: 12 euros per hour
I lasted: four months
What I learned: how to lift a box without breaking my back; how to use a tape dispenser

Retail worker

Working in retail was the worst job I’ve had in my two years here. After six months in Groningen, I felt I had struck gold when I was accepted into a clothing store stockroom job. It was my time to shine, finally! But I didn’t expect I’d have to rise and shine before the roosters did. 

It wasn’t just starting at 5 a.m. two days a week that made me loathe the job, though. It was the endless stream of boxes pouring in every morning, with the same cheap-looking yet overpriced garments. It was the fast-paced rhythm of folding, the stinging remarks of the managers, and the expression of impending doom on everyone’s faces. Because that’s how fast fashion makes you feel.

What kept me going? 14 euros per hour, an amount I couldn’t even dream of a year before. ‘Eight hours of folding and I’ll be able to afford that flight home’, was the constant thought running through my mind, distracting me from feeling like a modern-day slave.

Later I also worked as a sales assistant, because I had fooled myself that it must be a better job. I fulfilled a childhood dream of mine: working with a real cash register. But no one warned me that you could get so overstimulated that you’d occasionally need to hide behind the changing rooms.  

If anything, I’ve learned a valuable life lesson from it: humans can be animals, if the sales section of any major retail store is any proof. And a piece of advice? Be kind to people in retail, it’s a tough gig. 

Would recommend:
Earning potential: 14 euros per hour
I lasted: five months
What I learned: how to use a cash register and fold tons of clothes fast as lightning; how to be nice to people when I’m not in the mood

Bike courier

A scene that might sound familiar to you: it’s raining cats and dogs outside, and as you look out the window, waiting for your food order, you feel sorry for whoever is unfortunate enough to have to deliver it. Well, in the past year, that person was me, soaked all the way down to my socks. Want to know something though? Working as a bike courier is actually not that bad.

I left Romania dead set on one thing: whatever happens, I won’t become a bike courier, not with the Dutch weather. But desperate times call for desperate measures, and so I did. And it was one of the best decisions I’ve made – I enjoyed the flexibility, the peaceful feeling of a solo bike ride on a sunny day.

Of course, it’s not always like that. I dare say you’ve never truly felt cold until you’ve worked in bike delivery at -3 degrees Celsius. Two layers of gloves and three layers of socks weren’t enough to keep the cold out. And then there’s also the rain, making your shoes all swampy and squelchy. 

That’s why the best tip I can offer is to invest in a good pair of waterproof boots and proper gloves. If you do that, and get over those ingrained assumptions about bike delivery, it might just be the side hustle for you.

Would recommend:
Earning potential: 12-14 euros per hour (depending on age)
I lasted: one year
What I learned: the entire Groningen street map

Restaurant server 

Imagine this: you’re at your favorite restaurant, in your best attire. You see the waitress coming towards you with your order and you’re just about to get excited when she spills it all over your nice white shirt. 

If this ever happened to you, it wasn’t because of me, because I’ve never been a waitress. But if I had, that’s exactly how things would have gone down.

It’s not that I’m clumsy, I’m just not good at carrying a lot of things at once. Which is why I’ve never tried a job in food service and probably never will.  I was very close to working at McDonalds once, but I was overcome by a feeling of dread before I could even reach the interview. 

All this to say: be aware of your flaws before you say yes to a job. Unless you’re desperate.

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