Working in the hospitality industry or retail
Maastricht has a lively restaurant, café, bar, and shopping scene, which creates plenty of job opportunities for students. Especially during the summer, there is high demand in the hospitality industry, with many students working as waiters, bartenders, or food couriers. Retail positions are also available year-round, making them a good option if you are looking for something more consistent alongside your studies.
The good news is that you don’t necessarily need to speak Dutch—many employers are happy to hire students who only speak English.
If you’re interested in finding a side job, you can:
- Explore the side job opportunities listed on the Personal & Professional Development Portal
- Reach out directly via email to businesses you’re interested in
- Visit places in person with your CV and let them know you’d be happy to be contacted if a position opens up
This way, you will have plenty of opportunities to gain work experience while earning some extra income during your studies in Maastricht.
Take part in the Earn and Learn scheme!
The vacancies listed here are provided as part of an initiative that supports international students at UM to work a side job in hospitality/retail in Maastricht and learn Dutch at the same time.
- If you sign a contract of 6 months with a business that is taking part in this scheme, you will have the opportunity to take an intensive 14-hour Introduction to Dutch course completely free of charge and paid for by your employer!
- The 2 hours per week required to complete this course will be included in your scheduled work time. Apply to any of the jobs below now.
Click here to see the jobs available: Earn and Learn jobs
(If you participate in this scheme and there are issues with your employer upholding the conditions of the initiative please send an email to info@mymaastricht.nl with ‘Earn and Learn Scheme’ in the subject line.)
*Disclaimer: The Earn and Learn scheme and its conditions are solely for informational and advisory purposes. It constitutes a non-binding proposal and does not create any legal obligations or rights. The authors and the organisations they represent shall not be held liable for any failure to implement the recommendations contained herein, nor for any direct, indirect, incidental, or consequential damages, losses, or disruptions arising from the use of this document or reliance upon its contents. All decisions and actions taken based on this proposal are the sole responsibility of the recipient.
Applying for a job
In the Netherlands, the application process is quite similar to many other countries. Typically, you will need to prepare a CV, write a cover letter, practice your interview skills, and dress appropriately.
One difference in the Netherlands is that applicants often make their CVs a little more personal. While not required, it is fairly common to include a professional photo and sometimes a short section about hobbies or interests, especially for roles that involve customer interaction.
If you are unsure about language expectations for specific roles, you can explore the requirements via GoinGlobal on the Personal & Professional Development Portal (log in to the PPD Portal as a student to access the full resource).
Extra support
UM Career Services supports students in their professional development to become employable and to be able to make well-considered study choices. They offer tailored and personal guidance, the university also offers quick career advice (online 15-minute sessions for free CV/cover letter/LinkedIn profile checks) and individual career coaching (either online or on-site). Maastricht University alumni can participate until six months after graduation.
If you are a UM student, you can also check out the Personal and Professional Development Portal, where you can find a broad range of opportunities to improve your employability skills, including the best vacancy search engines, interesting internet tools and upcoming (networking) events of both internal and external parties.
Finding vacancies
On the Personal & Professional Development Portal, you can find plenty of vacancy websites. Go to: Find your career > Resouces > select the filter ‘Vacancies’. Here are some examples:
- InterUM’s (Maastricht University’s employment agency) vacancy board
- For EEA+Swiss nationals: search for jobs in the Netherlands on the EURES (European Employment Services) website
- Academic Positions and Academic Transfer has a list of academic and research jobs at various universities and institutions in the Netherlands
- Undutchables matches multilingual talent with challenging jobs in the Netherlands
- Banenrijklimburg.nl is a general job search website for jobs in the province of Limburg
- Welcome to Maastricht Region helps you finding a job in Maastricht region or elsewhere in the Netherlands
As a general rule, your chances of finding work in the Netherlands vastly increase if you hold at least a bachelor’s degree. If you come with a foreign diploma, your employer may ask for it to be evaluated – you can do this at the International Credential Information Centre (IDW). You may also be interested in comparing your foreign diploma with Dutch diplomas.
Finding work through a job agency
Another way to look for work is through a temping/employment agency (uitzendbureau). The agency will act as your employer and match you to companies that need temporary workers. Some examples of employment agencies in the Netherlands are:
- Adams Multilingual Recruitment (connects multilingual talents with international organisations in the Netherlands)
These are just some examples to get you started – there are plenty of others!
