Student: Moving to Amsterdam

Hurricane

Hurricane

Hi guys,
I am a non-EU citizen pursuing an scholarship to move and study in Amsterdam in 2023.
I would like to work part time as a waiter to support myself or any part time job that you guys might suggest that I could earn more money than waitressing.
My visa will only allow me to work 16 hours per week. :/
Can someone please, if you happen to know, also tell me what’s the average earning for a waiter working 04 hours per day in the EU, specially in Amsterdam?
Thank you so much in advance for any replies.
 
Laurence

Laurence

How fun!

You can move to Amsterdam, but housing is in a crisis and extra bad in Amsterdam. So you should probably ask friends & acquaintances from there if they can help you and hopefully get something out of your network, as the open market is pretty shitty. There's some online sites but be careful of scams; if something looks to good to be true, it probably is! Also check out the regulations and rights you have as a renter; always important!

Waitressing in Amsterdam should be fine, as some restaurtans and waiters are English and there's enough English restaurants. Most understand English. But it's not a highly paid job; sites (1, 2) say about €2,000 income before taxes per month (that seems too high to me?), which would be a for a 40-hour working week. So if you go to an hourly wage it would be around €800 a month, which is fine for a part-time job probably.

You could significantly increase that by going the 'ZZP' route (zelfstandige zonder personeel), which is basically a freelancer, but you miss out on holiday or insurance things - but get paid a lot more per hour, and it's flexible. You respond to jobs and do them. More info.

Is there not something that the uni offers, like student assistant or doing tutoring? There's lots of things to do but not sure what would be best.

Also do learn some basic Dutch, that is very appreciated!

Have fun and you can always PM me for questions, tips, etc.
 
Hurricane

Hurricane

Laurence said:
How fun!

You can move to Amsterdam, but housing is in a crisis and extra bad in Amsterdam. So you should probably ask friends & acquaintances from there if they can help you and hopefully get something out of your network, as the open market is pretty shitty. There's some online sites but be careful of scams; if something looks to good to be true, it probably is! Also check out the regulations and rights you have as a renter; always important!

Waitressing in Amsterdam should be fine, as some restaurtans and waiters are English and there's enough English restaurants. Most understand English. But it's not a highly paid job; sites (1, 2) say about €2,000 income before taxes per month (that seems too high to me?), which would be a for a 40-hour working week. So if you go to an hourly wage it would be around €800 a month, which is fine for a part-time job probably.

You could significantly increase that by going the 'ZZP' route (zelfstandige zonder personeel), which is basically a freelancer, but you miss out on holiday or insurance things - but get paid a lot more per hour, and it's flexible. You respond to jobs and do them. More info.

Is there not something that the uni offers, like student assistant or doing tutoring? There's lots of things to do but not sure what would be best.

Also do learn some basic Dutch, that is very appreciated!

Have fun and you can always PM me for questions, tips, etc.
Click to expand...
Hi @Laurence, thank you so much for your thoroughful reply. It helps a lot. Thank you also @Vasilios for the referring.
I actually do not know anybody from the Netherlands or anybody that lives in Amsterdam. Should I start making friends on Grindr explore lol?
I was thinking in having a look into something like Craigslist for a room or facebook marketplace. I'll be aware of any scams, now that you have told me about them. Thank you for the notification.
As for my Uni, the place is called Conservatorium Van Amsterdam. I am applying for an two year electronic music production degree. They only grant me €5000 and that's about it. They do not offer jobs at Uni unfortunately. At least as first glance for entering students.
As for the payment for waiters I think is quite high, is more than I do here working as an architects assistant :(
The freelance is a great idea too. Not worries about the holidays. I really just want to do my best at the course and make it through as I study! :)
I'll hit u up if I have any further questions. Thank you so much! I appreciate that :)
 
Laurence

Laurence

Hurricane said:
Hi @Laurence, thank you so much for your thoroughful reply. It helps a lot. Thank you also @Vasilios for the referring.
I actually do not know anybody from the Netherlands or anybody that lives in Amsterdam. Should I start making friends on Grindr explore lol?
I was thinking in having a look into something like Craigslist for a room or facebook marketplace. I'll be aware of any scams, now that you have told me about them. Thank you for the notification.
As for my Uni, the place is called Conservatorium Van Amsterdam. I am applying for an two year electronic music production degree. They only grant me €5000 and that's about it. They do not offer jobs at Uni unfortunately. At least as first glance for entering students.
As for the payment for waiters I think is quite high, is more than I do here working as an architects assistant :(
The freelance is a great idea too. Not worries about the holidays. I really just want to do my best at the course and make it through as I study! :)
I'll hit u up if I have any further questions. Thank you so much! I appreciate that :)
Click to expand...
Congrats on getting in! Well done and sounds like a fine uni. Could you find people that will start the same year as you through the Conservatorium? Is there a facebook group for next year, maybe they can help and also ask the Conversatorium for help to find a place to live. You can try kamernet and facebook groups/marketplace are a good one, but hard if you are not in Ams yet to check in person. So that's hard to not check for the scams. Worst case you could go to student hotel or hostel or what not... Not sure.

The pay does look high, but it's not if you look at the costs of living, which are significantly higher in the Netherlands too, and Amsterdam being the capital has even higher. See here: https://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/in/Amsterdam (do check rent section for looking if things are realistic).

I think on reddit/r/amsterdam and the netherlands or maybe even conversatorium. Try to find some students there and see if they can help and maybe turn out to be friends and all. Maybe they can also help you out more with things. I think there's also some online sources about moving to the Netherlands and Amsterdam with more info, but feel free to ask!

@maikos87 knows way more I bet.
 
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Charley

Charley

Staff member
Exciting! When will you be in Amsterdam?

There's indeed some helpful Facebook groups that might be worth scrolling through, just look for "expats Amsterdam" on Facebook and you'll find several!
 
Hurricane

Hurricane

Laurence said:
Congrats on getting in! Well done and sounds like a fine uni. Could you find people that will start the same year as you through the Conservatorium? Is there a facebook group for next year, maybe they can help and also ask the Conversatorium for help to find a place to live. You can try kamernet and facebook groups/marketplace are a good one, but hard if you are not in Ams yet to check in person. So that's hard to not check for the scams. Worst case you could go to student hotel or hostel or what not... Not sure.

The pay does look high, but it's not if you look at the costs of living, which are significantly higher in the Netherlands too, and Amsterdam being the capital has even higher. See here: https://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/in/Amsterdam (do check rent section for looking if things are realistic).

I think on reddit/r/amsterdam and the netherlands or maybe even conversatorium. Try to find some students there and see if they can help and maybe turn out to be friends and all. Maybe they can also help you out more with things. I think there's also some online sources about moving to the Netherlands and Amsterdam with more info, but feel free to ask!

@maikos87 knows way more I bet.
Click to expand...
I'm still waiting for the examination process! I have to wait for the final YES! (baby girl) from Uni! :o but I am already out here pretending I made it through and stepping out to find out if I have a budget to make ends meet over there hehe.
Thank you for the reference link for cost of living. I actually got this from the Uni's application process, I was using it as a reference for my budget.
https://www.studyinnl.org/finances/daily-student-expenses-and-cost-of-living-in-the-netherlands
I hope 300 euro for housing isn't a room under a bridge though.
Thank you for bringing a light in finding possible colleagues/students from the conservatorium to ask questions on Facebook. That's a good one! ;)
I am also on reddit asking questions.
Btw do you live in Amsterdam @Laurence ?
Thank you also @Charley for your suggestion. When I make it through examinations I'll be starting the academic year at September 2023! :)
 
Laurence

Laurence

300 euro for a room in Amsterdam is never gonna make it! Maybe in the year 1923. Perhaps at the Salvation Army… Sorry! For 500 you have a 3 by 2 room probably.
Double those prices for realistic numbers.
I don’t live there, family and friends do.
 
Hurricane

Hurricane

Laurence said:
300 euro for a room in Amsterdam is never gonna make it! Maybe in the year 1923. Perhaps at the Salvation Army… Sorry! For 500 you have a 3 by 2 room probably.
Double those prices for realistic numbers.
I don’t live there, family and friends do.
Click to expand...
Those prices aren't updated! OH crap!!!
 
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Hurricane

Hurricane

Laurence said:
This seems better: https://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/in/Amsterdam
Click to expand...
Okay, Amsterdam is EXPENSIVE!!!!
tumblr_inline_nqu1ruV46H1qctctd_540.pnj


I have checked all info and I am super worried!! How can I make ends meet to pay rent and food (and a gym) with a 800 euro salary as waiter! :( :( :(
I've also checked the income for a builder/painter on the website that you kindly provided (here) and I'll probably make around 960 euro for a 16 hour period per week that I am allowed to work.
The Freelance route seems harder as I read that the client needs to provide a working permit, plus I still need to find a client for any of my design abilities.
I might consider prostitution if it is a payed well job in Amsterdam lol, I really mean it!! I really want to enter that study program! :(
 
X

XXX

Have you considered moving somewhere outside of Amsterdam? Might have cheaper rent there. If you find something close to a train station it might not be that bad as commuting in Amsterdam can still be a bit of a hassle anyway if you need to go from one part to the other.
 
Laurence

Laurence

Public transport is good. The centre of Amsterdam is very expensive, it's better to find a more affordable place outside Amsterdam and just take the train and also live with roommates? You might need to loan money? We have a system in place for students, but I'm not sure if that's also for non-Dutch citizens. What were you expecting going to Amsterdam tho? Capitals are never cheap and it's in a very wealthy, densely populated country - so expensive.

I'm sure you'll make ends meet.
- There are cheap gyms for about €20 a month or so, coincidentally called BasicFit and they have lots of locations.
- Public transport is expensive but if you get a subscription for your route it'll sure work. Maybe there's student discounts.
- For housing try somewhere outside or outskirts of the capital, will be cheaper and just as reachable with public transport.
- Build a network somehow, get into Facebook groups to make sure you might find a diamond in the rough regarding housing; but often things that look to good, are scams. Check what rights you have as a renter and find student houses to join? Usually not expensive, cheap meals together, etc?
- You might need to live a bit frugal and not go to a lot of parties (booze is a big cost), not eat out a lot, etc to make ends meet. See it as an investment for the program.
 
Hurricane

Hurricane

Laurence said:
Public transport is good. The centre of Amsterdam is very expensive, it's better to find a more affordable place outside Amsterdam and just take the train and also live with roommates? You might need to loan money? We have a system in place for students, but I'm not sure if that's also for non-Dutch citizens. What were you expecting going to Amsterdam tho? Capitals are never cheap and it's in a very wealthy, densely populated country - so expensive.

I'm sure you'll make ends meet.
- There are cheap gyms for about €20 a month or so, coincidentally called BasicFit and they have lots of locations.
- Public transport is expensive but if you get a subscription for your route it'll sure work. Maybe there's student discounts.
- For housing try somewhere outside or outskirts of the capital, will be cheaper and just as reachable with public transport.
- Build a network somehow, get into Facebook groups to make sure you might find a diamond in the rough regarding housing; but often things that look to good, are scams. Check what rights you have as a renter and find student houses to join? Usually not expensive, cheap meals together, etc?
- You might need to live a bit frugal and not go to a lot of parties (booze is a big cost), not eat out a lot, etc to make ends meet. See it as an investment for the program.
Click to expand...
Hey! @Laurence you are so kind, thank you for taking time to provide all of these answers! I hope I can be of help to u too one day! :)
Well, I've got good news, I've just found out that the Conservatorium does have apartments and dorms specially made for music students. The dorms have acoustic isolation and that helps a lot! I used to worry a lot about neighbors complaining when I practiced when I was starting out. As of lately I just don't give a fuck lol, but can u imagine living in a treated room? That is total goals of a musician. The houses look nice too!
https://janpieterszoonhuis.nl/en/houses/
I am in touch with them, but they said that the waiting list for housing is huge though... Price is okay though they go from 400 euro to 700 euro without utilities. I still don't know if I'll get accepted and will head to Amsterdam. I made a decision to apply to some other countries that I've discovered that they have amazing music technology programs and scholarships. My hopes are having more chances to get accepted and be able to continue my music studies abroad!
I'll pop out here with good news soon :)
 
Hurricane

Hurricane

Hi guys,
Anybody interested in exchanging language speaking practices over zoom? I am Ecuadorian, but have been living in Brazil for 16 years. I can help you practice Spanish or Portuguese and you can help me practice with English speaking.
Reach out to me if you are interested! :)
 
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