Student summer job in Belgium: when to apply and how to land it

The timeline: start searching in February

Summer job offers appear as early as late winter. Large chains, leisure parks, festivals and logistics companies often recruit between February and April; SMEs and hospitality post later, sometimes until June to cover absences.

Smart move: prepare your profile and CV in January, during or just after exam season, apply from February to April, then watch for last-minute offers in May and June.

• January: update your CV, check your hours balance in My Student at work.
• February to April: apply for offers and follow up a week later.
• May and June: take replacements and late-posted offers.
• July and August: work, keeping an eye on your hours counter.

The rules: student employment rules

A summer job is a student job like any other. You work under a student employment contract, written and signed before work starts, and your hours are deducted from your annual quota of 650 hours at reduced contributions (2.71% instead of 13.07%).

Watch your counter: if you've already worked a lot during the year, you may have fewer hours left than needed for two full-time months. Beyond 650 hours, you can continue, but with standard contributions.

For family allowances, summer is often more flexible. In Brussels, the 240-hour-per-quarter limit doesn't apply in July, August and September if you continue your studies after summer. In Wallonia and Flanders, annual and quarterly or monthly limits still apply: check with your office.

Where to find a summer job?

• Sales and retail: holiday replacements, checkout, restocking.
• Hospitality, tourism and leisure: Belgian coast, parks, campings, festivals.
• Logistics and production: order preparation, packaging, often in teams.
• Recreation: playgrounds and children's camps, sometimes under volunteer work rules rather than student contracts.
• Offices and SMEs: admin support, reception, communication, IT help — fewer positions, but more valuable for your CV.

On COLLABme, companies list the period, hours and hourly rate for each job: you know before applying if the offer fits your summer.

Salary: what you're entitled to

Your salary depends on your sector's joint commission and your age: some pay scales set a percentage of adult wages for younger workers. Your contract shows the joint commission number; FPS Employment publishes minimums on salairesminimums.be.

Night hours, Sundays or overtime may entitle you to supplements depending on the sector. Keep a copy of your contract and pay slips: you'll need them for your tax return too.

Stand out in minutes

For a summer job, employers mainly want reliability. Clearly state your availability dates (from … to …), your languages (French-Dutch bilingualism is a real asset in Brussels and on the coast), your driving licence if you have one, and even brief experience: babysitting, youth movement, volunteering.

A short, precise message beats a long letter: who you are, what dates, why this job. If you don't get a response after a week, a polite follow-up is normal.

Employers: publish before March

The most organised students sign their summer job by spring. Publishing your listing before March, with the period, number of hours, schedule and hourly rate, gives you access to these profiles before your competitors.

Check the student's hour balance (they can show you the My Student@work certificate), write the student employment contract and make the Dimona declaration before the first day of work. On COLLABme, your summer job listing spells all this out from the start: hours, period, time slots and hourly rate.