When you have found work, you sign an employment contract. This contains a number of agreements you have with your employer. You and your employer must also stick to a number of rights and obligations. Read here about the most important agreements you make with your employer.
In the Netherlands, you sign a contract when you start work. Before you draw up a contract, you talk with your employer to agree on important topics. For example, you make agreements about:
How much you will earn
How many hours you will work
Which days you will work on
How many leave days you will have
If you agree on the important matters, you sign a contract. All working conditions are set out in your contract. You are also entitled to paid leave under certain circumstances, such as maternity leave, parental leave and care leave.
As a salaried employee, you have certain rights. The most important right is the right to a minimum wage. This is the amount that you should get at least for the work you do, and it is stated in the law.
The minimum wage varies by age. The older you are, the higher the minimum wage is. From the age of 21, the minimum wage is a fixed amount. It is important that you do not earn less than the minimum wage.
In addition, you can always negotiate your wage. Make sure that your wage is not too low and you do not earn less than other people doing the same job.
Travel expenses to and from work can be expensive. Your employer may offer you a travel allowance. This is compensation for the costs you incur to get to work.
When travelling with your own transportation, carpooling or public transport, an employer can reimburse a legally determined maximum amount without paying tax on it. If your employer reimburses more than this maximum amount, everything above this amount is considered wages. Then it is taxed just like the rest of your wages.
When travelling by public transportation, the employer may also choose to reimburse the travel expenses incurred tax free. This means the employer pays the entire price of your train ticket or public transport, for example.
If you do not know how your employer reimburses the cost of public transport, it is a good idea to agree on this in advance in your contract.
If you are under 18, there are special rules about working. This also applies if you are staying in the Netherlands as a refugee. Because all children in the Netherlands between the ages of 5 and 16 are subject to compulsory education. If children do not yet have a secondary school diploma, they are subject to compulsory education until they are 18. This affects how much you can work and what work you can do.
Read what to look out for here.
For any legal questions and more information about employment contracts, contact
