Last updated on 10 September 2026
What is the difference between student assistants and trainees? When does a student receives an employment contract and when a work placement?
Student assistants
Student assistants are registered at a Dutch university as students and contribute, as employees, to academic education or research. They can also be deployed to carry out non-structural and operational tasks.
Read more about the conditions on the page Student assistant.
Trainees
Students enrolled in an educational institution can do a paid or unpaid work placement at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam as part of their degree programme.
Read more about the conditions on the page Trainee - doing a work placement at VU Amsterdam.