Do you not yet speak Dutch very well, but would like to learn and practice Dutch?

There are websites that will help you practice the Dutch language.

You can also look for Dutch lessons on YouTube.

SAMAH has made a list with tips on how to learn the Dutch language.

If you would like to receive this list send us a message.

You may work in the Netherlands if your asylum application has been pending for at least 6 months.

Your employer must then apply for a permit. That permit is called a work permit.

You also need a BSN number. This is your own personal number with which you are registered in the Netherlands.

To get your salary, you must also have a bank account number.

If you don’t yet have a BSN number, you can already volunteer. Sometimes you will receive a small stipend.

If you earn your own money and live in COA’s shelter, you must give a large portion of what you earn to COA. They call this a co-payment of the cost of shelter.

Make proper arrangements with your employer and avoid being exploited.

If you arrive in the Netherlands and are a minor, you have the right to go to school within 3 months.

Perhaps you have been in the Netherlands for more than 3 months and are not yet attending school.

This is because there is too little space in the school and too few teachers.

Maybe your shelter location is temporary. School is then not arranged or not yet arranged.

If you have been in the Netherlands for more than 3 months and cannot attend school, you can contact your guardian at Nidos to discuss this.

They can tell you more about the situation with school at your location.

If you don’t go to school, you can search for free language classes in your area.

Sometimes the library or community center organizes language classes. They often call it a language café.

You can also ask youth work if they organize anything for young people who are new to the Netherlands.

If your parents are still outside Europe, you are entitled to extra study financing (supplementary grant). You can apply for this at DUO through a form and with a letter from, for example, Nidos, Vluchtelingenwerk or SAMAH.

If your parents are in the Netherlands but have little income, you can apply for a supplementary grant yourself.

Read more here.

If you go to school, you may also work. If you don’t earn too much extra by working, you may keep all the salary. If you earn more, you get less student loan. For 2021, the limit is €15,415.63 (this amount is about what you earn together (if you live with your boyfriend/girlfriend) or the salary you pay taxes on).

Look here for the rules.

When you go to school, you get student finance from DUO. This is sometimes a loan, sometimes not, it depends on the course you are doing. You have to apply for the study financing yourself, at least 8 weeks in advance.

Read all about applying for student loans here.

A lot of things you can do online (on the computer or on your phone) these days. You need a digital ID for that, which is called your Digi-D.

You can apply for a Digi-D here.

Keep your name and password safe and never give it to anyone else. It’s a bit like your digital passport, which is yours alone.

The law says you are entitled to a minimum hourly wage. This is the minimum amount you should receive per hour from your employer.

The minimum hourly wage depends on your age. If you want to know what your minimum hourly wage is, go to the government website.

Make good arrangements with your boss about your hourly wage before you sign a contract. If you get less than the minimum hourly wage, you can talk to your boss about it. If the problem is not resolved, you can make a report to the Dutch Labor Inspectorate. You may do this anonymously.

Call the SAMAH Help Desk if you have more questions.

If your parents are still outside Europe, you are entitled to extra study financing (supplementary grant). You can apply for this at DUO through a form and with a letter from, for example, Nidos, Vluchtelingenwerk or SAMAH.

If your parents are in the Netherlands but have little income, you can apply for a supplementary grant yourself.

Read more here.

If you go to school, you may also work. If you don’t earn too much extra by working, you may keep all the salary. If you earn more, you get less student loan. For 2021, the limit is €15,415.63 (this amount is about what you earn together (if you live with your boyfriend/girlfriend) or the salary you pay taxes on).

Look here for the rules.

A lot of things you can do online (on the computer or on your phone) these days. You need a digital ID for that, which is called your Digi-D.

You can apply for a Digi-D here.

Keep your name and password safe and never give it to anyone else. It’s a bit like your digital passport, which is yours alone.