In this article6 min read
Your degree is in, but a few administrative matters are still waiting. Deal with them in good time and you avoid unpleasant surprises.
After graduating there is more to arrange than you may expect. From registering with the regional employment service to your health insurance fund and your parents’ child benefit: anyone who misses these steps sometimes loses out on a benefit or causes a reclaim at their parents’ expense. Below are the 5 most important steps, in the right order.
In short: after graduating, start straight away with registering as a job seeker, because that determines when you are entitled to a benefit. You also have to:
- join a health insurance fund as soon as you turn 25, start working or receive a benefit;
- notify the body that pays child benefit, otherwise your parents may have to repay money;
- check your tax status if you no longer live with your parents or earn enough.
6 months
How long your vocational integration period lasts after you register as a job seeker.
12 months
How long your parents can still receive child benefit after your studies, at most.
6
The number of health insurance funds you can choose from in Belgium once you have to join in your own name.
Which steps do you have to arrange after graduating?
1. Register with the regional employment service
What is the first thing to do after graduating? Register as a job seeker as quickly as possible: with the VDAB in Flanders, Actiris in Brussels or Le Forem in Wallonia. From that registration your vocational integration period of 6 months starts. If you still have no job after that period and you are under 25, you may qualify for an integration benefit. Delaying registration therefore costs you time on your entitlements directly.
2. Join a health insurance fund
While you are studying you are insured through your parents. But as soon as you turn 25, start working or receive a benefit, you have to join a health insurance fund in your own name. That can be the same fund as your parents use, but you may also switch. In Belgium you choose between 6 funds: the Christian, the auxiliary fund for sickness and invalidity insurance, the Liberal, the Neutral, the Independent and the Socialist funds. Compare the benefits (lenses, dental care, sport, travel) before you choose.
3. Notify the child benefit body
After your studies your parents can receive child benefit for 12 months at most. Contact the paying body as soon as you stop studying. If you do not, your parents may receive too much and have to repay it later. The rules are a regional matter and differ: the Groeipakket in Flanders, Iriscare in Brussels and AViQ in Wallonia. Payment stops in any case once you turn 25, start working or receive a benefit.
4. Adjust your tax situation
No longer living with your parents? Or starting work and earning more than the permitted amount in net means of subsistence per year? Then you are no longer a dependant for tax purposes. That has direct consequences for their tax return and for how their pay is calculated, so tell them in good time so that they can adjust the number of dependants.
5. Apply for youth holiday in your first job
Found work in the private sector? In your first year you are not yet entitled to the usual 4 weeks of paid holiday, because you build that up after a full year of work. Fortunately you can apply for youth holiday or additional holiday, so that you can still take a break in your first working year.
Common mistakes after graduating
- Waiting too long to register as a job seeker. Every week of delay is a week less of accrued integration period.
- Forgetting to notify the child benefit body. This often leads to an awkward reclaim at your parents’ expense.
- Thinking you stay insured automatically through your parents’ fund. From 25, a job or a benefit onwards you have to join in your own name.
- Not taking the dependant status into account. This can affect your parents’ net pay if you do not report it in time.
- Not asking about youth holiday. Many starters do not know this scheme exists and miss out on leave in their first year.
How Recruit a Student helps you
- We match you quickly with flexible jobs in sectors such as transport, cleaning, administration and finance, customer service and technical work, while you get your paperwork in order.
- Through our network you build work experience before your first permanent job, which looks good on your CV.
- Our consultants support you personally in the move from student to starter on the labour market.
- We handle all the paperwork of the job itself: from the Dimona declaration to payroll; you focus on the start of your career.
- Drop in at one of our offices in Antwerp, Brussels or Ghent for personal advice.
Getting started in 3 steps
Step 1 – Sign up free of charge
Fill in your details in 1 minute through our website. No CV needed, no long forms.
Step 2 – Pass on your availability
Through the MY Recruit app you indicate when you are available. You choose the days that suit you.
Step 3 – Start and earn
You get a short briefing on site and start straight away. Every week your pay is in your account.
Student jobs across Belgium, close to you too
Recruit a Student has offices in the main student cities of Belgium. We match you with a company in your region, so that you can work close to home. Studying in Ghent, Antwerp, Leuven or Brussels? Thanks to our offices in Antwerp and Brussels you always find work nearby.
Personal contact, always close by
If you have questions about your student job, your schedule or your pay, you can always count on us. You can reach us through the office near you, for a conversation, a quick question or to sign up straight away.
Frequently asked questions
When do I have to register as a job seeker after graduating?
As quickly as possible. From your registration your vocational integration period of 6 months starts, which counts towards a possible integration benefit if you are under 25.
Do I stay insured through my parents after graduating?
Yes, until you turn 25, start working or receive a benefit. From that moment you have to join a health insurance fund of your choice in your own name.
Do my parents still receive child benefit after my studies?
Yes, for 12 months at most. Notify the paying body for your region as soon as you stop studying, to avoid a reclaim.
Am I entitled to holiday in my first job?
Not automatically. In the private sector you build up the usual 4 weeks only after a full year of work. You can, however, apply for youth holiday or additional holiday for your first year.
How do I quickly find a first job or a flexible job after my studies?
Sign up free of charge with Recruit a Student and look at our open vacancies. Our consultants help you quickly.
