What is a “bijbaantje” in the Netherlands?
Bijbanen van studenten in Rotterdam
A2 Dutch listening practice · Dutch · Picked for people who know a little
A bijbaantje is a Dutch student’s side job. The word breaks into bij (“alongside”) plus baan (“job”) plus the affectionate -tje ending: literally “little alongside-job.” Most Dutch teenagers have one, often starting at fifteen, and the cultural assumption is that you should: it pays for the kamer (rented student room), the avondje uit (night out), the summer trip with friends. The big employers are supermarkets (vakkenvullen, kassa work at Albert Heijn or Jumbo), horeca (waiting tables), and small shops.
In this Rotterdam vlog, students count off their bijbaantjes: “Ik werk in supermarkt Jumbo en ik werk in een recreatie” (“I work at supermarket Jumbo and I work in recreation”). Standard menu.
How common are the words?
How common are the words in this A2 Dutch listening practice video?
How common in written Dutch
How common in spoken Dutch
Harder words in this video
These words are harder than A2. Here is what they mean.
Source: wordfreq 3.1.1 (general) · SUBTLEX-NL 2014 (spoken). These numbers are close, not perfect.
- ▸In Dutch student vlogs about earning money (Anna Nooshin's early content, Enzo Knol)
- ▸On Dutch employment-board sites for teens (StudentJob.nl, YoungCapital)
- ▸In Dutch sitcoms set in school years (*SpangaS, Brugklas*)
- ▸In Dutch news features about youth labor (NOS Jeugdjournaal, NRC, NU.nl, De Volkskrant)