Freelancing in the Netherlands is very common and there are many companies willing to hire freelancers. The toughest part is finding the companies willing to do this. I learned about most of the following freelance jobs in Amsterdam from friends or stumbled across them on the internet.
Upwork
I have a profile on Upwork, a site where freelancers can perform services remotely for clients and businesses all over the world. You can write blog articles, be a virtual assistant, build websites, edit pictures and videos, enter data in Excel worksheets, manage Facebook ads, etc. Pretty much any time-consuming task (skilled or unskilled) that can be done from a computer, people are hiring someone to do it through UpWork.
Personally, I manage social media accounts on YouTube and Instagram for clients and businesses through Upwork.
Pay Rate
You can set your own pay rate. You can get paid hourly, or set a fixed rate for completing a project. Your pay rate will depend on your experience, the type of work you are doing, and what the client is willing to pay.
Uber Eats
You can choose to work whenever you want to in any area of Amsterdam. It’s a very flexible job, a great work out (since you’re biking for hours at a time), and has a lot of starting bonuses. They provide you with a rain-proof jacket, a phone holder for your bike, and a backpack to deliver the food with. They offer promotions during busy times and bad weather. I prefer Uber Eats over Deliveroo because of the pay rate.
Pay Rate
They guarantee pay rates at peak times during the day. If you don’t make enough money to meet the guaranteed pay rate, Uber will pay you the difference to make up for it. This results in making more money than you can with Deliveroo. For example, if you are working on a Thursday night and the guaranteed rate is €15 per hour, and you only have 5 deliveries in two hours, you will only make around €25 in delivery fares. Uber will pay you an extra €5 on top of your delivery fares to ensure that you have made €15 per hour.
Deliveroo
The first job I ever did working in the Netherlands as a freelancer was a Deliveroo Rider. You can choose to work whenever you want to, and in any area of Amsterdam. They provide you with a nice rain-proof jacket, a phone holder for your bike, a helmet, and a very large backpack to deliver the food with. It’s a very flexible job, a great work out (since you’re biking for hours at a time), and has a lot of starting bonuses.
For example, if you sign up with another rider’s referral code, you will get €100 as a bonus. Sounds easy! So what’s the catch? You will need to deliver 30 orders to receive this bonus. If you sign up without a referral code, you will usually get between a €50-€75 bonus, so make sure you use mine so we can both benefit 😉
Pay Rate
You can expect to earn around €10-€15 per hour. In Central and East Amsterdam (where I worked), you will get €5 per order, and from my experience, you can do 2-3 orders per hour. Occasionally people will give tips, but don’t expect them. Working during dinner time will always get you more orders, as well as working on the weekends. Working in the middle of the day on a weekday is very slow. You can go for hours without getting a single order.
SANDEMANs Tour Guide
A popular freelancing job in the Netherlands is to give some type of guided tour. Through SANDEMANs, you can apply to be a freelance tour guide and share your knowledge of Amsterdam. You must have some knowledge of the area before doing this, so it will not be easy to do once you first move here.
Dutch Casting Agency
Be an extra in a TV commercial or movie! This is a very easy job. All you need to do is send in a few good pictures of yourself along with body measurements. Then you will be placed into a database with all of the other models/extras who have registered on the site. You will get emails from a casting director for perspective gigs with the date, payment amount, and time commitment. You can decide if you want to take the job or not.
Pay Rate
In my experience, the pay usually ranges from €8-20 per hour. Every job is very different so make sure to read all of the details. Some jobs can be VERY lucrative and you can actually make €1000+ for one or two full days of work. You will meet some very interesting people and make friends! You do not need to speak Dutch to do this, but it does help.
Freelancing in the Netherlands
Finding a job as a freelancer in the Netherlands depends on your skills and how willing you are to go outside of your comfort zone. If you are willing to do things you’ve never tried before, you will be able to find jobs while freelancing in the Netherlands fast and be able to support yourself while on the DAFT visa.