Step 9: Discover Eindhoven in advance
Moving Early
There are a number of housing options available for short term lets in the city. These do not provide registration, however they can fill the gap between arrival and registration.
The first option, is to take a sublet from an outgoing student. Many students rent out their rooms during the summer break, and sometimes it is possible to rent a room for one or two weeks while you visit places that will allow you to register.
Renting a room on Airbnb or a similar service can also work for this time, however the costs can be high. Other short term letting options can be found through Holland2Stay which also provide long term rentals for students.
Work
Eindhoven is a city with a wide range of design studios and designers and it is also home to the Netherland’s largest company – ASML. There are many opportunities for part-time and full-time work that can be found before or upon your arrival in bars, cafes, restaurants and delivery services. While it’s certainly easiest to find work when you are here (and already registered) you can find work in advance.
Common flexible jobs taken by DAE students include Thuisbezorgd (food delivery service) and Monk (boldering gym).
Fast fashion retail outlets in the city centre, along Demer, are often looking for staff.
There are a wide range of café’s and bars in Eindhoven, in areas such as Strijp-S, Stratumseind, and Kleine Berg.
Healthcare
Healthcare, in particular the Dutch Basic Health Insurance, is required for anyone who is employed in the Netherlands. To find out more about Dutch Basic Health Insurance (zorgverzekering) you can read more directly from the Dutch Government here.
Be aware that ‘Student Insurance’ is different to ‘Dutch Basic Health Insurance’. Student Insurance will not necessarily cover you to work in the Netherlands, although you will be covered in case of a range of issues that can arise during your studies. Simple comparison tools such as Independer can be used to compare health insurance policies.
Through this link you will find information on applying for the Healthcare Benefit (zorgtoeslag). This healthcare benefit is in place to allow residents of the Netherlands to offset the cost of their healthcare and it is possible that this benefit can cover the entire amount of health insurance during studies.
For 2023, you can use this calculator to judge how much you will be entitled to via the healthcare benefit prior to taking out health insurance.
Note, you will need to sign up for health insurance, and separately register with a general practitioner (GP). You will only be able to sign up for a GP in your neighbourhood, they are called ‘huisarts’ so search them out once you arrive and have healthcare arranged.
Banking
There are a number of English friendly banks that you can open an account with. Make sure you look into the associated monthly charges with each. Each of the following banks allow for payments through iDeal and Tikkie, two preferred methods of payments between Dutch companies and individuals that are only facilitated by Dutch banks:
— Bunq (online banking)
— Rabobank
— ABN AMRO
— ING
For International Students coming from outside the EU, to have your living expenses returned to you it is necessary to have a bank account from a country in the European Economic Area (EEA).
Transport Card
The OV-chipkaart is the simplest, and cheapest, means of travelling via any form of public transport in the Netherlands. Within Eindhoven this means trains and busses, however these cards will also work for the tram and metro services in cities like Amsterdam and Rotterdam.
There are a number of options for subscriptions and discounts with you can find out more about here.
Legal Advice
Once you have moved to the Netherlands, it’s good to know that there are a number of services that can help you out in case you need any legal advice.
Het Juridisch Loket can be consulted about a range of different legal issues and provide free personal legal advise.
The Huurteam Eindhoven, and the Huurcommissie, provide legal aid in the case of any issues regarding housing, rentals or accommodation.
Housing Guide Index
Use the index below to move around the Housing Guide
Starting a new chapter in life is always exciting and having chosen Eindhoven as your study destination you can look forward to settling in the Netherlands. The next major step, will be to find yourself somewhere to live.
