Salary and Taxes
Once a year you will receive an annual statement stating your gross and net salary for the past year. You have to use this document for the tax return that you must submit on March 1. Sometimes you get money back.
The salary is stated on your payslip:
Net salary is the amount you receive in your bank account, without taxes.
Gross salary is the total salary, including taxes, from which taxes are still to be deducted.
Example
Suppose your salary is €1600 gross and €1200 net. In this case you pay €400 in taxes and premiums.
Tax is an amount that you pay to the government, which they use to finance roads, schools, the police and benefits, for example. You pay premiums for insurance policies related to your work, such as pension, unemployment and disability.
If you own or start a company
Someone can become an independent entrepreneur (= start his own company). You are then the boss yourself. Hard work and good organization = earn a lot of money. Sickness or vacation = no money!
What do you need?
• Sometimes certain diplomas are needed, for instance if you want to start as a hair dresser.
• To start you usually need money that can be borrowed from the bank
• In orde to have the money from the bank you need to write a business plan (= it states what you want to do and how you are going to do it). The bank always wants to know what your plan is! If you start your own company, you must register with the Chamber of Commerce (= an organization that helps companies). More information can be found on:
KVK unfortunately the information given is only in Dutch
The KvK checks whether a company operates according to the rules of the law. They provide information about tax, courses and the business plan.
Working together
You work together with colleagues and sometimes have a work consultation or meeting in which you talk about the work, make plans and discuss problems. In a company, every department has a manager. The director is the boss of the executives. You talk differently with your manager than with your normal colleagues.
• Colleagues make work more fun and easier. You help each other, talk to each other and compliment each other. Many companies have a staff association that organizes fun activities, such as parties or bowling.
• You are likely to make mistakes in the beginning because you are still learning. Ask for help and be open to criticism. Talk to your manager. A performance review is a conversation with your manager about how the work is going and what could be improved.
• It is normal to make mistakes in the beginning because you are still learning. It’s important to ask for help and be open to criticism so you can do your best. It’s good to talk to your boss.
• A performance review is a conversation with your boss about how you do your job and what could be improved.
• Sometimes there is discrimination if you are a foreigner, for example if you are Muslim and colleagues are annoying when you want to pray. It is important not to get angry easily, because sometimes it can be a joke. If it doesn’t stop, it’s good to talk to the colleague first. If that doesn’t help, you can make an appointment with the chief or director. Discrimination is prohibited and you have the right to do something about it. You can always report this to the police.