Rate my salary: higher education researcher

1. PERSONALIA

• Age: 26
• Education: Master + Manama teacher's license
• Work Experience : 2 as a freelancer, almost 1 year employed
• Civil status: alleenstaand
• Dependent children (Kinderen ten laste/enfants à charge): none

2. TYPE OF CONTRACT

• Employee (contractueel)
• Current job title/description: Researcher
• (Ancienniteit/Anciennité): 2
• Official hours/week : 38 real hours/week
• (excluding transport): Pretty close. Sometimes busier, but can recuperate with 'overuren'.

3. WAGE CONDITIONS)

• Gross wage (brut): 4310,66
• Net wage (incl. net fees): 2679,50
• 13th month (full? partial?): Yes, but don't know how it compares to privé. Same for vakantiegeld
• Mobile phone? Laptop?: €20 internet renumeration
• Meal vouchers: no
• Ecocheques: no
• Group Insurance (% part employer): no
• Hospitalisation Insurance: discount worth about €70/yr
• Other advantages (bonus, 14th month, stocks...): lerarenkaart

4. MOBILITY

• City/region of work: West-Vlaanderen
• Distance home-work (km's): 13
• Distance home-work (time): 50' on foot + train, 15' by car
• Do you need your own car?: not really, would be quicker, but train works fine
• How is the travel home-work compensated: free public transport or fietsvergoeding
• Company car/-bike (what's the budget, do you have fuel card?): no

5. TRAVEL CONDITIONS

• Amount of official holidays: 35
• (ADV, RTT) : none
• Other extra holidays: between Christmas and New Year's
• How easy can you plan a day off: Unless there's an important event, no problem. However, you're supposed to use up the majority of your official holidays during student breaks.
• Shiftwork or daytime job? Daytime
• Flexible working hours: yes
• Amount of stress (standby for troubles at work)?: mostly manageable, sometimes more hectic.
• How often does overtime happens: about once every two weeks
• Education possibilities: possiblity to see materials of courses, diploma costs are paid back - but only if you succeed
• Teleworking (besides corona-period): 1 day
• Responsability for personnel: no

I also do some freelancing on the side as an eenmanszaak, bringing my net to around 3500/m. I feel like I really can't complain about my job, especially as a starter. The job is nice, I get the opportunity to network a lot and the colleagues are great! If I stay here, there's a good chance of growing into other roles and becoming 'vastbenoemd'.

However, after I saw what some of my former colleagues are earning as a freelancer (+ a bunch more valuable benefits like a car), I've become very interested in going that route after a few years of building up experience. I'm also thinking about creating a BV instead of keeping my eenmanszaak because I get taxed like crazy on my freelancer revenue right now...