Student jobs for internationals in Groningen: working in a bar

Finding a student job in Groningen can be really tough for international students. In this series, students will provide you with tips and introduce you to some companies that offer student jobs for internationals in Groningen.

We start with Amelia, a second-year International Communication student from Ireland, who works in the international bar The Crown. How did she manage to find this job?

The search
Amelia started by doing a lot of research on the internet. She searched on different websites and blogs for companies that offer jobs for international students and sent them her CV. Besides this, she went to the city centre and talked to bar and restaurant owners directly, introducing herself and giving them her CV.

Everyone can learn to mix drinks and clean tables, but having charisma is something you cannot learn

‘This was the best I could do, because talking to someone face to face always increases your chances and people get to know you much better.’ The owner from the bar ‘The Crown’ was immediately convinced. Amelia’s previous experience was much less important to him than her character, because dealing with customers would be her daily business. Everyone can learn to mix drinks and clean tables, but having charisma is something you cannot learn. Therefore, he asked her to do a job trial. Needless to say, she passed the test and got the job.

The job
As usual in a bar, Amelia has to mix drinks, clean tables and process payments. Her favourite part of the job is talking to people. ‘Since it is an international bar, there are so many different and interesting people and I really enjoy talking to them. This makes every day so different and enjoyable.’

Working at night is quite tough in the beginning, but I got used to it rather quickly

Amelia can combine the work in The Crown very well with her study. She works two days a week and she always knows at least a week before on which days she has to work. This helps her to plan her learning schedule around her working hours. Normally she works on Tuesday and Saturday evening from 8 pm. till 1 am.

‘Of course, working at night is quite tough in the beginning, but I got used to it rather quickly’. For the bar owner it was important that Amelia could use her study skills in her work, so he decided that she would take care of the bar’s social media accounts. ‘After having some meetings to discuss a content strategy, the owner trusted me completely and now I can decide myself what to posts on which channel.’

Tips
‘Create an outstanding CV and send it to as many companies as possible. The worst thing that can happen is that they say “no”. Go to the city centre and talk to the owners directly. But be prepared and know what you are going to say and ask in order to make a good first impression.’

Photos: Mónica Burgmeijer (c)