You might take a job in the Refter, or stock shelves in the supermarket. Or, like these students, you could opt for a more exciting job on the side. Wouter is a pallbearer, Laura takes pornographic pictures, and Kas watches football- and hockey matches for money.

Who: Wouter Dreschler, Political Science Student (24)
Student job: Pallbearer/ funeral assistant (€15.50 per hour)

‘I work as a pallbearer and funeral assistant for Ferentes, a temporary employment agency for workers like me. I’m responsible for a team of four, six, or eight pallbearers. My work is a lot more varied than you might think. We close the coffin and carry it inside, but I also welcome guests, walk beside the cars, and I’m sometimes hired to explain to family members how to carry a coffin. The other day, I was even asked to look after a deceased person’s house to prevent burglaries.

Sometimes the work is emotionally demanding. For example, I once had to carry the coffin of a person my age who had died in a motorcycle accident. On shifts like that, I talk to my colleagues afterwards, because I know it can be tough for them too. Talking about it helps.

Still, I enjoy my work because of how satisfying it is, and because it’s not a nine-to-five job. Sometimes I’m up at 4 a.m. to go to a funeral in Belgium or Germany. I’m also a perfectionist, which is really useful in this line of work. My job is to ensure that people can say farewell to their loved ones in the right way, without being distracted by our mistakes.’

Who: Laura Meeuwsen, Psychology Student at HAN University of Applied Sciences (22)
Student job: Erotic photographer (€110 per hour, freelance rate, varying hours)

‘I work as a photographer and do mostly sex-related jobs. For example, I take nude photos of men and women, but also of porn sets that can be used as teasers on a website. I was already interested in nudity as an adolescent – I went to nude beaches and I’ve always been very open about sex. Later, when I went to photography school, I was able to combine my interest in sexuality with my interest in photography. My goal is to get people to reveal themselves completely in front of my lens, both physically and personally.

‘The productions I work on aren’t standard porn videos’

The productions I work on aren’t standard porn videos. So no Blonde Hair Big Tits scenarios. There’s nothing real about that. I find it important to combine the artistic with the erotic. I’m quite creative and I enjoy playing around with the different aspects: How do I bring out the emotion as purely as possible while making sure the picture also tells a story? That makes this work a lot of fun.

What is less fun is that I sometimes feel judged because of my work. Many people have preconceived ideas about the porn industry. For example, they don’t understand how a professional porn film is produced, and they think that the people working on it are constantly horny. I would advise them to engage with people like myself and be more open to other perspectives.’

Who: Kas Rapstok, Sociology Student (21)
Student job: Watching sports events for scientific research (€30 per match, an average of two to three matches per weekend)

‘I work for the Mulier Institute, which conducts scientific research on sports behaviour. I follow local football and hockey matches at different levels and keep track of the players’ behaviour in terms of how sportsmanlike or unsportsmanlike they are. I use a mobile app to do this. I just sit in the stands, and if there’s a foul or an altercation, I report it in the app. I also note when a player corrects their fellow players’ misbehaviour.

‘The teams kept calling each other “childish”‘

Overall, the matches are pretty sportsmanlike. Sometimes fights break out. Watching from the stands, I think: What’s all the fuss? But I do understand: I play football myself, and if I was on the pitch, I might react just as strongly.

The craziest thing I ever saw was during a senior football match. The players of the away team were so unhappy with the referee that they even wanted to walk off the pitch. The teams kept calling each other “childish” and ridiculing one another. And that for a match at just veteran level.’