Can teachers and civil servants do a flexi-job in 2026?

Yes, as a teacher or civil servant you can do a flexi-job. The condition is the same as for any other employee: three quarters earlier you must have worked at least 4/5 for another employer. Teaching staff have benefited from a favourable rule since 2018 that lets even temporary teachers flexi-job all year round. If you work for the government, you should also check your department's rules on combining jobs. Here's the full picture.

The basic rule: 4/5 worked in the reference quarter

The flexi-job status is meant as a side income next to a main job. That's why the social security office (RSZ/ONSS) looks at reference quarter T-3, i.e. three quarters before the quarter in which you want to flexi-job. In that quarter you must have worked at least 4/5 of a full-time job for one or more employers other than your flexi-job employer.

Want to do a flexi-job in the fourth quarter of 2026? Then the first quarter of 2026 counts. If you had an assignment of at least 4/5 back then, you're fine. Your government employment simply counts, whether you're a statutory or a contractual employee. Since 1 July 2026 the RSZ checks this condition automatically when the Dimona declaration is filed, so your employer sees immediately whether you qualify.

A half-time job won't get you there. Anyone working 3/5 or less has no access to the flexi-job status. Pensioners are the exception: the 4/5 condition doesn't apply to them. You'll find all the conditions in our FAQ.

Teachers: in summer too, and as a temporary teacher too

For a long time, teaching staff faced an annoying problem. In July and August, temporary teachers received no salary but deferred pay or a benefit. That third quarter then wasn't considered as worked, so they weren't allowed to flexi-job in the second quarter of the following year.

Since 1 January 2018 that has been fixed. The period of deferred pay is treated as days worked. In practice this means that both permanently appointed and temporary teachers with an assignment of at least 4/5 can do a flexi-job all year round. Including during the summer holidays, precisely when hospitality and the events sector are looking for the most staff.

Do take care if you work on short replacement contracts. Anyone who spent a few weeks without an assignment in the reference quarter may just miss the 4/5 mark. Check your assignment fraction in Mijn Onderwijs or ask your HR department.

Not with your own school board

Since April 2024, schools and childcare providers have been able to hire flexi-jobbers themselves, and since 1 July 2026 this is possible in almost every sector. For teachers this also opens up flexi-jobs as a supervisor, in after-school care or in a school's front office. There is one important restriction: you can't do a flexi-job with the same employer as your main job. For education that means: not with your own school board, and not in another school run by that same board either. With a different school board it's fine.

The same logic applies to civil servants. If you work for the city, you can't do a flexi-job at the municipal swimming pool or the city museum, because that's the same legal entity. At a private company, another municipality or a non-profit it's allowed.

Civil servants: check your rules on combining jobs

The flexi-job status itself forbids nothing, but as a civil servant you also have an ethics framework to respect. It differs by level of government.

• Federal civil servants apply in advance for a cumulation permit for any paid activity outside working hours. It is granted for a maximum of four years and has no retroactive effect. So apply before your first shift.
• Flemish civil servants may in principle earn extra outside working hours, as long as there is no conflict of interest and the activity doesn't get in the way of their job. If you want to combine during working hours or during leave, you need formal permission from your line manager.
• Staff of cities, municipalities and public welfare centres fall under their own administration's staff regulations. Usually a notification is enough, sometimes permission is required. Ask your HR department.

Teaching staff have no general cumulation obligation, but check your work rules to see whether your school board asks for a notification. A short email to your head teacher prevents arguments later.

What do you earn with a flexi-job?

Your flexi-pay is fully exempt from social security contributions and taxes, up to a ceiling of 18,440 euros per year in 2026. Gross is net. In hospitality the minimum has been 13.04 euros per hour since 1 September 2026, including 7.67 percent flexi holiday pay. In other sectors you follow the pay scale for the role. You'll find more figures in our blog on flexi-job hourly pay in 2026.

For a full-time teacher, that's an attractive way to make use of the summer months or the weekend. Two shifts a week in a restaurant quickly add up to a few hundred euros a month, without paying tax on it. Your flexi-pay also doesn't appear in your tax return, so it doesn't affect your tax bracket.

Are you on a career break or time credit with a benefit? Then stricter cumulation rules apply. Check with the unemployment office (RVA/ONEM) before you take on a flexi-job.

Where do you find a flexi-job as a teacher or civil servant?

With a fixed weekly schedule you usually know well when you're free. That makes you an attractive flexi-jobber for hospitality, retail, events and care. Through the AnyShift app you choose the shifts that fit your diary, with no obligations. Check the flexi-job and student-job locations in your city or read how other shifters combine their main job with a flexi-job.

Frequently asked questions about flexi-jobs for teachers and civil servants

Can a permanently appointed teacher do a flexi-job?

Yes. As long as you had an assignment of at least 4/5 in the reference quarter, you can do a flexi-job with an employer other than your own school board.

Can a temporary teacher flexi-job in summer?

Yes. Since 2018 the period of deferred pay in July and August counts as days worked. Temporary teachers can therefore flexi-job all year round.

Can a half-time teacher do a flexi-job?

No. The condition is at least 4/5 of a full-time job in the reference quarter. A half-time assignment doesn't get you there.

Do I need permission as a civil servant for a flexi-job?

That depends on your level of government. Federal civil servants apply for a cumulation permit. Flemish civil servants may earn extra outside working hours if there's no conflict of interest. At local authorities the staff regulations determine whether you must notify or ask permission.

Can I do a flexi-job in another school as a teacher?

Yes, provided that school is run by a different school board. Within your own school board a flexi-job isn't allowed.

In short

Teachers and civil servants with an assignment of at least 4/5 can do a flexi-job with another employer in 2026. Thanks to the deferred-pay rule, temporary teachers can do so in summer as well. Avoid your own school board or government department, check your cumulation rules and enjoy a tax-free extra of up to 18,440 euros a year.

Want to know more about flexible side income? Read our other blogs. An employer looking for reliable flexi-jobbers with a steady main job? See what AnyShift does for businesses.

📲 Ready to make use of your free evenings or the summer? Download the free AnyShift app from the App Store or Google Play.