Student job during the 2026 autumn break: where to find work in your city

The 2026 autumn break in Flanders runs from Monday 2 to Sunday 8 November. One week, but with Halloween on Saturday 31 October, All Saints' Day on Sunday 1 November and right after that the run-up to Sinterklaas, Black Friday and the year-end season. Shops, bars and restaurants, theme parks, hotels and warehouses look for extra student workers then, and anyone available that week is often asked straight back for December. As long as you still have hours left of your 650 student hours, you pay only a 2.71 percent solidarity contribution on that pay and keep almost all of it net. In this article we list city by city where the autumn break jobs are: Antwerp, Ghent, Brussels, Mechelen, Bruges, Ostend and Hasselt. You also read what you earn, from what age you can work and how to lock in a shift on time.

Why the autumn break is such a good moment

For employers, early November is not a quiet week. In 2026 Halloween falls on the Saturday just before the break and fills the cafés, themed parties and theme parks, which run their Halloween programme throughout the holiday. All Saints' Day is a public holiday on which bakers, florists and restaurants need extra people. At the same time shops build up their toy departments and their Sinterklaas range, and warehouses start stocking up for Black Friday on 27 November.

Tourism peaks too: the autumn break is a city-trip week, so hotels in Bruges, Antwerp, Ghent, Brussels and on the coast are well booked. And because most students have a week off themselves, the hospitality shifts normally done by students suddenly open up. Our general guide to the autumn break is here: anyshift.be

Check your 650 hours and your age first

In 2026 you may work 650 hours per calendar year as a student worker at the reduced rate. On those hours you pay a 2.71 percent solidarity contribution, no ordinary social security and no withholding tax. A full autumn break is good for 30 to 40 hours. If you worked a lot in summer, add up what is left, because the Christmas break after it takes another 50 to 60 hours. On 1 January 2027 your counter restarts at 650.

You check your counter via Student@work, the app or website of the Belgian social security office. How that works exactly is in our blog on checking your student hours: anyshift.be

From what age can you start? Since May 2026 you can do light work as a student worker from age 15, with a maximum of 8 hours a day and no night or heavy work. From 16 you have the widest choice in retail and hospitality, and from 18 you can also work the bar late at night. The details are in our blog on working from age 15: anyshift.be

What do you earn as a student worker during the autumn break?

Your pay depends on the sector and your age. In hospitality (joint committee 302) the 2026 scale for a junior waiter or kitchen assistant from age 18 is 15.20 euros gross per hour, for a waiter or bartender 16.88 euros. If you are younger you get a percentage of that scale: 90 percent at 17, 80 percent at 16 and 70 percent at 15. A 16-year-old kitchen assistant thus earns about 12.16 euros gross per hour.

Because you pay only 2.71 percent contribution and no tax is withheld from your pay, you keep about 14.79 euros net out of 15.20 euros gross. A 35-hour week is good for 500 to 520 euros net. If you work on Sunday 1 November, you are entitled in most sectors to a public-holiday premium or compensatory rest, just like permanent staff. How those premiums work is in our blog on night and Sunday premiums: anyshift.be

Antwerp: from the Meir to the port

In the autumn break Antwerp combines shopping, tourism and logistics. The Meir, the Stadsfeestzaal and the shops around the Groenplaats build up their toy and gift departments and look for cashiers, shelf stackers and sales assistants. The zoo and the museums have their busiest week of the autumn during the holiday and look for reception and catering staff. In the bars and restaurants around the Zuid, the Eilandje and the Grote Markt, Halloween and city trippers fill the rooms.

Prefer something without customer contact? Around the port and in the logistics zone near Wilrijk and Wommelgem, warehouses look for order pickers and packers for the Black Friday stock build-up. Check our city page for Antwerp: anyshift.be to see which sectors are opening shifts right now.

Ghent: student city without students

During the autumn break the Ghent students have a week off themselves, and the brasseries in the Patershol and the cafés on the Overpoort and the Vrijdagmarkt notice it immediately: their regular student workers are gone and the room is full. Anyone available that week quickly finds waiting, bar and dishwashing work in Ghent. Halloween parties in the cafés and the first year-end dinners fill the weekend.

Outside hospitality, the Veldstraat and the shopping centre at the Zuid look for sales assistants for the Sinterklaas build-up, and the autumn fairs at Flanders Expo ask for reception and catering. The cinemas and sports halls also look for extra people during the holiday. More on our city page for Ghent: anyshift.be

Brussels: hotels, fairs and the airport

Brussels is a city-trip destination in the autumn break, and the hotels around the centre and the European quarter look for breakfast, banquet and housekeeping staff. The autumn fairs and congresses at Brussels Expo ask for reception, catering and set-up crews. The restaurants around the Grand-Place and Sainte-Catherine run on tourists and the Halloween weekend.

Being bilingual is an advantage in Brussels. The many searches for "studentenjob Brussel Nederlandstalig" show that employers are looking for Dutch-speaking students for reception and sales. Zaventem airport has a travel peak in the autumn break and looks for baggage and reception staff, but count on the mandatory badge and training beforehand. See the sectors in Brussels on our city page: anyshift.be

Mechelen: Technopolis, Planckendael and the Bruul

Mechelen sits between Antwerp and Brussels and draws families from both directions in the autumn break. Technopolis, the toy museum and Planckendael zoo have their top days that week and look for reception, ticketing and catering staff, also for the Halloween activities. The Bruul and the IJzerenleen are among the busiest shopping streets in the country per inhabitant, and the shops there look for sales assistants for the Sinterklaas build-up.

For those with a car or bike: the business parks Mechelen-Noord and Ragheno look for warehouse workers for the year-end stock. More on our city page for Mechelen: anyshift.be

Bruges: tourists, All Saints' Day and chocolate

Bruges is a top tourist destination in the autumn break. Hotels are well booked, so they look for breakfast, banquet and housekeeping staff. Around All Saints' Day, florists and bakers in and around the city look for extra hands for the busiest days of their autumn. The chocolatiers and souvenir shops in the centre look for sales assistants who also speak some English or French.

Bruges is also a tourist centre, which means shops may open on Sundays. That means extra weekend shifts for anyone available on Saturday and Sunday. Check our city page for Bruges: anyshift.be

Ostend: the coast in autumn

At the seaside the autumn break is a small second season. Second-home owners and walkers come to Ostend, the brasseries and chip shops on the sea wall and the hotels look for waiting staff and kitchen help, and the Kursaal and the cinemas look for reception and catering staff for the holiday programme. The theme parks on the coast run their Halloween weeks during the autumn break and look for students for catering, reception and rides.

The supermarkets and sports shops on the coast also need more people during the holiday, and those with a driving licence can find work in deliveries and rentals. More on our city page for Ostend: anyshift.be

Hasselt: shopping city on the way to Winterland

Hasselt positions itself as the shopping city of Limburg, and in the autumn break the build-up of Winterland on the Kolonel Dusartplein begins, opening in mid-November. The Demerstraat, the Koning Albertstraat and the shopping centres on the outskirts look for sales assistants for the Halloween and Sinterklaas range. The indoor theme park in Hasselt, the cinemas and the bowling alleys run every day during the holiday and look for reception and catering staff.

The bars and restaurants in the centre and on the Kanaalkom fill the Halloween weekend and the first year-end parties. See what is on offer on our city page for Hasselt: anyshift.be

Practical: contract, Dimona and tracking your hours

For every student job you need a written student employment contract that you sign before your first shift, and your employer must declare you with a Dimona STU stating the number of planned hours. Those hours are deducted from your quota immediately, even if you end up not working a shift. So ask your employer to adjust the Dimona if a shift is cancelled.

If you work through AnyShift, the platform handles the contract, the Dimona and the payment. You pick a shift in the app, receive your contract digitally and your pay is in your account within 48 hours of the shift. How that works is on our page about student jobs: anyshift.be

Five tips to find a job fast during the autumn break

• Start in October. Employers plan the autumn break and Halloween from mid-October. Anyone who already has a profile then gets the first shifts.
• Open up the weekend of 31 October and 1 November. Halloween and All Saints' Day are the busiest days, with a premium on the public holiday.
• Count your hours. An autumn break costs 30 to 40 hours, the Christmas break after it another 50 to 60. If you are running low, pick the best-paid shifts.
• Look outside the centre. Everyone wants to work in the shopping street. Warehouses, hotels and theme parks on the outskirts are looking just as hard and pay just as well.
• Be reliable. Anyone who turns up on time and finishes their shifts in the autumn break is the first to be asked back in December for the year-end rush.

Frequently asked questions about a student job during the autumn break

When is the 2026 autumn break?

From Monday 2 to Sunday 8 November 2026 inclusive. Halloween falls on Saturday 31 October and All Saints' Day on Sunday 1 November, the weekend just before the break.

Can I work during the autumn break at 15?

Yes, since May 2026 you can do light work from age 15, with a maximum of 8 hours a day and not at night. Think shelf stacking, packing or helping at the till.

Can I work on All Saints' Day as a student worker?

In principle working on a public holiday is restricted, but exceptions apply in hospitality, retail in tourist centres and the events sector. You are then entitled to compensatory rest and usually a premium.

How many of my 650 hours does an autumn break cost?

A full week of five 7-hour shifts is 35 hours. If you only work the weekend and two days, you are around 20 hours. Check your counter via Student@work before you start.

How much can I earn without losing child benefit?

As long as you stay within your 650 hours there is no impact on the Groeipakket or child benefit. If you work more, conditions apply per region. Check your situation with your benefits fund beforehand.

In short

With Halloween, All Saints' Day, city trippers and the build-up to Sinterklaas and Black Friday, the 2026 autumn break is a busy week for shops, hospitality, hotels, theme parks and warehouses in Antwerp, Ghent, Brussels, Mechelen, Bruges, Ostend and Hasselt. As a student worker you keep almost your gross as net at a 2.71 percent contribution, and anyone who performs well now is first in line in December. More articles on our blog page: anyshift.be, answers to your questions on our FAQ page: anyshift.be and if you are an employer yourself, see our page for businesses: anyshift.be

📲 Download AnyShift and find a student job in your city for the autumn break. Pick your shifts, sign digitally and get paid within 48 hours. App Store: apps.apple.com and Google Play: play.google.com