Working as a student in care in 2026: what can you do in a nursing home, hospital or childcare?

In 2026, a student worker can work in a residential care centre, a hospital, home care, childcare or youth care. You work on a student contract and, within your quota of 650 hours per calendar year, you only pay a solidarity contribution of 2.71 percent. The tasks you get depend on your studies. Almost any student can do support work, but care tasks require a registration or a diploma. Since May 2026 you can start working from the age of 15, with stricter rules as long as you are a minor. Below you can read what you are allowed to do, which documents you need and what you earn.

Where you can work as a student in care

Care is broader than the hospital.

• Residential care centre or nursing home. Serving meals, accompanying residents and helping with activities.
• Hospital. Logistics, reception, kitchen and, with the right registration, care tasks.
• Home care. Mainly for nursing students registered as a care assistant.
• Childcare. Helping with meals, play and tidying up.
• Youth care. Supporting a residential group, often for students in a social or educational programme.

What AnyShift does in this sector is explained at anyshift.be

What you can do without a care diploma

Most student jobs in care are support jobs. You don't need any specific training for them.

• Meals. Setting tables, handing out meals, clearing up and helping residents sit down at the table.
• Logistics. Restocking linen, bringing supplies to the wards, preparing rooms for a new admission.
• Activities. Running a quiz, a walk, a games afternoon or an outing together with the activities team.
• Reception and cafeteria. Welcoming visitors, showing people the way and serving coffee.

Without a registration you do not perform nursing or care procedures. Washing a resident, giving medication or dressing a wound are among them, even when the ward is busy.

Nursing students: working as a care assistant

If you study nursing, you can do more. Once you have passed the first year of the bachelor in nursing or the associate nursing programme (basisverpleegkundige), you can register as a care assistant (zorgkundige). In Flanders you apply through the e-portal of the Departement Zorg, with your certificate of success and proof of your placement hours. The FPS Public Health then issues your visa.

With that registration and visa, you can do the tasks of a care assistant as a student worker. Think of help with personal hygiene and with eating and drinking, and monitoring vital signs. You always work within a team and under the supervision of a nurse.

Working as a student nurse, with nursing procedures such as injections or wound care under your own responsibility, is only possible with a diploma and a nursing visa. During your placement you do carry out those procedures, but under the guidance of your school and your placement mentor.

Placement or student job: the difference

Students in care often combine a placement with a student job, sometimes in the same facility.

• Placement. A compulsory part of your studies. You have a placement agreement with your school, you are usually not paid and the hours do not count towards your 650 hours.
• Student job. A paid job with a student contract and a Dimona declaration of type STU. You get a wage and the hours count towards your quota.

So you can do a placement in a hospital and work there as a student at weekends, as long as that shift falls outside your placement and class hours.

Under 18: what is and isn't allowed

Since May 2026 you can sign a student contract from the age of 15, but only for light work. Serving and clearing up in the care sector is explicitly listed among the examples. On a school day you then work at most 2 hours, and in a school week at most 12 hours. During the holidays those extra limits do not apply.

For all minors, these rules apply as well.

• Maximum 8 hours a day and 40 hours a week. That limit applies to all your employers together.
• No night work. In principle you do not work between 8 pm and 6 am. A late shift in a nursing home until 9 pm is therefore not possible.
• Breaks and rest. After 4.5 hours of work you are entitled to a break, and between two working days you get at least 12 hours of rest.

All the rules by age are in anyshift.be

Health, vaccination and criminal record

In care, an employer asks for more documents than in a shop.

• Health assessment. If you are under 18 and it is your first job, or if you work at night, you see the occupational doctor first.
• Vaccination. If you are in contact with patients or residents, your employer will usually ask for proof of vaccination against hepatitis B. If you run a risk of infection, the employer must offer that vaccination free of charge.
• Criminal record extract. For childcare you need an extract model 596.2, the so-called minors model. This applies to everyone in direct contact with children, including student workers and volunteers. Youth care organisations ask for this extract too. You request it from your municipality, often also online via its e-portal.

If you only work in summer, you submit a new extract every year, unless the previous one is less than a year old.

Childcare and youth care: your studies matter

In childcare, childcare workers need a recognised qualification. Without that qualification you work as an extra pair of hands next to a qualified worker, for example at mealtimes and tidying up. In youth care, organisations mostly look for students in a social or educational programme. Ask beforehand what your role will be.

What you earn as a student in care

Your wage depends on your job and on the joint committee of the organisation. Hospitals, residential care centres and home nursing usually fall under JC 330. Childcare and part of the Flemish welfare sector usually fall under JC 331, and youth care under JSC 319.01. Many care organisations use the IFIC pay scales, where your wage depends on the job you do.

Within the 650 hours you only pay 2.71 percent solidarity contribution on your gross wage, and no withholding tax. Also ask whether the supplements for evening, night and weekend work apply to you. Wages by age are explained in anyshift.be

Practical: contract, Dimona and your quota

Before you start, you sign a written student contract. It states, among other things, your job, your schedule and your wage. Your employer files a Dimona STU, so your hours count towards your quota.

Through Student@work you can check how many of your 650 hours you have left and create a student certificate. If you are over 18 and live in Flanders, the Groeipakket child benefit continues as long as you stay within those 650 hours.

All student jobs in Flanders are at anyshift.be

Five tips for your first student job in care

• Start early with your paperwork. An extract, a vaccination and a registration take time.
• Be honest about what you can do. If you are given a task you are not registered for, say so.
• Ask for a proper induction day. Have the ward and the hand hygiene rules explained before your first shift.
• Choose fixed moments. Residents and children benefit from familiar faces.
• Plan around your studies. Fit your shifts around your exams and your placement.

Frequently asked questions about a student job in care

Can you work as a student in a nursing home?

Yes. Without a care diploma you do support work such as meals, activities, logistics and reception. Care tasks are only allowed with a registration as a care assistant.

When can a nursing student work as a care assistant?

As soon as you have passed the first year and your registration as a care assistant and your visa are in order. You then work under the supervision of a nurse.

From what age can you work in care as a student?

From 15, but only for light work such as serving and clearing up. Until you are 18 you do not work between 8 pm and 6 am.

Do you need a criminal record extract for childcare?

Yes, an extract model 596.2. It applies to everyone in direct contact with children, including student workers.

Do placement hours count towards your 650 hours?

No. A placement is part of your studies and falls outside the student quota. Only hours on a student contract count.

In short

In 2026 student workers can work across the whole care sector, from residential care centres to youth care. Without a diploma you do support work; as a nursing student registered as a care assistant, you can also do care tasks. Within 650 hours you pay 2.71 percent solidarity contribution, and under 18 stricter hours apply with no night work. To see how care also uses flexi-jobs, read anyshift.be. Read more at anyshift.be and anyshift.be. Care organisations looking for student workers will find more information at anyshift.be

📲 Student jobs in care and other sectors are in the AnyShift app. Download it on the App Store apps.apple.com or on Google Play play.google.com