Weeks on a job ad, an afternoon on onboarding. Flip it. A good onboarding plan doesn't have to be complicated, but it needs to be more than an account and a welcome email. Here's a plan for a working student's first month.
What needs to happen in the first month, at minimum?
Four things: access and equipment ready on day one, a buddy alongside a manager, a first completed task within four weeks and a fixed weekly feedback moment. If one is missing, a new working student feels like an outsider for longer than necessary.
Week 1: have the basics ready before day one
Sort out access, equipment and a clear workspace beforehand, so day one is about getting to know people and not about IT problems. Arrange the administration too: before the first working day you check identity and have the payroll-tax details, a copy of the identity document and the payroll record in your records [1][2]. Within one week and within one month of starting, give the mandatory details in writing, such as job, hours, salary and notice period [3].
Week 1: assign a buddy, not just a manager
A manager explains what the work involves. A buddy explains how things work in practice: where the coffee is, who to go to for what, which channels matter. That informal layer helps someone feel at home faster.
Weeks 2 to 4: hand over a first, bounded result
Don't let a working student “shadow” for weeks on end. Within the first month, give them a small, complete task they're fully responsible for. Finishing something and seeing it work gives more energy than a month of loose observation.
Set a fixed feedback moment
A short weekly conversation of fifteen minutes stops small unclarities from growing into frustration. Ask not only how the work is going but also whether the hours and the balance with studies work: that combination matters for a working student and not for a full-time employee.
Treat the role as structural from day one
Don't treat a working student as temporary help who still has to prove themselves. Give the role its own responsibilities and a voice in meetings from the start.
What if things still aren't clicking after the first month?
Don't wait for a three-month review to bring it up. If unclarities about tasks, hours or expectations surface earlier in the weekly conversations, adjusting is still a small change. Mind the probation period: for a fixed-term contract of longer than six months but shorter than two years it may last at most one month, and for a contract of at most six months there is no probation period [4].
Sources
- Ondernemersplein (Rijksoverheid): ID-bewijs controleren en bewaren, accessed 11 October 2026.
- Ondernemersplein (Rijksoverheid): Stappenplan personeel aannemen, accessed 11 October 2026.
- Rijksoverheid: Wat staat er in een arbeidsovereenkomst?, accessed 11 October 2026.
- wetten.overheid.nl: Burgerlijk Wetboek Boek 7, artikel 652 (proeftijd), geldend per 1 juli 2026, accessed 11 October 2026.
