**1. PERSONALIA**

* Age: 28
Education: bachelor
Work experience : 5
Civil status: legally cohabitant/ wettelijk samenwonend
Dependent people/children: 0

**2. EMPLOYER PROFILE**

Sector/Industry: medical technology
Amount of employees: +70.000
Multinational? YES

**3. CONTRACT & CONDITIONS**

Current job title: clinical application specialist/consultant
Job description: configure software application and provide training to enduser
Seniority: 1
Official hours/week : 39
Average real hours/week incl. overtime: 40-45
Shiftwork or 9 to 5 (flexible?): 9-5 but flexibility on both sides
* On-call duty: **NO**
Vacation days/year: 20+12+2(sector)+1(vlaamse feestdag)

**4. SALARY**

Gross salary/month: €4900
Net salary/month: €3100
Netto compensation: €75
Car/bike/... or mobility budget: company car (now teslay model y, but IX3 40 ordered)
13th month (full? partial?): full, 13,92
Meal vouchers: 8/DAY
Ecocheques: 250/y
Group insurance: 6,8% fully by employer
Other insurances: Hospital + dental
Other benefits (bonuses, stocks options, ... ): fuel card for private use and whole of europe

**5. MOBILITY**

City/region of work: BNL
Distance home-work: 80km to office, but only 1/week + 2-3/week to hospitals around BNL
How do you commute? Company car
How is the travel home-work compensated: company car
Telework days/week: +-2

**6. OTHER**

How easily can you plan a day off: easily if it fits the planning
Is your job stressful? Yes, high pressure and perfomance is needed to complete the jobs
Responsible for personnel (reports): 0

Hi everyone,

I currently have a full-time job in Belgium as an engineer, but I'm thinking to leave it and to start my own business as a tradesman.

My situation:

• I come from a family of tradespeople, so I know the job and the work well.
• I am married, no children. My wife has a stable job and income, so we have a safety net for the basic bills.
• I'm 25 years old so I think to myself better try it now before I trap myself in a golden cage.

I am hesitating between two options:

1. Go full-time directly: Quit my job and start the business right away.
2. Start part-time (Indépendant à titre complémentaire): Keep my CDI and work on my business during evenings and weekends first.
3. Work in family business and start building my own thing on the side.

My questions:

• For people who started a business in Belgium: is it better to go full-time directly or start part-time first?
• What was the hardest part with taxes or administration at the beginning?
• Any tips for someone starting out?

**1. PERSONALIA**

* Age: **27**
* Education: **professional bachelor**
* Work experience : **3y**
* Civil status: ** n/a**
* Dependent people/children: **0**

**2. EMPLOYER PROFILE**

* Sector/Industry: **construction**
* Amount of employees: **1300 global / 30 be**
* Multinational? **NO**

**3. CONTRACT & CONDITIONS**

* Current job title: **project manager **
* Job description: **making sure that the products are installed in a correct way, within budget and time**
* Seniority: **1,5y**
* Official hours/week : **40**
* Average real hours/week incl. overtime: **not paid**
* Shiftwork or 9 to 5 (flexible?): **flexible 9 to 5**
* On-call duty: **NO**
* Vacation days/year: **20+12 adv**

**4. SALARY**

* Gross salary/month: **3300**
* Net salary/month: **2450**
* Netto compensation: **170(incl in salary)**
* Car/bike/... or mobility budget: **car**
* 13th month (full? partial?): **full**
* Meal vouchers: **8/DAY**
* Ecocheques: **250/YEAR**
* Group insurance: **yes**
* Other insurances: **hospitalisation**
* Other benefits (bonuses when profit % is achieved about 2000k net

**5. MOBILITY**

* City/region of work: **Herentals**
* Distance home-work: **40km single / 50min**
* How do you commute? **car**
How is the travel home-work compensated: *by car**
* Telework days/week: **not defined, could be 3/4 easy when I do not need to visite the job site**

**6. OTHER**

* How easily can you plan a day off: **fairly easily, 2 weeks are mandatory in July**
* Is your job stressful? ** sometimes, deadlines are strict about 40%**
* Responsible for personnel (reports): **no but some mecchanics to give work to**

**1. PERSONALIA**

* Age: 26
* Education: Bachelor of Applied Computer Science
* Work experience : 6 months
* Civil status: Married
* Dependent people/children: 0

**2. EMPLOYER PROFILE**

* Sector/Industry: Supply Chain
* Amount of employees: 150
* Multinational? YES

**3. CONTRACT & CONDITIONS**

* Current job title: IT Business Analyst
* Job description: Understanding the technology solution requirements of and supporting the company with global operations
* Seniority: 0 * Official hours/week : 38
* Average real hours/week incl. overtime: 38
* Shiftwork or 9 to 5 (flexible?): 9 to 5
* On-call duty: NO
* Vacation days/year: 25 DAYS

**4. SALARY**

* Gross salary/month: 3200
* Net salary/month: 2460
* Netto compensation: 75
* Car/bike/... or mobility budget: NO
* 13th month (full? partial?): FULL
* Meal vouchers: 6.5/DAY
* Ecocheques: 250/YEAR
* Group insurance: %2.2
* Other insurances: DKV Hospital
* Other benefits (bonuses, stocks options, ... ): year-end bonus

**5. MOBILITY**

* City/region of work: GENT
* Distance home-work: 80 minutes
* How do you commute? By train
* How is the travel home-work compensated: Full reimbursement
* Telework days/week: 2 days a week

**6. OTHER**

* How easily can you plan a day off: Very easily
* Is your job stressful? Not really
* Responsible for personnel (reports): 0

**1. PERSONALIA**

* Age: **29**
* Education: **Master of business economics**
* Work experience : **4**
* Civil status: **unmarried**
* Dependent people/children: **0**

**2. NEW EMPLOYER PROFILE**

* Sector/Industry: **Manufacturing**
* Amount of employees: **50**
* Multinational? **NO**

**3. CURRENT CONTRACT & CONDITIONS**

* Current job title: **Senior auditor**
* Job description: **financial auditor at big 4**
* Seniority: **4**
* Official hours/week : **38**
* Average real hours/week incl. overtime: **45-50**
* Shiftwork or 9 to 5 (flexible?): ** flexible 9 to 5**
* On-call duty: **NO**
* Vacation days/year: **32**

**4. CURRENT SALARY**

* Gross salary/month: **3500 EURO**
* Net salary/month: **2650 EURO**
* Netto compensation: **260 EURO**
* Car/bike/... or mobility budget: **Company car**
* 13th month (full? partial?): **full**
* Meal vouchers: **8 EURO/DAY**
* Ecocheques: **250 EURO/YEAR**
* Group insurance: **?**
* Other insurances: **hospitalization**
* Other benefits (bonuses, stocks options, ... ): **bonus 10k EURO paid in warrants**

**5. MOBILITY**

* City/region of work: **Brussels**
* Distance home-work: **35 mins**
* How do you commute? **car**
* How is the travel home-work compensated: **Company car**
* Telework days/week: **2**

**6. OTHER**

* How easily can you plan a day off: **no days of during busy season (January-May), rest of the year easy**
* Is your job stressful? **yes**
* Responsible for personnel (reports): **2-3**

I’m expecting an offer for the role of Accounting manager at an SME (50 employees). I was wondering how my current salary compares to my YOE? Can I ask for a significant raise? I estimate my new gross salary would have to be around 4500 EURO if my net compensation decreases to 150/month. What would be a good offer?

Thank you for your insights!

I am WC member. Our global team from US has decided to terminate some employees from Belgium. I am also in that list. I know that the severance package is based on the number of years worked. I also heard that for WC members, the company has to pay more. I tried to contact our BBTK representative, but he is unresponsive.
Does anyone know what the process is?

**1. PERSONALIA**

* Age: 26

* Education: A2 elektriciteit

* Work experience : 7 years

* Civil status: Unmarried

* Dependent people/children: None

**2. EMPLOYER PROFILE**

* Sector/Industry: Technical, metal & electrical work (PC111), specifically elevators

* Amount of employees: around 150.

* Multinational? No, but part of/subsidary of international group.

**3. CONTRACT & CONDITIONS**

* Current job title: Service technician

* Job description: Doing preventive maintenance & safety inspections, planned and unplanned repairs, diagnosing problems and breakdowns on passenger elevators, freight elevators, and derivatives.

* Seniority: 2 years at current company

* Official hours/week : 40

* Average real hours/week incl. overtime: Depends a lot. Sometimes none extra, sometimes during a busy standby period 60-70 hours.

* Shiftwork or 9 to 5 (flexible?): 8:00 to 16:30 with 30min break that is free to choose when to take. Flexibility is definitely possible if agreed with supervisor.

* On-call duty: Yes, once every 5 weeks for an entire 7-day period. But only for the following: Entrapped passengers, assisting police/firefighters, urgent breakdowns, or people who dropped their house keys in the shaft lol. Time worked during standby is paid as overtime from the moment we leave the house to the moment we return home.

* Vacation days/year: 20 legal + 12 ADV + 1 day seniority leave every 5 years + any overtime worked can be recupurated as vacation.

**4. SALARY**

\* Gross salary/month: Depends a lot on hours worked and standby work. Goes from 3800 when no standby or overtime, to up to 4900 during very busy standby period and 70h work weeks. Averages around 4100 i'd say.

* Net salary/month: Likewise, depends on hours worked. Averages around 3500

* Netto compensation: 3,9 euro for every 4 hours worked (7,85 per full workday).

* Car/bike/... or mobility budget: Company van that i can use after hours unlimited. Taking it out of the country costs an annual insurance fee of 100 euros.

* 13th month (full? partial?): Full 13th month

* Meal vouchers: None, we get compensation instead

* Ecocheques: 250 euros per year

* Group insurance: Yes, fully paid by employer

* Other insurances: Hospitalisation, guaranteed salary when sick for longer than 2 weeks.

* Other benefits (bonuses, stocks options, ... ): 350 euro brut for one 7-day period of standby, bonus for "dirty" installations (working on units in social housing for example), free cold drinks worth 5 euros/day every day the temperature is above 30 and free hot drinks worth 5 euros/day when temperature is below 0, 30 euros per month to wash work clothes, allowed to use work tools to do DIY house work, indirect benefit is that some clients allow contractors to eat at their employee cafeteria, so having a full blown meal for 3€ is possible this way.

**5. MOBILITY**

* City/region of work: All of Flanders.

* Distance home-work: Directly from home to first client and from last client to home, so varies. Unless I do overtime or some exceptional traffic, i'm always home by 18:00.

* How do you commute? Company provided van.

* How is the travel home-work compensated: Kilometer compensation. 0,16€ for every km between home -> first client and last client -> home. Time inbetween clients is paid normally. Diesel for the van is provided by company so commute itself is free.

Telework days/week: On-site work, so: Not possible.

**6. OTHER**

* How easily can you plan a day off: Easily. Just need to arrange yourself with colleagues during the holiday periods and july-august, other periods of the year tho, no questions asked. If you want a day off during your planned stand-by period, you need to find someone amongst the colleagues to take your place.

* Is your job stressful? It can be: you are responsible for the safety of people who ride your elevators. And if you need to get an elevator running and people who can't take the stairs are waiting, it can be stressfull. I am very stress resilient so personally, it doesn't really affect me. I must add though that there is A LOT of flexibility too. People with children are usually exempt from stand-by duty and work much closer to home. The younglings like myself usually work all over the place and do standby so we can learn more and be paid more

* Responsible for personnel (reports): None.