FAQ

You will earn a monthly salary based on your experience, age and the local pay rates of the location you are working at. You will receive a salary adjustment after 6 months. Of course, there will also be a yearly adjustment based on your increasing experience and performance.

A pension plan, travel allowance, vacation, STI Van Hessen (bonus), and overtime compensation are also applicable!

How to prepare

First of all, you can find all about our requirements and expectations on the dedicated Job Description page. On our website, you can also read more information about Training and Housing solutions that we offer.

Think you’re a match?

If you think you are a match after reading our expectations and requirements, please go ahead and fill out the application form with all your details!

Our recruitment team will have a look at your profile and contact you by e-mail or phone to arrange a first introduction meeting.

Our initial proposal

If all parties are happy after the initial introduction call, we will send you our proposal regarding salary, schedule, employment conditions and agreements.

The next steps: Training & Housing

You will receive a training course in your country of origin and we will schedule a date for you to arrive in the Netherlands or Belgium. If you are joining the Van Hessen team, we will organise accommodation and transport for you. Your definitive moving date can be discussed.

Your progress

We will schedule a performance review with you every six months to discuss your progress, opportunities and to give/receive feedback.

Shifts are defined by the applicable working conditions and company regulations. You may be asked to work 1 or 2 shifts (at some locations 3) in a row.

1 shift

• 6:00-14:30 Monday – Friday
• You will get a 45 minute break per shift of which 30 minutes are paid.

2 shifts

• 13:45-22:00 Monday – Friday
• 21:45 -06:00 Monday – Friday
• You will get a 45 minute break per shift of which 30 minutes are paid.
• Night shifts: 12.5% night rate salary increase

3 shifts

• 05:45-14:00 Tuesday – Saturday
• 13:45-22:00 Monday – Friday
• 21:45 -06:00 Monday – Friday
• You will get a 45 minute break per shift of which 30 minutes are paid.
• Night shifts: 17.5% night rate salary increase

The employer will reimburse the employee for his/her travel expenses made from getting from their home residence to the working location. You will either get your public transport tickets paid for (second class only) OR receive a compensation based on the actual kilometres that you have to travel. As from 1 January 2023, that is €0.21 per kilometre.

How do we determine the exact number of kilometers between your home & your workplace?

We use the ANWB (Dutch Traveler’s Association) route planning tool to determine the exact number of kilometres that you will get reimbursed for. We will always do this on the basis of the most efficient/fast/obvious route to choose.

We then calculate your travel allowance as follows:

The number of kilometres between home and work (one-way) x 2 (return) x €0.21 per kilometre x 214 days per year x the number of working days full-time / 12 months.

An example for full-time employees:

Lisa works full-time, travels by car and lives 26 km away from work. Her calculation would be: 26 km x 2 x €0.21 x 214 = €2,336.88 per year / 12 months = €194.74 per month.

An example for part-time employees:

Peter works 3 days per week, travels by car and lives 18 km away from work. His calculation would be: 18 km x 2 x €0.21 x 214 x 0.6 (3 days /5 days = 0.6)= €970.70 per year / 12 months =€80.89 per month.

You can find more detailed information in the Van Hessen Employment Conditions Guide, which you will receive after we’ve spoken on the phone.

If you are working full-time (a 40-hour contract), you will be eligible for 25 days of paid leave.

You will also get a paid day off if the following national holidays (in the Netherlands or Belgium, depending on where you work!) happen to coincide with your working days:

We have about 10,000 colleagues worldwide! So, you will be able to meet and work with people from different cultures and nationalities in your workplace.

This is a question we get asked quite regularly, hence why we decided to add it to the FAQ’s.

In some areas of the factory, the temperature is kept at a stable 10°C. This is of course due to hygiene and safety regulations regarding the handling of raw meat products.

Please only start the application process if you are sure that you are comfortable working in areas with a temperature of 10°C.

This an intestine & stomach package, with all the component organs of the animal intestine.

Van Hessen is the global leader on the market where it comes to the sourcing, processing and distribution of natural casings, meat products and pharmaceuticals. We turn animal by-products into high-quality lining materials and raw materials for medicines. And we have been doing so since 1902.

At Van Hessen, most of our internal training happens on the job, but we also have multiple training facilities across Europe where our new colleagues learn the ropes before they are ready to work all over Europe! See our dedicated page on Training here!

We also offer E-learning and language skills opportunities. Contact us if you’d like to know more!

When you work at one of our locations throughout Europe, you can use our housing options if you wish to. We do provide different types of housing with space for one person per room as well as family rooms. In all cases our accommodations are of adequate quality and available at affordable prices. We will charge €425 euros per month as a contribution towards the accommodation.

If you are going to work in our facilities in Poland, all accommodations are completely free of charge!

The apartments are situated in large buildings and suitable for up to four persons. The apartments always have a living and dining room available for you to use, equipped with comfortable seating, as well as a cosy dining area and a TV. The kitchens are basic but functional, they include a microwave and usually more than one refrigerator.

Apartments include three to four bedrooms, one of which is provided with a double bed, one bedroom with two single beds and one bedroom with a single bed. There is also at least one bathroom with a shower and wash basin, a separate toilet and possibly a covered terrace.

Occasionally you may be asked to do some overtime for you will indeed be paid an increased rate:

–  Standard contracted working hours per day (full-time / part-time) 100%

– Anything beyond the usual full-time working hours: 130%

– Saturdays: 150% (if Saturday is not part of your usual shift days)

– Sundays and national holidays: 200%