Hello, I am from Greece and want to study abroad in Belgium, specifically in Leuven's International Business/Marketing (english taught) bachelor, it is a very big decision for me and I have a lot of questions that have caused me much anxiety as I do not really have any person in my circle that is from Belgium. I want to study in 2027-2028, I intend to work in the easter and summer in my country and make as much money as I can. I wanted to ask, what would be the realistic ammount of money I would need. Secondly, how easy is it to get a job as a student who barely knows any dutch in the area? I am working on my dutch but I doubt I will have any certification by then, will I be able to get a job before going to Belgium or will I need to be there and then hunt for a job. Lastly, how pricy is housing? Even student group housing, and will I also need to stay at a student motel for weeks before I can land a deal for a permanent room since I doubt I will be able to make any reasonable choices regarding housing online. I have the certificate of proficiency in english if that is necessary information, if there is any other information that is important let me know and thank you for your help. Please, do not sugarcoat anything.
There is a Greek community center in Genk (Flanders), perhaps they have some answers in better context for your needs.
Thanks for the referral, ill look into it
To make your internet research a litte easier, student housing is called a 'kot' in Dutch. This is just a simple room, usually with a sink and a shared bathroom, shared kitchen. Because Belgium is so small most Belgian students go home for the weekend so that suffices. Average prices according to the Student Housing (Stuvo) below. I would ask more detailed questions about finding housing in r/KULeuven but typically people look for housing the academic year before, at the latest by the Easter holiday. If you have the budget to travel to Leuven to look for housing that would be ideal since many good rooms are just advertised with a sign in front of the window. If you qualify for university housing that is something you might be able to arrange from abroad, but keep in mind that the deadline might be even earlier.
If you don't speak well any national language, I would recommend you to search for a student job in a touristic place, like Pairi Daiza or Walibi.
Ah, some information I DID forget to give, I (will) actually have a degree in "executive tourism business units" which I am currently studying in Greece.
I can't help you with the price of housing, I have my own house away from the city. But the websites Immoweb and Immovlan are well supplied, and it may give you an idea
There are several facebook groups for student housings (kots). I’d say it would cost anywhere between €500-700/month. As a student you can only work for 20h/week so the earnings here would be quite limited. As an international you can always apply for food delivery companies. The weather is rough for such kind of job as you mostly do it on a bike or scooter so be prepared for that. If you plan to stay here after your studies do take dutch classes asap. It’s not an easy language to master if you don’t speak a similar language and most jobs require dutch and/or french proficiency.
You can probably get a job in a bar or cafe, English would probably be enough in a student bar. Also: Irish pubs, etc.