A Belarusian went to cut broccoli in the Netherlands and showed how much he earns and what remains behind the scenes

At six in the morning, Ivan Zhur is already heading to the field. Ahead there might be heat, rain, or wind — broccoli must be cut regardless. In the evening, he will return, prepare dinner, sometimes manage to go to the gym, and by 10 PM, he'll be asleep: the alarm will ring again at 5:30 AM. For such a schedule, over three thousand euros can land in his account. Or it could be a month after which there's almost nothing left to save.

Ivan is from Maladzyechna. He has a teacher's diploma but didn't want to work at a school for a salary of about a thousand rubles. Before that, he worked on a construction site in Moscow for four years. He returned to Belarus, couldn't find suitable work, and decided to try his luck in the Netherlands.

He doesn't plan to settle there. His wife, Aliaksandra, remained at home. Ivan names solving the housing issue as one of the main goals of his trips for earnings. When a subscriber advised him to take a break from such work, the Belarusian replied: "I'd gladly, but the apartment won't buy itself." He was able to buy a simple 36-square-meter apartment after his first season in the Netherlands in 2025. Now he has gone to work abroad again and shares about it in his blog.

From 399 euros in May to 3391 euros in June

Ivan goes to the Netherlands through a Polish agency. First, he obtains a Polish work visa and works in Poland for about a month — this is a condition set by his agency. After that, the company sends him to Dutch farmers.

The beginning of the 2026 season was unsuccessful. Arriving in the Netherlands in late April, Ivan sat without work for five days. Then he worked on flowers for four days, and at a peony farm, he was fired after half a day: the owner decided he wasn't working fast enough. He had to wait for the next placement.

According to Ivan, only 79 working hours accumulated for the entire month of May. 1179 euros came to his card. From this, he separately paid for accommodation in the Netherlands, accommodation during his work in Poland, and transfer between countries — a total of 780 euros. Approximately 399 euros remained, even before daily food expenses.

"Yes, a very small amount, I'm disappointed," he wrote to his subscribers. Therefore, Ivan speculates, a short trip of one or two months might not pay off: the initial mandatory expenses won't be covered by a few paychecks.

In summer, the picture changed. In June, Ivan worked 241 hours and received 3391 euros on his card after taxes and deductions for accommodation. In July — 240 hours and 3354 euros. The farmer, according to his explanation, covers accommodation through a deduction equivalent to 5.75 working hours per week.

Ivan doesn't have a guaranteed monthly salary. The harvest grows unevenly, the weather changes the farmer's plans, and with them, the number of hours. For one week in July, according to his calculations, he worked 75 hours and 30 minutes. For an incomplete week after a vacation in Belarus — only 20 hours.

What remains behind the beautiful scenes

Ivan also talks about the other side of the coin — working in the field in thirty-degree heat and bad weather, as well as tough conditions in summer greenhouses. According to him, there were even cases when foremen threw rotten tomatoes at workers for slow work. "And that's no joke," Ivan asserts.

"I don't want to scare you, I just want you to know what stands behind those beautiful pictures from Amsterdam," he explained to his subscribers. Instead of travels, there's often 12 hours of work per day and one day off per week. Back then, Ivan even wrote that he was disappointed and wouldn't last long: it's better, he said, to gradually develop in Belarus near his family. According to him, money helps achieve goals, but with each strenuous week, it becomes clearer what they cost.

Павялічыць

"I want to earn with my head, not my hands"

After one of his earnings, Ivan compared it to working in Moscow: there, he said, he earned two and a half times less. But he isn't going to call the Dutch thousands "easy money" either.

In August, the Belarusian traveled to his wife for two weeks. He calculated the journey from the Netherlands to Maladzyechna separately: 37 hours and 151 euros. When he returned, he wrote that next time he would rather try to invite Aliaksandra to him — these trips are so hard for him. This year they wanted to work in the Netherlands together, but his wife, according to Ivan, was denied a Polish visa.

Павялічыць

Now he says he would like the next season to be his last. His plan is to return to a life where work doesn't occupy almost the entire day.

"I already want to start earning with my head, not my hands," Ivan wrote after his trip home.

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