The tulip fields are blooming beautifully again and that means: tulip heads! Many students see it as the perfect opportunity to earn some pocket money during their vacation. Yet things are not going well with the tulip buyers, says chairman of the Koninklijke Algemeene Vereeniging for Flower Bulb Culture, Jaap Bond.
For Tim and Anna, tulip-heading is a perfectly normal holiday job. Together with friends they pick a few hours in a tulip field in Sijbekarspel. Anna: “I like it. You can talk to each other and work at the same time. So it’s fun.”
It’s a clever trick. By snapping the flower off the stem, the bulb of the tulip that is underground can grow better. This creates a larger bulb that ultimately yields more for sale.
Sidejob
Traditionally a job completed by vacationing students. In the Netherlands you can officially have a part-time job from the age of 13. Research shows that many students under that age also work, about 1 in 8 twelve-year-olds. This is also the case when performing tulip heads.
Nevertheless, the number of ‘tulip-head students’ is decreasing, says chairman of the Royal General Association for Flower Bulb Culture, Jaap Bond. He sees fewer and fewer children doing holiday work among the flower bulbs. According to him, this is because they often already have everything. “I used to really have to work to save for something I really wanted. Now children often get it without working for it. Yes, they have become a bit spoiled.”
Nice handling
Not everyone is affected by a declining number of tulip buyers. Bulb farmer René Klaver from Spanbroek has ‘mapped out’ his head roster for this year. There is no deficiency for him. “I make sure we don’t work too long days and that I handle it well.”
Something from which Anna also picks her flights. “The money I earn, I save for later and for the fairs that are coming up.”