Which kind of contract are you switching from?
Two cases cover most moves. You are a temp placed with a company in view of a permanent hire, which is what contract to perm usually means in Belgium. Or you are a freelancer on an assignment, directly or through an agency, and the client offers you a job.
The rules are not the same, so start by checking which contract you are on today.
How does it work after insertion temping?
Temping for insertion is a legal route to recruitment. Each attempt lasts up to six months, with at most three attempts and nine months in total for one vacant job. If the company then hires you, it must be on an open-ended contract, and the time worked as a temp counts towards your seniority, as the SPF Employment sets out.
That seniority matters later, because your notice period grows with it. The company is not obliged to hire you at the end of the insertion period: the conversion is an intention, not a right.
How does it work for a freelancer?
You end your current contract under its notice clause, or the agency and the client agree on the transfer. If you work through an agency, check your contract and ask whether the agency’s contract with the client has a non-solicitation or conversion clause. Such clauses bind the companies and can involve a fee, so ask how they apply before you accept the offer.
Then you sign an employment contract. The legal rule on seniority above is specific to insertion temping: if you want your freelance time recognised, ask for it in writing. Finally, stop or reduce your self-employed activity with your social insurance fund and business counter, or keep it as a side activity if your contract allows it, as explained in how self-employment as a side activity works.
What should you compare before you accept?
Your net income before and after, not the headline numbers. The method is in freelancer or employee: which pays more, and the employee side in how to work out your net salary from your gross.
Check also the start date, the benefits, and your notice period: for contracts starting from 1 August 2026, it is one week during the first six months on both sides. If you are looking for a permanent role, see the IT and engineering roles currently open, or find out how our Search & Selection team works.
