ACCESS - Serving the needs of the International Community in the Netherlands

Internship is a system of on-the-job training and generally also referred as 'Apprenticeship'. Internships are mainly done by students who have an opportunity to integrate a career related experience. Students gain also practical exposure in the professional world.

In Netherlands, internships are not restricted to white-collar jobs, they are also offered in many fields, such asagriculture, construction, tourism, health care, etc...

Reasons for an internship

Students of any level whether high school or middle level, graduates or post graduates can choose to follow an internship depending on time and availability. Internships are done in order to achieve one or more of these:

Gain work experience, often in the second or third year of the study programme. The student implements skills gained through academia into practice which further helps in the final year.
In order to complete final year Research or dissertation. The research can be done for a particular company. Either the company or the student can choose a topic. The results of the study are put in a report and often presented to the company.
Nowadays internship is also done during mid-career breaks and is called as 'return ship'. It is becoming increasingly popular and is specially catching-up with stay-at-home moms. Return ship is nothing but a full-time internship, paid and unpaid, that give moms, dads and others who have left the job market a chance to get back in. (please refer to http://hereandnow.wbur.org/2011/07/20/returnships-home-mom) for more information on the same.

Benefits of internship

Receive academic/professional credit
Value addition to CV/ resume
Helps determine/field test career interests
Networking
Possibilities of future employment within the company

Types of internships

Interns can be partially paid a stipend by the companies or not paid at all. Interns from professional courses like architecture, medicine, engineering, law, finance, etc.., fields are mostly paid. Internships can also be unpaid or volunteer positions generally found in non-profit organizations. Internships can be part-time or full-time, depending on the student and company.

The duration may depend on the employer and/or the study. As well, the student can work part-time or full-time.

Statistics of internships

A survey of more than 850 students conducted by internship agency stageplaza.nl showed that the students now rated their internship experience higher than before. It has increased in 2011 to 7.6 as compared to 2008 when it was 6.8 out of 10.

In 2011, the study indicates that students are generally satisfied with the support they receive from the company they interned for. This is fairly positive if compared to the 2008 indications, where students had reported that their skills were underestimated and they needed guidance from companies to better develop themselves.

Internships in The Netherlands

In the Netherlands an internship is called a "Stage". As there is no obligation to pay the student, small companies sometimes won't pay anything. Sometimes the interns could get a stipend of about €300 per month, depending on their education and company policies.Internships are also done in Universities during a study while training as a scientist for instance. Some universities do offer such internships.

The Dutch law requires applicants to be either a European Citizen OR currently be enrolled in an educational institution as a student.

In order to do an internship in the Netherlands, one has to determine whether the internship would be part of a Dutch study programme or a foreign programme. This is because plans can be made regarding work permit, type of residence permit required, the maximum internship remuneration that can be paid out tax-free and if any other deductions are to be made. Once the diploma is awarded, you are no longer eligible to do an internship in the Netherlands.