The time for free interns is over, these organizations believe

Transavia was fined by the Labor Inspectorate in June because the company had deployed sixty MBO trainees as full-fledged cabin crew. They received an internship allowance, but according to the Labor Inspectorate there was an employment relationship and they were therefore underpaid. The airline had to pay wages and holiday allowance.

In a sense, these interns were lucky: at least they already received an internship allowance. Not all trainees receive this. And because they are doing an internship, they often have little time for a paid part-time job. It means that they have to borrow extra money or work in the evenings and weekends to make ends meet.

This Friday, the Intercity Student Consultation (ISO) is organizing a fun campaign together with CNV Jongeren and Try de Bond (CNV Vakmensen) to draw attention to this. Members of these organizations row through the canals of Utrecht to illustrate that trainees “can barely keep their heads above water financially and have to make do with what they have.”

The problem occurs at all levels of education: MBO, HBO and WO. Recent research by the OECD rich country club showed that Dutch MBO trainees relatively often receive no compensation compared to trainees at the same level in other countries. In 16 percent of the cases they do an unpaid internship, while in Switzerland, for example, this is only 1 percent of the cases.

Out research that the ISO previously had done, shows that at least 44 percent of trainees from colleges and universities do not receive any compensation.

ISO, CNV Jongeren and Try de Bobond are one online petition started in which they call on politicians and employers to include a mandatory minimum internship allowance in collective labor agreements. They believe that no distinction should be made between MBO, HBO and WO. The petition has been signed more than 9,500 times so far.

Minister Robbert Dijkgraaf (D66, Education) also called on employers and trade unions this week to make agreements about internship compensation in collective labor agreements. He sent one on Tuesday research to the House of Representatives, which showed that nine out of ten times, HBO students who do an internship in education do not receive an internship allowance. In healthcare, this applies to almost half of the trainees. The minister called the results “worrisome”. “Especially at a time with major staff shortages, all educational interns should be appreciated. And there is also room for improvement in healthcare when it comes to internship compensation,” he said. Sectors in which internship allowances are usually given include technology, IT and law. On average, HBO trainees receive compensation of 342 euros.

MBO trainees usually receive less. The website Stage.nl, an online marketplace for internships, lists gross amounts ranging from 182 euros for an MBO internship to a maximum of 454 euros for a graduation internship in HBO or WO.

On average, HBO trainees receive compensation of 342 euros

Reimbursements also differ per professional sector. The ISO research showed that reimbursements are the lowest in healthcare (on average 331 euros per month) and the highest in education (621 euros) – if trainees in these sectors receive compensation, which is usually not the case.

At the national government, all interns receive compensation, regardless of their level of education. For MBO, HBO and WO, this is 747 euros gross per month for a full-time internship of forty hours. Earlier this year, Minister Dijkgraaf concluded an ‘internship pact’ for MBO, with employers and schools, in which the intention was expressed to give MBO trainees an ‘appropriate’ compensation. The minister himself makes a suggestion: as far as he is concerned, the guideline is the 747 euros that the central government pays trainees.

Abdi Hassan

‘In practice, I did exactly the same work as my colleagues’

“I was really looking forward to my student days.” The first year went well, but in the second year he got stuck during the internship. He would work for three months at a non-profit company – he does not want to mention the name, because he still finds it difficult to talk about it and is also afraid that it will damage his career.

“I expected that I would learn what it means to work during my internship, but in practice I did exactly the same work as my colleagues. The difference was that they did get paid for it.”

The competition for internships is fierce, he says. “If you don’t want to do it for free, they say: there are plenty of others.” To avoid getting into debt, he started working in a shop. When he finished his internship at five o’clock, he went straight to his part-time job. He also worked on weekends. In total it was about twenty hours a week, on top of the internship.

After a month and a half it was broken. “I called in sick, but didn’t tell my parents and didn’t want to admit to myself that things weren’t going well.” He muddled along for a while, then the corona epidemic arrived. “I was locked up all the time, became depressed. I eventually went to a therapist, who determined that I had a burnout.” Defeated, he returned to his family.

This academic year he started a new study: journalism. But things aren’t really going well yet. Shortly after the start he called in sick. “I’m not quite there yet.” The message he wants to give employers: really give students a chance to learn, don’t exploit them. “Students are not machines.”

Maartje Bakker

‘No one in my class received an internship allowance’

“It was at a phone repair shop,” she says. “I designed the advertising and helped in the store.” She worked four days a week and went to school one day. “And at the weekend I worked at a gas station. With luck I had Saturdays off.”

She still lived with her parents at that time. “But then you also have costs. Tuition fees, books, travel expenses, telephone subscription.” Every now and then the owner would give her a few bucks. When he went on vacation for a month, he asked if she could look after the store. “I said: that’s a bit more than doing an internship, that’s not something you can do for nothing. Then I received a small compensation, 50 euros per day.” She still works there occasionally, but paid. “Now I’m just his DTP specialist [desktop publisher].”

The fact that you did not receive compensation for your internship was “normal” at the time, she says. “No one in my class received an internship allowance. You did an internship because you wanted to get your degree, so you didn’t complain about it.” But during subsequent internships she became more assertive. She had to, because she started living independently, in a caravan at her parents’ house, so her costs went up. In 2021 she did an internship at an advertising agency in Hillegom. “I then said: it is not around the corner for me, because I live in Egmond and I have to go by car. Gasoline is not cheap. The owner completely agreed with me, so in addition to the internship allowance of 300 euros, I also received a travel allowance.”

After completing her DTP studies at MBO levels 2 and 3, she is now studying audiovisual technology. “I still have to do two six-month internships, but I don’t plan to do that unpaid anymore.”

Nial van der Steeg

‘I also worked a whole weekend once every two weeks’

The master’s program includes two internships, one of nine months and one of six months. The first internship must be done at the university or an organization affiliated with the university, such as the University Medical Center or a research institute. “That is because an examiner from the university has to watch what you do.”

He is now completing his first internship, at the microbiology research group. “There I help a PhD candidate with his research. He is my supervisor. Every working day, from nine to five, I work in the lab. White coat, test tubes…” He does not receive an internship allowance. “If you do an internship at the university, you don’t get that.”

He first had a part-time job in addition to the internship, as a logistics employee at the hospital. “That was tough, because I also had to work a whole weekend once every two weeks. I earned about 480 euros net from this, enough to pay my room rent. I have now stopped doing that, because I couldn’t handle it well. Fortunately, I was able to find a slightly more flexible part-time job in September, supporting work for an organization that supports participation at universities. It’s a lot of computer work, I can do that when I have time.”

His internship supervisor thought it would be good if he did one day less internship, so that he could do this paid work on the fifth day. “I’m lucky, because that’s not possible at all labs.” He made up for the missed internship days later. “I will make some progress with my internship. But at least now I can pay my rent and have the weekends free.” He would prefer to look for his next internship outside the university. “There are some companies where you can get an internship allowance.”