Student organisations want compulsory internship remuneration

Youth organisations and trade unions in the Netherlands believe that all internships should be remunerated. They have chosen October 1 as Intern Day to raise awareness about this cause. ‘Fair remuneration for work is not a luxury, but a basic condition for equal opportunities,’ they argue.

Several Members of Parliament spent a day as unpaid interns in a replica classroom and a doctor's office opposite the House of Representatives in The Hague. Interns in those two sectors are the least likely to be paid.

Financial stress
‘Many interns simply cannot make ends meet,’ says Sarah Evink, chair of the National Student Association (ISO). ‘Working alongside a 40-hour-week internship is impossible, but this is the reality for many students, which causes a lot of mental and financial stress.’

Only 42 per cent of vocational students receive an internship allowance. For higher professional education students, this figure is 75 per cent. University students receive an allowance for 65 per cent of compulsory internships and 91 per cent of voluntary internships.

Many parties in the House of Representatives also believe that this needs to change. Volt, D66, SP, GroenLinks-PvdA, CDA, Denk, NSC and the Party for the Animals all advocate mandatory internship allowances in their election programmes. Christian Union and the Reformed Political Party (SGP) also want to introduce an allowance, but only for vocational students.

We are going to regulate
During a consultation on vocational education held in the House of Representatives on Wednesday, the Minister of Education, Gouke Moes (BBB), who is occupying the position in a caretaker capacity, said that he wants to make internship remuneration compulsory. ‘The goal is very simple: we are going to arrange internship remuneration for every intern.’

There are, however, ‘implementation issues’ and “preconditions” that need to be considered, such as how many days a week interns work. It is also uncertain how Moes intends to enshrine this in law: ‘This can be done in various ways. We could do it through education legislation or through labour law legislation,’ said the minister.

‘Either way, we are determined to regulate this,’ he assured. He wants to send the outlines of the bill to the House of Representatives before the 2026 summer recess. However, he warns: ‘I am also dependent on what the House decides during the formation and the elections.’

First in vocational education
The Socialist Party wants to know whether the allowance would be mandatory for all students or only those in vocational education. ‘This concerns vocational education first and foremost,’ says Moes. ‘But I want to explore whether it can be regulated in the same way in higher professional education and university education. I'm not going to make any promises I can't keep, but our desire is to regulate this broadly.’

‘We are delighted to hear that the minister finally wants to implement this,’ responds ISO chair Sarah Evink. ‘Now the words must be followed by action. A mandatory minimum internship allowance really must be introduced.’