[Netherlands] Student interns gain legal right to pay but no minimum wage

In the Netherlands, students at vocational schools, colleges and universities are set to gain a legal right to payment for their internships, Dutch News reports.

The broadcaster NOS reported the cabinet's plans on July 3. It noted that the legislation will not set a minimum wage. 

Industry sectors and companies offering internships must instead make “reasonable” arrangements themselves, education minister Rianne Letschert said. “There is real arbitrariness: one student gets paid, another does not.”

A statutory minimum has reportedly been ruled out for now as it is difficult to set for each sector, and amounts pitched too high could prompt some companies and institutions to stop offering internship places altogether. 

Should reasonable payments fail to materialise, a legal minimum will follow, and the minister has promised to monitor compliance “strictly”.

Some employers already pay interns under collective labour agreements. However, figures from the national statistics agency CBS reveal that just 43 per cent of vocational students received any payment in early 2025.

In 2023, a survey by ResearchNed showed the figure at 75 per cent for HBO college students. For university students, it was 65 per cent for compulsory internships and 91 per cent for optional ones.

In 2025, student and youth unions reportedly campaigned for compulsory internship pay. Education minister Eppo Bruins subsequently said he was not planning to require employers to pay trainees.

Ms Letschert stated that she expects employers to fall into line. 

“The labour market is getting tighter and tighter, so companies and institutions have an interest in keeping hold of talent,” she said.

Both houses of parliament have yet to debate and approve the legislation, which is due to take effect in 2028.

Source: Dutch News

(Links and quotes via original reporting)

In the Netherlands, students at vocational schools, colleges and universities are set to gain a legal right to payment for their internships, Dutch News reports.

The broadcaster NOS reported the cabinet's plans on July 3. It noted that the legislation will not set a minimum wage. 

Industry sectors and companies offering internships must instead make “reasonable” arrangements themselves, education minister Rianne Letschert said. “There is real arbitrariness: one student gets paid, another does not.”

A statutory minimum has reportedly been ruled out for now as it is difficult to set for each sector, and amounts pitched too high could prompt some companies and institutions to stop offering internship places altogether. 

Should reasonable payments fail to materialise, a legal minimum will follow, and the minister has promised to monitor compliance “strictly”.

Some employers already pay interns under collective labour agreements. However, figures from the national statistics agency CBS reveal that just 43 per cent of vocational students received any payment in early 2025.

In 2023, a survey by ResearchNed showed the figure at 75 per cent for HBO college students. For university students, it was 65 per cent for compulsory internships and 91 per cent for optional ones.

In 2025, student and youth unions reportedly campaigned for compulsory internship pay. Education minister Eppo Bruins subsequently said he was not planning to require employers to pay trainees.

Ms Letschert stated that she expects employers to fall into line. 

“The labour market is getting tighter and tighter, so companies and institutions have an interest in keeping hold of talent,” she said.

Both houses of parliament have yet to debate and approve the legislation, which is due to take effect in 2028.

Source: Dutch News

(Links and quotes via original reporting)