Internships and work experience

All students acquire work experience during their study: this may be via a hands-on trainee placement or a research or other project in or outside the school. Tackle all trainee placements and projects as professionally as possible, cause you already start to build up your network right from the start of your study.

The right internship

An internship (work placement) will give you valuable work experience. It can also be a springboard to a job. Most of the bachelor's courses include a compulsory period of hands-on training. The placement coordinator of your course can tell you more about the requirements. Put your main objectives in writing: making contacts; getting work experience; developing your technical knowledge and skills; doing the internship with someone else; reaching a higher level; experience working abroad. Then find out in what way the internship can contribute to these objectives.

Some courses have good contacts with workplaces that offer placements and the available opportunities are accessible through the course organisation. Other courses deliberately make the students look for a placement themselves. Ask acquaintances, teachers and former apprentices as well. Make sure your resume is ready and write a good letter.

Planning and organisation

Make a plan including preparation and aftercare. Start applying on time and consider how long a fruitful internship will last, and what time periods are best for you, the work placement provider and your training programme. Discuss these matters with your internship coordinator.

If you want to go abroad: check whether you need permits, such as a visa. If yes: how long an application takes. Map what you need as a minimum to make your plan a success; residence permit; housing; insurances. Start these preparations at least half a year in advance.

Renumeration and contract

A workplace that offers an internship is not legally obliged to offer remuneration, though it is common practice to do so. If the provider of the internship is bound by a particular collective labour agreement (cao) and that agreement contains provisions on remuneration for internships, the provider must abide by them. Ask fellow students what arrangements they have made as well. The more comparative material you have, the stronger your bargaining position. In this case too, the placement coordinator of your course can tell you more about the fees that are customary in your field. Also the rights and responsibilities of the three parties concerned are described in the work placement contract.

Always make a budget for income and expenditures during this internship period. Do you make enough money to pay your bills or do you need to take other measures?