Many courses require an internship. An intern also has certain rights. He therefore has the same rights under the Working Conditions Act and the Working Hours Act that an employee of the company in question also has. Whether an intern is entitled to compensation varies per internship location and sector. In the case of a work-study training course, an intern is often entitled to compensation. Read all about it in this article. Many people go on an internship every year for their training. An internship is a mandatory part of the curriculum for many courses and studies. In this way, students have to experience what it is like to work in practice. In school it is still largely theory and someone must also be sufficiently trained once he or she starts working in real life. During an internship, the intern finds himself in circumstances that cannot easily be imitated at school. Moreover, there are other supervisors who may be able to teach different skills than the teacher can. However, an internship is not mandatory for every study. This usually concerns university studies. This is partly due to the fact that people who have followed a certain course of study can usually go in many directions. They are also expected to develop themselves more than MBO and HBO graduates.
Rights of an intern
Although an intern is often obliged to complete the internship due to the training, he or she does have certain rights. Sometimes an intern is obliged to accept a certain internship, but the intern does have rights within it. First of all, the same rights under the Arbowet and Working Hours Act apply in full that also apply to the company’s employees. An intern may therefore not just be deployed for everything and is also entitled to things such as breaks and protective work clothing. What is also important to know is that the employer is responsible for purchasing all the materials that the intern needs for his or her work. This could, for example, concern office materials, but also protective work clothing in the event that an intern starts working in construction. Employees under the age of 18 and pregnant employees are also entitled to special protection. The employer must also take this into account.
Right to compensation for an intern
The standard is that an intern is not entitled to compensation. This is because an intern is not yet seen as economically viable for a company, although this may sometimes be different in practice. A company already puts a lot of energy into guidance and providing certain resources. There are sectors where an intern is entitled to (limited) compensation, for example a medical student when he or she is doing an internship. There are also many studies that involve a work-learning trajectory. This is, for example, the case in construction or in the police. The intern is also entitled to compensation in these cases. Many companies also provide compensation on their own, even though they are not legally obliged to do so. In that case, it is wise to inquire in advance.
Concluding an internship contract
Most training courses have a standard internship agreement or internship contract that is submitted to the intern and the relevant company or agency. This includes all agreements about the internship, for example about the duration of the internship, the work to be performed and how the internship will be assessed. Many companies and agencies, especially the larger agencies, also have a standard procedure for interns. It is also important to know that every company with more than five employees is required to have a confidential counselor. Someone can report abuse or misconduct there. It is usually also wise to inform the internship supervisor from the program about this.