Internships

An internship is an integral part of most HBO degree programmes and an increasing number of university degree programmes. The Hague offers a large number of interesting internship opportunities.

The HBO degree programme often consists of several internships. This is a little different for a university degree programme, where it depends more on your choice of study and your own goals.

Types of internships

There are three different types of internships: a pre-internship, an operational internship and a graduation internship.

A pre-internship is a short internship in the first year of the HBO degree programme. An operational internship generally takes place in you third year. You work at a company for a couple of months and you gain practical experience. You’ll write a report about the experience you have gained. A graduation internship takes place in your final year. This can be a bigger project or research. You’ll write a paper about this.

Finding an internship

Most colleges and universities have an internship office which can help you find an internship. The internship office has contacts at companies and international organisations and makes sure you’ll end up with an internship that suits you.

Would you like to arrange an internship yourself? Do an Internet search using ‘stage lopen’ (in Dutch) and you’ll see many sites which list internships. If you would like to arrange an internship yourself, it is wise to discuss this with your supervisor.

Going abroad

A foreign internship is an unforgettable experience. To help you get started, you can consult the Study in Holland website. Here you’ll find information on different countries, internships and many stories from students who study and do internships abroad.

Internship allowance and earning money

Employers are not required to pay you an internship allowance, however, they often do. For a HBO degree programme or a university degree programme, the allowance is about € 300 per month.

If you receive a student grant, an extra earnings limit applies. Every year, the IB-groep determines the amount you are allowed to earn in addition to your student grant. The maximum amount is about € 13,000 in supplementary income per year. Please visit the website of the IB-groep for the exact amount and what you should do if you expect to earn more than this.