MP’s want to set minimum amount for mandatory wages for interns

Interns at a cosmetology school. - Credit: - License: DepositPhotos Politics Business Saturday, 10 October 2026 - 08:15

Several parties in the Tweede Kamer, the lower house of Dutch parliament, want the government to set a minimum amount for its proposed mandatory internship allowance. The issue emerged during an education debate on Thursday. Education Minister Rianne Letschert announced in July that she intended to make internship allowances legally mandatory for students in secondary vocational, higher professional and university education, but did not propose a minimum payment.

The minister wants individual sectors to determine an appropriate internship allowance, warning that setting a fixed minimum could lead to fewer internship placements. A statutory minimum could still be introduced later if deemed necessary.

PRO wants a minimum monthly allowance of €750 for full-time internships. D66 MP Ilana Rooderkerk understands the minister’s concerns but said students have also expressed a desire for a minimum payment. Her party favors a guideline of at least €500 per month, while allowing sectors to discuss the amount first. The Socialist Party (SP) is pushing for €800 per month, in line with the allowance offered by the Dutch central government, MP Sandra Beckerman said.

The VVD has not proposed a minimum internship allowance and wants to wait for the sectors to put forward their own proposals. JA21, however, is critical of the proposed legislation itself, warning that it could lead to fewer internship placements.

The law is expected to take effect in 2029, by which time Letschert wants sectors to have reached agreements on internship allowances. The minister said she would monitor whether the rules deliver the intended results. “If it leads to nothing at all, with only symbolic amounts being paid, I can still set a minimum amount in the law after a certain period,” she said.

The minister called on internship providers to value students’ contributions by offering them a fair allowance. “Be proud of all that talent, give them a good allowance,” she said.

Reporting by ANP