{"id":174874,"date":"2025-01-16T11:37:58","date_gmt":"2025-01-16T10:37:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/?p=174874"},"modified":"2025-12-19T11:27:39","modified_gmt":"2025-12-19T10:27:39","slug":"we-work-56-hours-a-week-pay-us-more","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/2025\/01\/16\/we-work-56-hours-a-week-pay-us-more\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018We work 56 hours a week, pay us more!\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

For many students, internships are a bridge between theory and practice, but they\u2019re not always seen as a mandatory part of the curriculum. Should that change? And what about compensation for the hard work students put in? How do you find an internship and survive it? EM posed these questions last week.<\/p>\n

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\n\t\n\n<\/svg>\n<\/span>\n\tImage by:<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tRonald van den Heerik<\/a>\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>

While most respondents on Instagram said they would like to do an internship, nearly half haven\u2019t taken any steps to secure one. What do they expect from an internship? \u201cTo learn a lot from it.\u201d<\/p>\n

A number of students offered tips on how to find a placement. International students shouldn\u2019t be afraid to apply in Dutch, one student advised. \u201cI got my internship at PwC, even though I spoke broken Dutch during the interview.\u201d<\/p>\n

Many students emphasised the importance of networking. \u201cAttend career fairs and events hosted by large companies to connect with recruiters\u201d, one suggested. Another added, \u201cTake advantage of recruitment days organised by study associations.\u201d<\/p>\n

Compensation varies<\/h2>

Not all students receive payment for their work. Only 12 per cent of bachelor\u2019s students and more than 30 per cent of master\u2019s students annotation anchor receive an internship allowance<\/a>. In 2023, master\u2019s students earned an average of 350 euros per month.<\/p>\n

The stark variation in internship compensation is evident from the responses on our Instagram account. While one communication student proudly shared that they receive a monthly allowance of more than 1,000 euros, a medical student reported getting just 100 euros. \u201cWe work more than 56 hours a week, pay us more!\u201d the latter said passionately.<\/p>\n

Workplace behaviour<\/h2>

For those who\u2019ve already secured an internship, students also shared advice on how to behave. \u201cAct normal\u201d, one said. \u201cJust be yourself\u201d, suggested another. \u201cBut set your boundaries and don\u2019t be afraid to address issues.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\t

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