Internship

• Preparation time: depending on your citizenship, doing an internship abroad usually takes more time to prepare than an internship in the Netherlands. Especially if you are going to a country outside the EU. It is therefore wise to start your orientation early, ideally about a year in advance.
• Personal commitment: one of the aspects that make an internship so educational is the fact that you have to do a lot yourself. Arranging an internship abroad requires even more of your own initiative and perseverance than arranging one in the Netherlands or your home country. Like studying abroad, this can be very rewarding: you experience daily life in another country, you learn more about the culture of the country and (in many cases) the language, and you have much more contact with the local population than when studying abroad. Moreover, it provides you with an international professional network and you work on your intercultural skills in a professional setting.
• Travel advice: please note that in areas where the Ministry of Foreign Affairs issues a negative travel advice (Code Orange or Red), the university will not approve your internship.

Even if you live in the Netherlands as an international student, it can be interesting and useful to do an internship in another country. Moreover, the working language of most organisations in the Netherlands is Dutch. An internship abroad is therefore a good choice if you do not speak Dutch.

There are several ways to find an internship abroad:

1. You search one yourself. Below you will find some tips on how to search.

2. You can also ask an intermediary organisation for help. Below you will find a number of organisations that can help you; however, there are more.

Don't know yet what kind of organisation you want to do an internship with? A good start to your orientation is to take the free tests from Career Services. For more tips on how to get an internship that matches your interests and ambitions, check the internship manual for students on the internship page of your programme. Can't work it out? Make an appointment with the internship coordinator of your study programme. They will be happy to act as a sparring partner.

Option 1: Finding your own internship

An internship abroad can be done at many different kinds of organisations. Are you a Master’s student? Keep in mind that most Master’s programmes only allow internships that are related to the subject of your studies. Always contact your programme’s (internship) coordinator to discuss your plans.

Some examples:

• Organisations/companies that do work in your field of interest and are in line with your study background;
• A foreign branch of an organisation from your home country (for example: news organisations, embassies, cultural institutes or NGOs); or an organisation in your home country;
• A local company abroad with an international orientation or in a country where you speak the/a language at a high level;
• One of several international organisations or governing bodies (such as branches of the UN, the EU, NATO, or IGOs) or other organisations with an international orientation such as a multinational;
• (Research projects at) foreign universities* or research institutes;
• Museums, events, think tanks, cultural institutions, etc. with a collection/activities important for your specialisation.

* Internship Dutch as a Foreign Language: are you a student of Dutch, or are you interested in the Dutch language, language acquisition or language teaching? Then you can combine a study abroad with an internship teaching Dutch as a foreign language (NVT). Countries with many students of Dutch include France, Spain, Hungary, the Czech Republic and Germany. For more information and available traineeships, please contact Emmeline Besamusca-Douwes.

Option 2: Finding an internship through an intermediary organisation

There are several organisations that mediate in the search for internships. They often charge money for their work, so read the conditions carefully and ask yourself if this is really necessary for you. Not all internship vacancies are equally suitable, but you can use them to see which organisations offer internships and get ideas that way. Some links that may help you further:

• Europe: Jobted, Europlacement, ETCi - UK, iAgora
• Other regions: United States, Australia, Curaçao, South America
• Worldwide: iHipo, AIESEC

In addition to signing an internship agreement (see above), check what you have to take into account regarding health and safety: are there safety risks? How is health care organised?

Financing
Doing an internship abroad can be quite costly. Here are some useful links (mostly in Dutch):

• Studiefinanciering
• OV-chipkaart
• Erasmus+ grant
• Beursopener (overview of (private) funds). Have you found a fund here and does it require a letter of recommendation from a student dean? Then look here.

Visas and permits 

• Depending on your citizenship or current visa, you might need a visa or work permit.
• Bear in mind that arranging a permit can take a long time. In some countries, this can take up to a year! So be sure to check well in advance.

Insurance and liability

• Whether you are adequately insured during your internship depends on various factors, such as the amount of your internship fee, the duration of your internship and your age.
• It is important that you have properly examined your individual situation before you go on an internship and have signed a contract. This also includes which insurances you have and how these are arranged according to the law and the internship contract.

When you have found an internship abroad, in addition to the steps required for an internship within the Netherlands, you must complete two extra mandatory steps to manage your enrollment in Osiris:

1. When registering your internship in Osiris Case, specify that you will be undertaking an international internship (only for Bachelor's students).
2. Once your supervising lecturer and internship supervisor have approved your final internship work plan, you need to register your internship through the button 'Abroad' in Osiris.