Internships
Are you a second or third year bachelor's student and would you like to gain some work experience? Internships are the perfect opportunity to better come to grips with your talents, skills and abilities and to explore the practical value of your university education. Besides, internships offer many other advantages, such as gaining practical experience, improving your CV, gaining better employment prospects, and obtaining new networking contacts.
An internship can be part of your optional course profile and is set at 7.5 or 15 EC and counts as a level 2 course. The difference between a 7.5 and a 15 EC internship consist of a duration and a content part. Regarding the duration: the 7.5 EC internship should at least consist of 6 weeks full time (equivalent). The 15 EC internship should consist of at least 3 months.
For both internship versions, the entry requirement is a minimum score of 90 EC.
Find an internship
Start looking for an internship approximately three months before the starting date. The essential requirements for the internship position are: the duration should at least be 6 weeks full time, the host organization should have a reasonable size and you should be able to work at an academic level.
Having trouble finding an internship? You can contact the internship coordinator for some advice by sending an email to internships.use@uu.nl. However, finding a suitable internship is ultimately the student’s own responsibility.
I found an internship, now what?
- Contact the internship coordinator for approval and supervision
Make sure you have a signed Internship Agreement (pdf) two weeks before the start of the internship. Then contact your internship coordinator to get approval to start your internship.
- Sign an internship contract with the host organisation
See ‘Contracts and Insurance’ below for more information.
After your internship
Make an appointment with your internship coordinator for the assessment of your internship. The internship coordinator will decide whether you have fulfilled the requirements for getting 7.5 or 15 ECTS, based on your portfolio.
- Your portfolio should contain the following items:
- A copy of the Internship Agreement (pdf).
- A copy of the Assessment Form (pdf), filled in by the internship supervisor.
- Some of the work you wrote during the internship, in English or Dutch.
- An internship report containing a summary about the company, your duties there, your internship assignment and whether you think you have fulfilled it, your reaction to the assessment form, your positive and negative experiences and your plans for the future. This report should at least consist of three pages.
Make sure the evaluation takes place within 6 weeks after you finish your internship.
Take a look at the Internship Regulations (pdf), so that you know which requirements you need to meet in order to gain 7.5 or 15 ECTS for your internship.
Internships must meet the following requirements:
- The duties you perform as an intern are ‘academic’ enough, which means they are sufficiently research oriented and analytical and would normally be performed by an academically schooled employee.
- The time of internship employment is a minimum of 6 weeks fulltime.
- You cannot do an internship at the place of your current employment.
- The internship supervisor is not related to you in any way.
- The internship supervisor is ideally an economist or has enough knowledge and experience to supervise an economics student.
- The internship supervisor is willing to fill in the Assessment Form (pdf) at the end of the internship.
- The internship host has adequate facilities and can provide a work place for you. Payment is not a prerequisite but it is reasonable to ask if your travel expenses could be reimbursed.
For initial orientation and supervision of your internship, please contact the U.S.E. internship coordinator via internships.use@uu.nl.
You can find economic internships on the U.S.E. internships page, on the website of ECU’92, and on other internship websites (see links at the bottom of this page).
You can also have a look at the internship page of UU Career Services; however, please note that these internships might not fit in your curriculum.
Under certain circumstances it is possible for students to do an external research as part of the Applied Economics Research Course. Always contact the course coordinator of this course first, to discuss the possibilities. For the specific criteria, please check the Course Catalogue.
- Internship Agreement (pdf) (for external research as part of the Applied Economics Research Course)
- Can I do an internship as part of my Master's programme?
No, an internship is not part of our Master’s programme. You could, however, do an external research thesis.
- How can I avoid study delay?
Make sure your internship period is not too long. You could also consider doing your internship during the summer holidays, as many students do.
- I have already done an internship. Can I make it count for my study programme?
No, unfortunately not. Internships have to be approved beforehand.
- Some of the written work I have done for my internships cannot be disclosed for reasons of privacy and cannot be part of my portfolio.
Make agreements with the company about such matters beforehand. Would it be possible to have your work read if you left out all the names? Could you make a summary?
- The assignments during my internship were not written in either English or Dutch.
Make a summary of your assignments in English or Dutch.
- Is it obligatory for the internship host to pay me?
No, it is not. However, it is customary to reimburse the trainee’s travelling expenses.
- I want to do internship but not as a part of my study programme. Is someone at U.S.E. authorized to sign internship papers?
No, in this case we have no part in internship and we may not sign anything.
More information
Planning an internship in the Netherlands as an international UU student?
See the Study in NL site for special rules and conditions regarding permits and insurance. Utrecht University has an additional clause about liability insurance:
"According to Dutch law (art. 7:661 lid 1 Burgelijk Wetboek) the student-trainee that causes damage to the host organisation during his/her internship is, in principle, not liable for this. Deviation from this principle can only be done in written agreement and as far as the student-trainee is insured for this (art. 7:661 lid 2 BW)."
Utrecht University had included in its liability insurance the students of Utrecht University, without limitation of faculty, during their external internships, provided that this internship is done under the auspices and with the knowledge of the University.
Insurance
Health insurance
The validity of your health insurance while completing your internship depends on such factors as the amount of internship pay, the length of your internship, and your age. Visit the WilWeg website (in Dutch) for further information about health insurance.
Liability insurance
It is important to make sure you thoroughly check your individual situation beforehand and an agreement is signed. This includes research on which insurance you (should) have and how things are handled according to law and the internship agreement.
An internship abroad will take more time to arrange than an internship in the Netherlands. You should start at least six months to one year prior to your anticipated internship, taking the following things into account:
- Download the international internship agreement by the EAIE and additional information on liability.
- You will need to register your internship abroad in Osiris:
- Go to www.uu.nl/osirisstudent
- Click on the tab 'abroad'
- Go to 'new request'
- Choose 'internship/(field)research/other stay abroad'
- International internships can be expensive. Fortunately, there are all manner of strategies to minimise the costs:
- It is often possible to retain your DUO student grant during your stay abroad and to reimburse your student public transport. Be sure to finalise all arrangements with DUO at least two months prior to departure.
- If you complete your internship in an EU Member State, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway or Turkey, you may be eligible for an Erasmus grant.
- wilweg.nl: for a public/private fund for financial support to cover the costs of living abroad,
- if you have already found a potential fund, you may require a letter of recommendation from the student counsellorer as part of your application.
- Visa and premits
- If you complete your internship in the EU, you do not require a visa or a work permit.
- If you complete your internship in a non‑EU country, you will always require a work permit and/or a visa. Bear in mind that the processing time for visa/work permits can be long. Some developing nations can take up to a year to complete these administrative procedures.
- Visit the WilWeg website (in Dutch) for more detailed information about 50 countries.
- Insurance
- The validity of your health insurance while completing your internship depends on such factors as the amount of internship pay, the length of your internship, and your age. Visit the WilWeg website (in Dutch) for further information about health insurance.
- It is important to thoroughly check your insurance before an agreement is signed. This includes research on which insurance you (should) have and how things are handled according to law and the internship agreement.
- Health and safety
- The Ministry of Foreign Affairs website (in Dutch) publishes travel advisories for nearly every destination in the world. Each country is rated in terms of safety, ranging from Level 1 (no notable safety risks) to Level 6 (travel to this country discouraged).
- Travel advisories
When considering possible destinations, please bear in mind that Utrecht University adheres to all travel advisories issued by the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Students with a disability may face more challenges in finding an appropriate internship. Fortunately, a growing number of companies are aware of the needs of students with a disability and are taking steps to make it easier to complete internships. Please bear in mind that it may take longer to find an appropriate internship.
For information on internships for students with a disabilty, you can visit the websites:
- Expertise Centrum Inclusief Onderwijs (ECIO)
Expertise centre for studying with a disability for such resources as the Stagewijzer (‘Guide to Internships’) in Dutch. If you are considering studying abroad, this website also includes everything you need to know to ensure that preparations go smoothly. - Nuffic website
For a subsidy scheme in support of an international internship. - Studying without Limitations (for and by students)
Trainings, internships and traineeships for students and alumni with a disability (in Dutch). - Foundation for Specialised Study and Work (SWOM)
SWOM helps and guides highly educated young people with a disability to a suitable internship or workplacement.
Student athletes may face more difficult challenges in finding an appropriate internship. Fortunately, a growing number of companies are aware of the needs of this group of student interns and are taking steps to make it easier for this target group to complete internships (e.g. flexible working hours and a longer internship duration).
Medical programme
If you are combining a Utrecht University medical programme with a sports career ask your student advisor whether you are eligible for a declaration to minimise the distance you have to commute to your internship post (known in Dutch as a ‘dichtbijverklaring’). This document will, for instance, enable you to serve as a junior house officer at a hospital in your place of study or where you train.
| Internships and advice |
|
|---|---|
| Internships abroad | |
| Internships specific area abroad |
|