We’re offering you an internship (full-time, three months). Your tasks? Pretty much everything: from making coffee to project management, from social media to customer contact. You’ll support the team in all areas, work independently and take full responsibility. In short: you’ll function as a fully-fledged member of staff.
Will you be paid for this? Of course not. But in return, you’ll at least get the unique chance of ‘personal development’. Sounds absurd? It is.
And yet, internships have now become the norm in many sectors. In healthcare and social care professions, they are even compulsory. However, interns often don’t receive a penny for months of work. But can we really still call this training, or is it already exploitation?
The problem with unpaid internships
Entry-level jobs are becoming increasingly rare. If you look at current job vacancies, many so-called ‘entry-level positions’ include the requirement for ‘at least two years’ professional experience’, even for jobs for working students. For young people just starting out in their careers, internships are often the only option left.
Unfortunately, many of these internships are not adequately remunerated or are even completely unpaid. They are supposed to serve as a way to gain initial professional experience and put the skills learnt during studies or training into practice. In reality, however, interns often take on tasks just like full-time employees: they bear responsibility, work fixed hours and manage their own projects. Yet they receive neither appropriate rights nor fair pay in return.
Mandatory internships in social or healthcare professions, which are considered part of the training and are rarely paid, highlight the problem particularly clearly. A midwifery student told the KURIER: “I’m currently doing an internship working 40 hours a week at the clinic, in shifts of twelve hours or more. On top of that, I have seminars at the university of applied sciences and have to prepare for exams. I also work about eight hours a week in a part-time job.” This double burden leads not only to enormous time pressure, but also to high levels of psychological stress and mental exhaustion. Many interns report a lack of sleep, worries about their financial situation and the constant fear of not being able to meet the demands. Some have to drop out of their training programmes because no one can support them during their internship periods.
Indeed, the financial consequences are significant. Essentially, interns not only work unpaid, but many end up actually losing money. According to a study by the European Youth Forum, an unpaid internship costs young people in Europe an average of around 1,000 euros per month. As most internships last several months, the costs quickly add up to several thousand euros. People from migrant backgrounds, children of single parents or people with disabilities are up to eight times less likely to be able to cover these expenses than others. Unpaid internships thus exacerbate social inequality and exclude young people from financially disadvantaged families from important career paths.
Women are particularly affected, as they are disproportionately likely to work in sectors where unpaid internships are common – such as the social sector, healthcare, and cultural and educational professions.
The EU calls for change
Already in 2023, the European Parliament called for clear measures against unpaid internships and advocated for improving the remuneration of interns and ensuring fair working conditions. The aim is to prevent abuse and so-called ‘bogus internships’, in which young people are used as cheap labour or are denied basic rights.
In future, interns should, in principle, be granted the same working conditions as regular employees, including appropriate remuneration, with differences permitted only for ‘objective reasons’, such as a lower level of responsibility.
To ensure transparency, companies will in future be required to disclose details regarding the number, duration, tasks and learning content of internships. The duration of internships is generally to be limited to six months. Exceptions are only intended for internships essential to the profession. Furthermore, interns are to be granted access to social protection, health insurance, unemployment benefits and pension contributions.
To check compliance with the rules, interns should be able to report abuses through national channels. On the 23rd of September 2025, the European Parliament’s Committee on Employment (EMPL) voted to further strengthen the European Commission’s proposals from the previous year, with 42 votes in favour, 9 against and 6 abstentions. However, negotiations with the EU Member States on the final adoption of the legislation are likely to be difficult.
Tips from the Chamber of Labour
Even though exploitation during an internship cannot always be completely prevented, the Chamber of Labour (AK) offers some practical tips on how to tell if your internship is fair and how to assert your rights.
Before you start
- Get all agreements in writing – tasks, start and end times of the working day, pay and any deductions.
- Clarify which collective agreement the company is subject to.
- Agree on fixed working hours and days off, especially if your shifts are irregular.
- Are you under 18? Then overtime is prohibited.
If there is no employment contract, you are not entitled to a salary, holiday leave or special payments. In return, you are not bound by working hours and learning must take precedence over work performance.
During the internship:
- Keep records of your activities and working hours; these can be crucial in the event of a dispute.
- Do not sign any false timesheets!
- Paid compulsory interns must be registered with the health insurance fund.
- For unpaid compulsory internships, you remain covered by accident insurance through your school or university.
After the internship:
- Do not sign any waivers.
- Request any outstanding pay or holiday pay in writing (note the expiry dates)!
- You can claim back any overpaid income tax or social security contributions from the tax office (negative tax).
- If there are any problems: contact the works council, trade union or Chamber of Labour.
Translated by Anna Smith
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