THE HAGUE – Students on Bonaire may soon have a statutory right to an internship allowance. For Curaçao, Aruba and Sint Maarten, that will not be the case. The Dutch government wants the new law to apply only in European Netherlands and on Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba.
The bill is intended to ensure that students in secondary vocational education, higher vocational education and academic education receive an internship allowance for compulsory internships or internships that are part of their programme. For now, the Netherlands is not opting for a fixed minimum amount. The level of the allowance is to be agreed upon per sector or company.
Vulnerable situation on the islands
The scheme extends to the public bodies of Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba. According to the ministry, students there are equally entitled to an allowance, but the local situation is vulnerable.
Many internship companies on the BES islands are small businesses or sole traders. The Hague fears that they will struggle to bear the additional costs, which could result in allowances remaining low or the number of internship placements coming under pressure. The ministry intends to monitor this separately.
Aruba and Curaçao
For Curaçao, Aruba and Sint Maarten, the proposed Dutch regulation remains out of reach. Dutch education legislation does not apply in the autonomous countries within the Kingdom. This means that a student from the Netherlands doing an internship on Curaçao cannot invoke the statutory right to an allowance.
An internship company and student can still make their own arrangements regarding payment. Whether such an arrangement is legally enforceable depends, according to the ministry, on local or otherwise applicable law.
The Dutch government intends to submit the bill for public consultation before the summer of 2027.
