Many students in the Netherlands don’t receive these benefits 😔. If you are Dutch, it’s easy to get it. But internationals now make up 40% of incoming university students (and I think there are a disproportionate amount of internationals in the Dutch EA community), and even for EU students there are a lot more barriers—you have to have lived in the Netherlands for at least 5 years, a parent or partner needs to work in the Netherlands, or you have to be employed—internships unfortunately don’t count as an eligible employment contract. On top of that, the eligibility for student finance dictates your eligibility for the student travel product.
Anecdotally, many (international) students I know at uni have not pursued internships for this reason (low wage + no govt benefits).
Many students in the Netherlands don’t receive these benefits 😔. If you are Dutch, it’s easy to get it. But internationals now make up 40% of incoming university students (and I think there are a disproportionate amount of internationals in the Dutch EA community), and even for EU students there are a lot more barriers—you have to have lived in the Netherlands for at least 5 years, a parent or partner needs to work in the Netherlands, or you have to be employed—internships unfortunately don’t count as an eligible employment contract. On top of that, the eligibility for student finance dictates your eligibility for the student travel product.
Anecdotally, many (international) students I know at uni have not pursued internships for this reason (low wage + no govt benefits).
That’s a good point Liam, thanks! I should have mentioned it since I was an EU student myself and went through the same thing…