EU Internship Stipends by Country 2026: What Students Can Actually Expect

Germany has the most clearly defined legal framework for intern pay in the EU. As of January 2026, the national minimum wage stands at €13.90 per hour. This applies to voluntary internships that last more than three months, and the minimum wage is due from the first day -- not just after the three-month threshold is crossed.

Mandatory internships prescribed by university regulations or vocational training rules are exempt from the minimum wage, though many German employers pay a voluntary Praktikumsvergütung (internship allowance) regardless. At larger corporations -- particularly in automotive, technology, and financial services -- intern pay frequently runs between €800 and €1,400 per month for curricular placements.

For context: at full-time hours (40 per week, roughly 173 hours per month), the minimum wage translates to approximately €2,405 per month. In practice, most student internships are at 35 hours or involve a fixed monthly flat rate rather than hourly calculation.

Erasmus+ top-up: German students going abroad receive €300-700/month from DAAD (the German Erasmus+ national agency), depending on destination country. Incoming students interning in Germany receive Erasmus+ funding from their home institution.

France has mandatory internship compensation for any placement lasting more than two consecutive months (or more than 308 hours for part-time). The 2026 rate is €4.50 per hour, set annually by decree on January 1. On a standard 35-hour working week, this produces a monthly minimum of approximately €630-660.

An important constraint applies in the public sector: government bodies and public institutions are legally capped at the statutory minimum rate and cannot pay more. Private employers are free to exceed this minimum -- and frequently do, particularly in Paris. Technology companies and international organisations often pay €1,000-1,500 per month for intern positions.

Internships shorter than two months are not required to be compensated, though French norms increasingly expect at least a symbolic payment even for short placements. The mandatory payment threshold applies once the student crosses 308 cumulative hours in the same organisation, even if the calendar duration is less than two months.

Erasmus+ top-up: Campus France administers Erasmus+ funding. French students going to high-cost destinations receive higher grants; the rate differential is designed to reduce financial barriers to mobility to expensive markets.

The Netherlands does not have a specific intern minimum wage. Instead, the applicability of the regular minimum wage depends on the substance of what the intern is actually doing. Under Dutch law: if the internship is a genuine learning experience, primarily benefiting the student, and is part of an educational programme, it may be unpaid or compensated below the minimum wage. If the intern performs regular work that contributes to the company's operations, they are generally entitled to the statutory minimum wage -- €14.71 per hour for workers aged 21 and over as of January 2026.

This distinction creates significant variation in practice. At Dutch multinationals and larger employers, internship pay ranges from €400 to €900 per month for curriculum placements. In the startup and SME sector, unpaid internships remain more common for curriculum-required placements, though voluntary non-curriculum internships increasingly attract minimum wage scrutiny from the Dutch Labour Inspectorate (Nederlandse Arbeidsinspectie).

The Dutch employer federation VNO-NCW recommends a minimum of €500/month for all internships as a voluntary standard, though this has no legal force.

Belgium has one of the most fragmented internship compensation landscapes in the EU, with rules split across regions (Brussels, Flanders, Wallonia) and different legal categories. The key distinctions:

• Academic curricular internships: Generally unpaid, particularly at university level. No legal obligation to compensate for standard student placements.
• Professional Immersion (CIP/BIS): A legal minimum allowance applies -- starting at approximately half the national minimum monthly wage, roughly €866 per month at age 18 in 2026. This scheme is designed for job-seekers rather than enrolled students.
• Stage First (Brussels): A Brussels regional programme for job-seekers offering approximately €1,100 per month. Not available to enrolled students.
• EU institutions: The European Parliament, Council, and Commission all run Blue Book and Schuman traineeship programmes based in Brussels, paying approximately €1,350 per month (plus transport and housing contributions in some cases).

For enrolled students doing academic placements, most Belgian internships are unpaid unless the employer chooses to pay voluntarily. The Brussels ecosystem of international organisations and EU institutions provides above-average compensation for the internships they do offer.

Spain made a significant legal shift in 2023 when it introduced mandatory remuneration for all internships -- including academic ones. Under the reform, all internships lasting more than 3 months must be remunerated. For non-curricular internships, the Spanish minimum wage applies; for curricular placements at smaller companies, collective agreements and sector norms typically govern the amount.

Spain's statutory minimum wage (Salario Mínimo Interprofesional) stands at approximately €1,184 per month for full-time work in 2026 (14 payments per year, often quoted as a daily or monthly base rate). Most curricular internships pay between €400 and €750 per month. In the tech and consulting sectors in Madrid and Barcelona, intern pay is frequently higher, sometimes reaching €1,000 or more at larger firms.

The 2023 reform significantly changed the landscape: prior to it, most Spanish academic internships were unpaid. Compliance and enforcement are still developing, and some SMEs remain non-compliant, but the legal direction is clear.

Italy regulates extracurricular (non-curricular) internships through a combination of national framework rules and regional legislation. Following a 2013 national reform, extracurricular internships -- which Italy calls "tirocini extracurricolari" -- must be paid a minimum indemnity set by each region. The national framework requires at least some payment; regional governments set the floor.

As of 2026, regional minimums for extracurricular internships typically range from €500 to €700 per month, with higher-cost regions like Lombardy (Milan) at the upper end. Curricular internships -- part of a university programme -- are not required to be remunerated under national law, though universities and employers increasingly negotiate voluntary allowances.

Italy also participates in the EU Traineeship programme directly: the Italian Erasmus+ national agency (Indire) administers grants for Italian students going abroad and for incoming Erasmus+ trainees.