The most common reason to pay a working student below market value: they're “just” a student. But a working student isn't an intern who comes mainly to learn. It's someone with a regular employment contract doing regular work, and so with a right to at least the statutory minimum wage [1]. What counts as fair above that is a judgement call. Here's how to make it.
What is a fair hourly rate for a working student?
A fair hourly rate sits at or above what a comparable junior colleague on a full-time contract earns, converted to hours. The statutory minimum wage is the absolute floor, not a target. If a working student does the same work as someone else on the team, the hourly rate should be about the same, whether they work 16 hours a week or 40.
Start from the statutory minimum wage, not away from it
The minimum hourly wage is a floor: as of 1 July 2026 € 14.99 gross per hour from age 21, with lower amounts by age for 15 to 20 [2]. A rate that hovers just above the minimum because “it's just a working student” isn't a fair rate but the legal minimum with a different label.
Look at the work, not the title on the CV
A working student who independently runs part of a market, handles client contact or works in finance does different work than someone entering data. Let the rate follow the level of responsibility, not the person's age or study stage. The EU pay transparency directive also assumes pay based on objective, gender-neutral criteria [3]. The Dutch bill for it was submitted on 21 May 2026 and has not yet been adopted [4].
Compare with what similar roles pay
Look at vacancies for comparable roles in your sector and region, and at what a junior colleague with a comparable workload earns. If you structurally sit below what others offer, you already know why finding and keeping people is hard.
Should the rate go up as hours grow toward full-time?
Yes. When a working-student role starts to resemble a full-time position in hours and responsibility, the rate moves with it, not only when an official starter contract is signed. A working student who structurally works 30 hours and independently runs most of a process deserves a rate that fits that role, not the “working student” label on paper.
Work out what underpaying could cost you
A rate that's too low saves a few euros an hour. Now work out what it costs when someone leaves after four months: recruiting again, onboarding again, knowledge walking out the door. And paying below the minimum wage isn't an option anyway [2].
Why VOIDS is strict about this
Access to relevant work experience shouldn't depend on who can afford to work for little [5]. That's why we prefer working-student roles over internships. When we do place an internship, our minimum is what the Dutch central government itself pays its interns: € 800 a month for a full-time internship, since 1 January 2026 [6]. There is no statutory minimum yet [7].
Sources
- Rijksoverheid: Heb ik recht op het minimumloon als ik stage loop?, accessed 11 October 2026.
- Rijksoverheid (2026): Bedragen minimumloon 2026, accessed 11 October 2026.
- EUR-Lex (Europese Unie) (2023): Richtlijn (EU) 2023/970 ter versterking van het beginsel van gelijke beloning (artikel 5), accessed 11 October 2026.
- Rijksoverheid (2026): Meer openheid over loonkloof tussen mannen en vrouwen, accessed 11 October 2026.
- VOIDS: Impact: onze missie en ambitie, accessed 11 October 2026.
- P-Direkt (Rijksoverheid) (2026): Stage-informatie voor stagiairs (stagevergoeding bij het Rijk), accessed 11 October 2026.
- Rijksoverheid (2026): Kabinet wil stagevergoeding verplichten, accessed 11 October 2026.
Transparency: VOIDS connects working students with organisations and therefore has an interest in this topic. We back up facts with sources and connect research and trends to our own experience from practice.
