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Facts about internships

• Workplace internship

  During their workplace internship, students spend their days at the premises of their host company.

• Working hours and job content

  The working hours are generally 37 hours a week during the daytime on weekdays. The host company and the intern may, however, agree that some of the hours be worked in the evening or at weekends.

  The job content must be relevant to the student’s studies and must be agreed in writing by the host company and the student before the start of the internship period. Assignments are based on the needs of the host company and the student’s interests and must be approved by a lecturer.

• Pay and gratuity

  Internship in KEA’s study programmes must be unpaid (with the exception of the Optometry Programme – see BA in Optometry Special Rules).

  The requirement that the internship must be unpaid is laid down by the Ministry of Higher Education and Science, and KEA has a duty to ensure that students are not paid during the internship.

  Gratuity

  The company has the option of giving the student a so-called gratuity to appreciate the student´s efforts during internship The maximum allowed amount is DKK 3,483 per month of completed internship. 

  The amount of DKK 3,483 applies from and including the spring semester 2024. The gratuity amount will be adjusted once a year in January. 

  Since the gratuity is an appreciation of the student's effort and not a salary, it cannot be agreed in advance and can therefore not be written into the internship contract. 

• Professional input

  The internship is a learning process for the student. It is therefore important that the host organisation provides regular professional input for the student and evaluates the student’s performance.

  The internship concludes with a more thorough, general evaluation of the student’s performance.

  It is generally a requirement that there is at least one employee who is educated within the relevant field of study or who possesses equivalent expertise gained through education or many years of practical experience.

• Host company contact

  The host company must appoint a contact whom the intern can contact throughout the entire internship period. The contact will receive a contract for approval before the start of the internship period, and be asked to complete an online evaluation at the end of the internship period.

• Internship contract

  KEA’s internship contract is digital.

  When the internship has been agreed, the student must complete an online form; for this purpose, the student will need to obtain information from the company. The internship must then be approved by a lecturer before being emailed to the host company contact and the student.

  Both parties must approve the content by replying to the email, and once the contract has been approved by both the student and the host company, a confirmation will be sent out by email.

• Insurance and law

  Under Danish law, the intern must be covered by the host company’s compulsory industrial injuries insurance. Host companies may also be obliged to arrange insurance cover for students who do not work on the premises.

  Sole proprietors who would like to take on a student intern should note that they must also take out all statutory insurance policies before the start of the internship as legal and financial liability always rests with the company under Danish law.

  If the internship is placed in a non-Danish company outside of Denmark, the company must comply with local rules and regulations regarding insurance of student interns.

  In countries where it is not obligatory for companies to insure students during internship, the student can take out the appropriate insurance on his or her own behalf.

  Confidentiality

  Students who gain knowledge of trade secrets during their internship in Denmark may not disclose or use such secrets without prior permission, cf. section 23 of the Danish Marketing Practices Act.

  Host companies may require student interns to sign any standard non-disclosure agreement which they may normally use. KEA is not required to read through or approve such documents, but students are always welcome to ask for help from the internship coordinator, if necessary.

  Copyright

  Unless otherwise agreed by the host company and the intern, the intern obtains no copyrights in connection with the performance of his or her duties during the internship period.

  Working environment

  Like all other employees, interns must be offered acceptable physical and psychosocial working conditions.

• Visits to the host organisation

  As part of the quality assurance of KEA’s internship programme, selected host organisations are visited by lecturers. These visits are also an important element in KEA’s continued professional dialogue and cooperation with the business community.

• Final evaluation

  At the end of the internship, the host company contact will receive an email with a link to an online evaluation form. The answers provided are extremely valuable to KEA’s efforts to constantly improve its internship programme.

• Problems during internship

  Should doubts or problems arise during an internship, both the host company and the student are urged to contact KEA as soon as possible. In our experience, a lot of problems can be resolved through dialogue if addressed early.

• Trade secrets

  During internship in Denmark, the Danish Act on Trade Secrets (§4) applies.

  During internship outside Denmark, local legislation regarding trade secrets applies.

  If the company has a standard non-disclosure agreement, this can also be used for the internship. KEA must not review or approve such a document, but the student may ask the internship coordinator’s help to read through it if necessary.

  KEA’s employees and co-examiners are covered by the rules set out in the Danish Public Administration Act on the duty of confidentiality.
  It means that internship reports and the like, that are produced by the students, can only be used by KEAs employees and co-examiners in relation to guidance and evaluation of the students as well as administrative procedures derived therefrom.