Internships not only for young people

Internships give the unemployed a chance to gain work experience and convince the employer who is more likely to hire a proven person. For such work, a scholarship is paid by the PUP.

An internship is the acquisition of practical skills to perform work without entering into an employment relationship with an employer. In this case, the contract with the company is signed by the starost, who represents the Poviat Labor Office, sending the unemployed for an internship. – The staroste also issues a certificate of completion to the person who completed the internship, based on the opinions provided by the employer – explains Renata Cygan, deputy director of the Provincial Labor Office in Opole.

Who can benefit from an internship?

Only people registered with the employment office as unemployed.

The internship may be up to 6 months:

1. long-term unemployed (those who were registered with the PUP for 12 during 24 months),
2. women who did not take up employment after giving birth;
3. people over 50;
4. without professional qualifications, without work experience or without secondary education;
5. single parent with at least one child up to 18 years of age;
6. persons who, after serving a sentence of imprisonment, did not take up employment;
7. disabled.

Up to 12 months of internship can be spent by the unemployed up to 25 years of age or 27 years (after university studies), provided that 12 months have not passed from the date of obtaining the diploma.

Internship fee

The money they receive – 120 percent the amount of the allowance – it is not a salary, but a scholarship. Currently, it amounts to PLN 913.70 gross.
This means that the interns remain unemployed for the duration of the internship financed by the County Employment Agency. Therefore, unlike an employee, they cannot earn extra money. This may lead to the loss of the unemployed status, and thus of the term of employment.

Exception – interns may sit on the election commission, if the amount of the allowance for this does not exceed the minimum wage.
People who are single parents of at least one child up to 18 years of age may additionally receive reimbursement of the costs of childcare during their internship, if the child is under 7 years old.

The refund is granted at the request of the unemployed and during the internship. People who care for the so-called dependents (e.g. disabled family members). Applications for such refunds are submitted to the employment office.

Interns in the Opole region – statistics

Internship rights and obligations

The working time of an intern is decided by the staroste, not the head of the company, because he does not employ him.
An unemployed person cannot do an internship on Sundays and public holidays, at night, in a shift work system or overtime.
The working time is 8 hours a day and 40 hours a week, unless the staroste complies with the employer’s request and changes the working time.
The trainee is also not entitled to work leave. He is entitled to two days off for every 30 calendar days of the internship. I get a scholarship for this period.
Important. Contrary to leave, you must use the time off before the end of the internship. It is the boss who decides whether or not the trainee is free.

Trainings and internships for the disabled in Lublin

Workplaces for trainees

The unemployed can do internships in institutions or private companies. – The analysis of the Voivodship Labor Office shows that in the Opole region, interns most often found office jobs, childcare (as help in kindergartens) and the elderly, cleaning as janitors – Renata lists Cygan, vice-director of the VLO in Opole.
Private employers needed interns, offering them the following positions: salesmen, warehousemen, traders, office technicians, beauticians, hairdressers, in the construction industry and gastronomy.

Free online training courses

Less money for internships

Unfortunately, this year all PUPs received 40% less money from the government pool to fight unemployment than in the previous year.
– This means that there will also be much less internships – comments Renata Cygan. – While 5277 people benefited from this form of assistance until May last year, in the same period this year – only 1722.