AEGEE supports the initiative of the European Youth Forum (http://www.youthforum.org) to improve the situation of internships in Europe. Internships should provide a learning experience for young people to facilitate successful integration into the labour market; however, there has been an increased prevalence of internships serving as precarious employment for young people—a cheap way to substitute workforce. In addition, young interns are performing tasks that do not contribute to professional development. 

To combat this trend, there is an urgent need to properly identify the scope of the problem, therefore European Youth Forum has created a simple survey (in English) on internship experiences in Europe. This data will provide a better representation of the real situation of internships regarding access to internships, mentoring, remuneration and job opportunities. Such data will help to advocate Europe-wide for a more beneficial internship experience and transition from education to employment for young people and further confirm the need for a European Quality Charter Internships that establishes quality guidelines for internships across Europe.

So help us spread this survey, by sending the link to your friends, contacts and fellow interns!

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/Europe-Internships