What is a traineeship?

Difference traineeship and internship

A traineeship should not be confused with an internship. An internship is something you do during your studies and a traineeship is something you do after graduation. You get the responsibilities and salary that come with a starter position. You will be supervised by a colleague or manager. On average, a traineeship lasts between 1 and 3 years. During that period, you work on multiple projects or assignments that you carry out within different functions and in different departments of the company. You will also find out what you prefer in terms of direction, work, and department. A traineeship triggers you to get the best out of yourself. The intention is that as a trainee within an company you will progress to the position that best matches your interests and capabilities.

Different types of traineeships

There are many different types of traineeships. Some examples:

• The most common traineeship is the management traineeship. Management skills are of course central to this. During this traineeship you will be trained to be able to manage people.
• There are also traineeships that train you for a specific field, the so called specialized or combined traineeship. There are also companies that offer a combination of different types of traineeships. Variety plays an important role here.
• Sometimes companies choose to offer a concrete starter position. You will then be given a permanent position, but you will also go through an intensive training and coaching process. It is often possible to change position within a year and a half.

Profile of a trainee

Different specific requirements are set for the trainee for each traineeship. In general, however, companies consider it important that a trainee has done extracurricular activities in addition to his studies. They also like to see that you are ambitious, driven, and self-aware. It is also important that you have a demonstrable aptitude for organizing entrepreneurship and leadership.

Benefits of a traineeship

• You get to know the company from different sides.
• You build a network in a short time.
• You learn where your strengths lie.
• You are supervised by professionals.
• A traineeship offers the prospect of a great job.

Disadvantages of a traineeship

• It demands a lot from your social skills.
• You have less chance of specializing (quickly).
• You must be very flexible.
• You are expected to continue working with the company after finishing your traineeship.

How can you find a traineeship?

Most large companies offer traineeships, so you can often find the overview of traineeships on their website. In addition, there are many special trainee sites, for example:

• Magnet.me
• Moongro
• Traineeshipplaza
• Traineeshipsoverzicht
• Jobnet
• Tilburg University Career Portal

Milou about her experience as a trainee

"After studying communication and information sciences, I chose to follow the multi-company management traineeship at Ormit talent. Within this traineeship you will develop yourself further to get more out of yourself on a personal and business level. Personal development has had a major influence on my choice, because I always find it interesting and important to keep learning from yourself and others and to keep challenging yourself in this.

In addition, you get the chance to experience different companies from the inside through assignments and projects. In these two years I hope to get to know myself better and, above all, to find out what I am really good at and how I can best use this." - Milou Straatman, Graduate Master Communication and information.