In principle, young people up to a certain age should not work. They must attend school until they are 18 or until they have a starting qualification (mbo diploma level 2 or havo/vwo diploma).
Before the age of 18, young people are allowed to have a job on the side, holiday job or internship. These are subject to specific rules, for instance, regarding maximum working and rest times and the type of work they are allowed to do.
More information about the specific rules for each age category can be found at rijksoverheid.nl (Dutch).
Social internship
All secondary school students are required to complete at least 30 hours of social internship during their school career. To facilitate this, a number of laws have been amended:
Secondary Education Act (Dutch)
Working Hours Act (Dutch)
Further regulations on child labour (Dutch)
Article 3:2 of the Working Hours Act now also includes the social internship as an exception to 'the ban on child labour'. In addition, a number of other provisions relating to child labour have been amended.