Ragne-Liis Mõttus studies political science at Tallinn University and sought a placement for her mandatory school internship in a field matching her major. After several rejections and unanswered emails, she secured an internship at the Estonian Union for Child Welfare through personal connections.

You invest a lot of time, but may get nothing

"The most difficult part is that you write a separate cover letter for each position, usually at least a page or two long, focusing specifically on the organization's requirements. It is sad when you invest a lot of time and get nothing but emptiness in return. Unfortunately, that is how it currently is in Estonia," Mõttus said. "I think personal connections are one way: if you are known as a person, you stand out and are not just a name on paper," she added.

The proportion of internships varies by university and major. While often voluntary for extra credits, internships are mandatory in many fields to graduate, leading to stiff competition.

"For example, a political scientist from Tallinn University, the University of Tartu and TalTech might apply to the same organization. We all converge on one thing. If you study political science, you are interested in the public sector and various ministries, but their resources are limited. Therefore, finding an internship is very difficult," Mõttus explained.

The queue for internships at companies is also long. Coop Pank will hire 16 young people this summer but received a record number of applications.

"This year we had over 1,000 applicants for internships, and the most popular fields were business and data analysis," said Janika Valliste, human resources manager at Coop Pank. "We are not the only providers; there is a battle for young talent. Young people apply everywhere and this must be taken into account. It is not just us choosing, but the young people also choose," Valliste added.

"Over 1,600 young people applied this year. Last year there were over 2,300 and the year before nearly 1,000. In total, nearly 5,000 young people have looked for a place to test what they learned in school over three years," noted Pirkko Saar, human resources manager at Telia.

"We have been able to offer nearly 200 internship placements during this time. In percentage terms, this makes up about four percent of the applicants," Saar said.

Estonian law lacks precise regulations for internships, meaning internship pay is also unregulated. The European Commission proposed a new directive in 2024 to improve working conditions for interns and limit disguised employment, but the commission does not want to mandate paid internships. Larger companies usually pay slightly above the minimum wage.

"We have few observation internships where the intern just shadows an employee. For the most part, we offer standard internships," Saar explained. "Remuneration depends on the role: simpler ones have one pay rate and more complex ones another. Generally, the pay for a full-time internship ranges from €800–€1,200 gross."

A good springboard for young people

According to experienced internship providers, some institutions offer young people no opportunities at all because they fear excessive resource expenditures. In reality, well-planned internship programs help employers reduce risks and find new employees more reliably than traditional recruitment.

"Every year, some interns stay on to work for us. It is a good springboard for young people entering the labor market, and the brightest ones stand out. Whenever we have vacant positions and an internship program is ending, we always look to them first. We have already trained them and do not have to start from scratch," Valliste noted.

"There are also people in my university course who go on an internship and come back with a job, which is very nice. However, the system could be better structured, and cooperation between schools, the public sector, businesses and the third sector should be stronger," Mõttus said. "Offers could be more open so we know where we are expected. Right now, you have to painstakingly track down where you might go and whether an institution even has any offers."

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