Students are not free labour: who will be paid for their work experience and what will happen to their work experience record?

Students are put behind a machine, tasked with repairs or customer service — yet they are refused pay because ‘it’s work experience’. The new regulations on practical training in vocational education draw an important distinction: work placements involving the performance of work duties must be paid and formalised through a student employment contract. The rules come into force on 1 September 2026.

However, the notion that ‘all students will now receive a salary, with all earnings paid into a bank account and their employment history recorded’ is inaccurate. Classes may remain free of charge; for those who enrolled before 1 January 2026, the previous distribution of earnings will remain in place, and insurance service must be checked separately. Here’s what you need to find out before starting your work placement, so you don’t end up with nothing but a mark in your logbook.

Details

Who is affected by the new rules? The Cabinet of Ministers approved the procedure by Resolution No. 1071 of 31 August 2026. It regulates the practical training of those undergoing vocational education: on-the-job training, work placements and other prescribed forms. This is not a blanket reform of work placements for all students in Ukraine.

Therefore, first check not the word ‘college’ on the sign, but your own educational programme. Vocational education, pre-higher vocational education and university education are not the same thing. The provisions of this resolution cannot be applied to all university work placements.

When should an internship be paid? Paragraph 8 of the new regulations explicitly distinguishes between two situations. Work-based learning may be free of charge: the student learns work techniques, practises and learns to use equipment. However, the organisation is entitled to provide remuneration or other financial support.

It is a different matter altogether when it comes to work placements where a student carries out work or provides services as part of the duties of an employee of the organisation. This is carried out in return for remuneration, which is paid to the student on the basis of a student employment contract. For adult learners, the regulations specifically stipulate that payment must be made for work actually carried out, including as part of retraining programmes organised by employment centres.

To illustrate: dismantling a training engine under the supervision of a mentor and repairing customers’ cars at the workplace are different situations. This is a hypothetical example, not a definitive legal classification: in the event of a dispute, the programme, documents and actual tasks must be compared. However, the mere label ‘trainee’ does not in itself explain why the work carried out should remain unpaid.

What documents are required. Do not confuse the agreement between the educational institution and the company with your own employment contract. The former organises the practical training: where and when it takes place, what is taught, and who is responsible for the process. The latter formalises the student’s performance of work duties. The agreement between the educational institution and the company does not replace the formalisation of the employment relationship with the student themselves.

The student employment contract, introduced by the Law ‘On Vocational Education’ No. 4574-IX, combines on-the-job training with work. Its duration may not exceed the duration of the course. Ask for your copy of the signed contract and written details of your duties, working hours, the amount of remuneration and the payment procedure. The phrase ‘we’ll work it out after the work placement’ does not allow you to assess the terms in advance.

Why not everyone will have their full earnings paid out. The law contains a transitional provision: for those who enrolled before 1 January 2026, the previous mechanism for the distribution of wages for practical training remains in force. It provides for 50 per cent of earnings to be transferred to the educational institution’s account. This is explicitly confirmed by the clarification issued by the State Tax Service on 9 February 2026.

For students who enrolled on or after 1 January 2026, this transitional exception does not apply: the rule requiring remuneration to be paid directly to the student applies. It is the date of enrolment that matters, not just the start date of the work placement. Therefore, two students working at the same company in the autumn of 2026 may have their payments calculated according to different rules.

However, ‘the student’s full earnings’ does not mean ‘tax-free’. The amount accrued and the amount to be transferred to the card differ due to mandatory deductions. Ask for a breakdown: for which hours or volume of work the money was calculated, what taxes were deducted, and on what basis part of the amount was transferred to the educational institution. A reduction in payment alone does not necessarily prove a breach – the legal basis and the accuracy of the calculation are what matter.

How much they should pay. The new regulations do not establish a single fixed ‘internship payment’ for every student. Before starting work, find out whether an hourly, piecework or other payment system is used, how the work carried out is recorded, and when the payment date is. It is worth comparing offers based on the specific amount and workload, rather than on the promise of ‘experience instead of money’.

What about your employment history? A formal job allows you to confirm the period of your employment. However, an entry in your work experience report and your insurance record for pension purposes are two different things. For insurance service, details of employment, earnings and insurance contributions are what matter; it cannot be automatically guaranteed that every month spent on work experience will count as a full insurance month.

The Pension Fund explains how to check the details: log in to your personal account on its web portal using a digital signature (KEP), BankID or Diya.Pidpis, and open the sections ‘My Insurance Record’ and ‘My Salary’. Check the employer, the months and the amounts. If, after the reports have been submitted, the data is missing or does not match, ask the accounts department and the Pension Fund of Ukraine for an explanation. Do not conclude that you have lost service time simply because there is a blank line in your account immediately after your first shift.

Why this is important

The main practical benefit of the new rules is the ability to distinguish between training and work in advance and to verify the obligations of both parties. For a student, this is not just a matter of money. Work experience should provide skills relevant to the chosen profession, rather than simply filling any labour shortages.

The law prohibits the use of students’ labour for purposes not provided for in the educational programme or the contract. If a trainee electrician is constantly being assigned unrelated tasks instead of work related to their profession, ask to see how this relates to the programme. Individual tasks should be assessed in the context of the training; if the entire work placement turns into performing someone else’s duties, this is grounds for raising the matter with the work placement supervisor.

The company is obliged to provide appropriate conditions, induction training and the necessary personal protective equipment. The trainee must have a mentor, and the educational institution must monitor the training. The company may organise travel or accommodation, but this does not mean that every trainee is guaranteed to have these costs covered: the terms must be clarified on a case-by-case basis.

Seven questions to check before your first shift.

1. Which regulations apply specifically to me? Clarify your level of education, enrolment date and type of training. Ask for the work placement programme, including tasks and assessment criteria.
2. Who is my employer and who is my mentor? Make a note of the full name of the company or the sole trader’s details, the place of work, and the contact details of your mentor and the representative from the educational institution. Just having the contact number of the person who ‘arranged the work placement’ is not enough.
3. Will I be carrying out work duties? If so, find out how the student employment contract is drawn up. Check that its terms match the tasks you are actually being assigned.
4. How much will I be paid? Ask for the hourly rate or pay scale, how your hours will be recorded, payment dates and an example of how the amount will be calculated and paid into your bank account. Separately, clarify the tax deductions, the contribution to your educational institution, and any travel and accommodation expenses.
5. What are the working hours, and how safe is the workplace? Find out the length of shifts, the break schedule, who conducts safety briefings and issues protective clothing. Do not sign a confirmation of having attended a safety briefing if one did not take place.
6. What documents will I keep? Keep the contract, the programme, correspondence regarding assignments, your own records of shifts, payslips and bank statements. These are more reliable than a verbal promise.
7. How can I confirm my results and work experience? Find out the requirements for the report and reference, who will check that the programme has been completed, and where you can view details of your employment and insurance contributions.

If the student is under 18. Trainee status does not override age-related safeguards. The State Labour Service reminds us that for workers aged 16–18, the limit is 36 hours per week, and for those aged 15–16, it is 24 hours. For pupils working during the academic year in their free time outside school hours, a separate restriction applies – no more than half the relevant age-based limit. One timetable should not be automatically applied to all forms of training.

Minors must not be employed for night work, overtime or work at weekends; there are restrictions on heavy and hazardous work. Age requirements and the need for a medical examination must be checked before the employee is allowed to start work. Official guidelines have been published by the State Labour Service.

What to do if they refuse to pay. First, ask for a written explanation: what type of training programme you have been enrolled in, why the work you are carrying out is considered unpaid, and how this relates to the programme. Send your enquiry to the employer and the head of the educational institution, and keep a record of the dispatch or the reference number.

You can use the following text, filling in your personal details:

I request information regarding the terms of my practical training under the [name] programme during the period [dates]: the type of training, a list of tasks, the grounds for performing work duties, the procedure for drawing up a student employment contract, and the amount and timing of payment. Please also advise whether the transitional arrangements for the distribution of earnings apply to me, taking into account my enrolment date, and provide a breakdown of the amounts accrued and paid.

If your enquiry concerns non-payment of wages, undeclared work or unsafe working conditions, please contact the State Labour Service of Ukraine. For advice on documents and next steps, contact the free legal aid service on 0 800 213 103. The conditions for free legal representation in court are clarified separately: a consultation does not automatically entitle you to a solicitor for any dispute.

In your enquiry, please state the dates, the actual tasks, the agreed terms, and the amounts of any accruals and payments. Attach any relevant documents, but do not publish passport details, bank details or the personal information of other students in the public domain. If the problem relates to the organisation of your studies or assignments that are not relevant to your course, make a separate request for a resolution from the educational institution.

You should not simply disappear from the work placement, leaving the question of its recognition unresolved. Request in writing that the conditions be changed or that an alternative training placement be arranged. In the event of an immediate health hazard, first and foremost stop the dangerous work and inform your supervisor and the head of the work placement. It is best to consult a lawyer regarding further action in a specific employment dispute.

The main guideline: before agreeing to an internship, get answers to three questions — what you will be taught, what work you will be doing and how you will be paid for it. It is the programme, the formal arrangements and the payment terms that allow you to verify your rights, not a promise that ‘we’ll explain everything after the work placement’.

Source

Legal basis — Cabinet of Ministers Resolution No. 1071 of 31 August 2026, effective from 1 September 2026, and the Law of Ukraine ‘On Vocational Education’ No. 4574-IX of 21 August 2025: Article 17 and sub-paragraph 21 of paragraph 3 of Section X. References to the documents are provided in the text.

The transitional mechanism for the allocation of earnings and taxation has been checked against the clarification issued by the State Tax Service on 9 February 2026; verification of insurance contributions has been checked against the Pension Fund’s instructions. Age-related guarantees and channels for seeking redress have been checked against official materials from the State Labour Service and the free legal aid system.

The reason for this analysis is a preview of a commentary on workplace practices and a video on the subject sent to the editorial team. This material is based on regulatory acts and official clarifications, rather than on the transcript of the video. The examples and checklist have been prepared by the editorial team.

The information has been verified against available sources as at 10 September 2026. This is a general explanation; the application of the regulations to a specific contract and calculation requires a review of the relevant documents.