Internship salary recommendations

The minimum salary recommendations for intern in the design field are based on Ornamo’s research on the general salary level in the field. The recommendations are intended as a guideline for students and employers.

Internship is an important step in a career for many students and an opportunity to apply the skills learned at school in working life. For employers, interns bring new knowledge and fresh know-how.

Although support and guidance from the employer is expected during the internship, the expectation is that a student does productive work during the internship. Reasonable compensation for the productive work done for the employer builds a positive image of the industry, gives value to the work of young designers and also supports future salary development.

Minimun salary recommendations

Ornamo offers design interns and their employers minimum salary recommendations, which are intended to serve as a guideline when thinking about the salary of an internship or summer job.

Salary recommendations for university interns are defined based on the general salary level of the design field, which is determined annually in Ornamo’s labor market survey. In addition, they take into account the progress of studies and the student’s previous work experience in the field.

Suositukset eivät ota kantaa alakohtaisiin palkkaeroihin muotoilukentän sisällä, opiskelijan asuinpaikkaan tai siihen, onko kyseessä ammattikorkeakoulu- vai yliopisto-opiskelija. 

The recommendations do not address sector-specific salary differences within the design field, the student’s place of residence, or whether the student is a student at a university of applied sciences or a university.

Credits (ECTS)	No work experience € / month	Has work experience € / month
0–59	1160	1460
60–119	1300	1640
120–179	1600	2000
180–239	1890	2370
240–299	2180	2740

Student, recognize your value

As a student, you bring important new thinking and fresh professional expertise to the company. Even if your goal is to learn something new, you certainly already have skills that will generate value for your employer. Think about what that might be and use that as a basis for your salary request.

Salary recommendations for students are lower than salaries for professionals, because hiring an intern almost always requires resources from the employer for guidance.

Employer, take advantage of the universities’ internship salary subsidy

Most universities have an internship support system, the purpose of which is to support employers in hiring students. Internship support policies may vary between different educational institutions.

You can read more about internship support directly on the websites of universities offering design education.

Aalto-yliopisto harjoittelutuki

Lapin yliopisto harjoittelutuki

Check out Ornamo’s latest the extensive salary table at wage statistics service.

TEK also has its own salary recommendations, which can be use to help you determine the salary.