Professional Traineeship

The professional Traineeship is an individual traject in which you gain professional experience in the discipline in which you want to be registered


The titles Interior Architect, Architect, Garden and Landscape Architect, and Urban Planner are protected by Wet op de architectentitel. (Only Dutch) You may only use these titles if you are registered in the architects' register. The obligation to complete a professional Traineeship was introduced in 2011 as part of the revised Architects' Title Act and elaborated in the Regulation Professional Traineeship.

To start your professional experience period, you must meet the following 3 criteria:

1 — You hold a recognized (master's) diploma in the discipline for which you want to be registered

2 — You work at least 20 hours per week in the same discipline

3 — You have a mentor who has been registered under the same discipline for at least three years

Various Routes

There are 3 routes to meet the requirements of the professional experience period. Route 1 and 2: 2-year master's program followed by a 2-year professional experience period. Route 3: master's program & professional experience period in a 4-year program.

End Terms Professional Traineeship

The requirements that all participants must meet after completing the Professional Traineeship are described as 3 competences and 24 end terms in the ‘Bijlage van de Regeling Beroepservaringperiode’ (Only Dutch). Additionally, following a supplementary program, taking modules, is mandatory.

Diploma

Do you want to know if you can be registered in the architects' register with your Dutch diploma after the Professional Traineeship? Look here. For approval or other general questions about a foreign diploma, we refer you to the page 'foreign qualifications’.

Duration

The Professional Traineeship lasts about two years if you work at least 32 hours per week. If you work less, the Professional Traineeship will take longer. If you work less than 20 hours per week on average, you cannot participate in the program.

Mentor

  • Your mentor must work in the same discipline as yourself. The mentor must also have been registered in the architects' register for at least three years under the same discipline. Ideally, a mentor guides the participant throughout the entire professional experience period. The time this takes and the frequency and manner of consultation are mutually agreed upon by mentor and participant.

  • The mentor can be a colleague or the participant's employer, but it is not necessary. The mentor and participant may also have different employers or work as self-employed. In that case, we speak of an 'external mentor’.

Costs

The costs for the Professional Traineeship are paid by the participant. If you are a self-employed entrepreneur, you can declare the costs of the professional experience period as business expenses. If you are employed, the employer can pay all or part of the costs. In addition, you can apply to funds (such as the sub-scheme talent development of the Creative Industries Fund) and arrangements are made in the collective labor agreement. You can download all agreements, differences, and costs of the routes from February 2023 below.

Employer

An employer can contribute to the professional experience period (BEP) and attract new talent by hiring a graduate. In addition, the employer can provide space and time to complete the professional experience period. Think of the following:

  • Supporting the achievement of the end terms

  • Providing time for keeping the logbook

  • Having the participant attend additional external modules, courses, or training sessions

  • Providing time for meetings with the committee

  • Appointing an experienced colleague as mentor

  • Contributing to the costs of the Professional Traineeship

When hiring an employee with a master's degree, the collective labor agreement applies to all architectural firms. Interior architecture, Landscape architecture, or Urban planning firms can voluntarily conform to the collective labor agreement for architectural firms. Employees who go through the Professional Traineeship are extra motivated. Reflecting on experiences gained under the guidance of a mentor and attending external meetings will help the participant develop faster. The participant thus becomes an extra valuable asset within the bureau for the employer.

NOTE: BEP (Professonal TRaineeship) participants are not allowed to call themselves '(Junior) architect'.