Doing an internship abroad

Consult international job boards and foreign press to respond to job opportunities:

• Pro'fil 
• Erasmus Intern
• Employment Framework
• Job Trotter
• CIEE Internship USA
• Global Placement, internships worldwide 
• Job-Internship 

When looking for internship in a member country of the European Union, visit EUROGUIDANCE France.

Contact directly potential employers (public and parapublic organizations, NGOs, associations, Ministry of Defense, Alliances Francaises...) and foreign companies. 

• Europages
• JobStage
• Artisanat
• Kompass
• CCI France International

Approach your pedagogical managers and teachers of your training to know the companies abroad that have already hosted students from your training in internship.   

Contact the Bureau d'Aide à l'Insertion Professionnelle (BAIP), which assists students in their search for an internship.

Think also about the Volunteering International which is aimed at young people aged between 18 and 28, of French nationality, or nationals of a European Union member state. The missions, lasting between 6 and 24 months, are paid depending on the destination and for most of them. Public law status, coverage of travel and transportation costs, and the volunteer period is taken into account for the pension scheme are some of the advantages of this system. For more information

To apply to foreign companies, you must first find out if you need to apply in the same way as in France.  

You then have two solutions: make your CV and cover letter in the language of the destination country or, if the company you are targeting is international, you can apply in English. Find out what rules to follow in the resume and cover letter so you don't make any mistakes with the foreign recruiter.  

For an internship in Europe, you can create your CV and Eurolanguages passport for free, which will allow you to "present your language skills, skills for learning and working in Europe on Europass.

If you are concerned about the language barrier, know that the purpose of the internship is to learn!  

Before leaving for an English-speaking country, don't hesitate to have your English level evaluated by taking the TOEIC (professional purpose) or the TOEFL (academic purpose)

For a stay in the member countries of the European Union as well as Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland: the identity card, or valid passport, is sufficient. (Only for students who are EU nationals, non-EU nationals must obtain a visa.)

For other destinations, passport and a student visa are required. To obtain the visa, contact the country's embassy and/or consulate in France.

For a study stay in Quebec of six months or less, the student is not required to obtain a study visa and the Quebec acceptance certificate beforehand. For more information, visit the websites of the Quebec immigration authorities and Canada.

To check the entry and residence requirements for each country: consult the Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs website.

• For a stay of less than 6 months abroad: French nationals can register on Ariane to register a trip lasting less than 6 months. This way, during your trip, and if the country's situation requires it, you will receive information and safety instructions by email or SMS and the contact person designated on your account can also be notified if necessary.
• For long stays : it is recommended to register with the register of French people established outside of France. The Consulate General of France is responsible, among other things, for ensuring the defense and protection of French people abroad. It also offers services of the Town Hall or the Prefecture during your stay abroad. It is strongly recommended that you register in the register of French citizens established outside of France and apply for a consular card. This step is free, voluntary and not compulsory and can be useful for example to obtain a passport renewal or in the case of the implementation of a security plan in the country. In addition, only this registration allows the consular post to have knowledge of your presence on the territory.

For any registration, you must bring your ID, proof of your French nationality and a certificate of residence in the consular district. For more information about the registration procedure, consult the website of the Embassy or Consulate of the country in which you will be staying Maison des Français de l'Étranger

For students of a nationality other than French, it is recommended to contact the Consulate of the country of origin in the host country.

When staying temporarily in a European Economic Area (EEA)* member state or in Switzerland or the United Kingdom, the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) certifies your health insurance rights. It allows you to benefit from the coverage of necessary medical care. Contact your insurance organization to obtain it before your mobility.

*The countries that make up the European Economic Area are the member states of the European Union as well as Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway.

Under the terms of the "Memorandum of Understanding between the Government of Quebec and the Government of the French Republic Concerning the Social Protection of Students and Cooperation Participants," French nationals staying in Quebec for studies or an internship are admitted to the health and hospitalization insurance benefits in force in Quebec; they benefit from them under the same conditions as Quebec students. 

To obtain the Quebec health insurance card for your participation in an inter-university exchange, you must apply to the Régie de l'assurance-maladie du Québec (RAMQ) using the registration form provided for this purpose, attaching a copy:

• SE 401-Q-104 form for an internship as part of your academic course
• from the identity page of your passport
• of the authorization to stay issued by the Canadian immigration authorities (internship mobility)

For mobility in other countries:

• For a stay of less than 6 months and/or for students under 20 years old, you can obtain social protection through the French social security system exclusively for unexpected health care that you will have to advance before requesting reimbursement, which will be flat-rate and limited to French rates.
• For the others, you are no longer covered by French health insurance.

Thus, it is imperative that you find out about the possibilities and/or the obligation to insure yourself with the local social security system and the extent of social protection.

Then, if necessary, you should voluntarily insure yourself for the duration of your stay abroad with a private insurance company that provides medical insurance.

If not, contact your mutual insurance company or any insurance organization to provide appropriate health coverage. In the event of medical care during your stay, you will have to pay the costs on the spot. Remember then to keep all bills and proof of payment, and present them to your organization, which will reimburse you according to the terms of your contract.

Health insurance coverage does not necessarily cover repatriation-liability insurance.

NB: Personal liability coverage covers the pecuniary consequences of the civil liability incumbent on the insured in the context of his or her private life due to bodily injury, material and immaterial damage caused to third parties. This guarantee is generally included in multi-risk home insurance contracts.

In addition, private liability does not necessarily cover you during your internship. It is advisable to check with your host organization to see if professional liability is covered.

NB: Repatriation insurance guarantees your return to France in the event of an extreme emergency such as an accident or illness during your stay abroad. This guarantee may be included in your credit card contract (if paying for the trip with said card) or offered by travel agencies and airlines.

Beware, be careful about the conditions of repatriation insurance, whose compensation for hospital and care expenses is limited. If you are traveling to a country where the cost of care is high, in order to receive full reimbursement of your health expenses, it may be more advantageous to take out more comprehensive travel insurance.

The university automatically offers the "insurance package" through our insurance provider to all students performing a mobility in the framework of the Erasmus+ program* including:

• liability insurance.
• repatriation assistance
• loss or theft of personal property (identity papers, laptop or cell phone, luggage...)

*Erasmus+ program countries are the European Union member states as well as Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Northern Macedonia, Turkey and Serbia.