• Outline your internship project by writing a short summary about your skills and experiences. It should be in line with your studies, your goals and your personal and professional objectives. This is a vital step which will allow you to target the field of work you want to gain experience in and in this way will help you to specify your research.
• Evaluate your language level and perfect it at the Language centre where you can also talk with international students at the University of Burgundy. Have a look at other suggestions on our Language and cultural preparation page.
• Get started with your research at least 6 months in advance. Research, responses, administrative formalities and the organisation of your internship all require ample time.
• Adapt your application to suit the practices of the country you are applying to work in. For each application you should send your CV and cover letter in the language of that country or the language used by the company. The University of Burgundy's Pôle formation et vie universitaire service organises workshops for writing French and English cover letters. Don't forget to explore different websites appropriate to your host country to get some country specific advice. For example Writing help for a CV/résumé for the UK.
• To find out whether the possibility of finding an internship is likely or not, you can consult the French Ministry of foreign affairs website for each country. These sites will give you information on the current economic situation of the country where you are looking for your internship. It's also worth looking at websites relating to foreign affairs in your home country and also in your host country (such as your country's embassy) to gather more information about possibilities available to you.
• Take a look at the Student internship guide made by the French Ministry of higher education, and read the information on their website. They offer general practical advice related to internships.
• Take a look at the Eurodesk brochure Internships abroad (in French).

Euroguidance brochure Internships in Europe

Data base created by the University of Burgundy

• List of organisations where some uB students have completed internships.
• Bear in mind that if an organisation works in a specific sector, ie. industrial sector, you can still apply to do an internship in communication, marketing, sales or consulting...

General sites

• University of Burgundy's Career Center: take a look at the hundreds of job and internship offers published by the university's partner businesses.
• On International office's Facebook page and TEAMS group Partir à l'étranger (Going abroad), the internship offers received by the International office are published on an ongoing basis.
• Erasmusintern.
• 1jeune1solution.
• AIESEC: international youth-run organization.
• France Alumni: network of international students who have studied in France.
• Union des Français à l'étranger (Union of French nationals abroad).
• Emploi.org
• Kap'Stages

Websites based on area of work

• International association for the exchange of students for technical experience
• European law students' association

Country specific websites

• The Maison de Rhénanie-Palatinat (Rhénanie-Paltinat House) helps you to find internships in Germany, the Czech Republic and Poland.
• Emploi Allemagne: Franco-German collaborative platform for employment and professional integration.
• L'Office franco-allemand pour la jeunesse - OFAJ (French-German Office for young people): website gives ideas on how to find an internship in Germany, possibility of bursaries.
• Travailler en Angleterre (Work in England) is a website providing information about looking for an internship in the UK.
• Jobted: internships in UK and Ireland.
• Association d'amitié franco-espagnole (Association of French-Spanish friendship) is a website publishing internship offers in Spain.
• Office franco-québécois pour la jeunesse (French-Quebec office for Young People) supports students completing obligatory internships in Quebec while in higher education or professional training. Take a look at their Helpful Business Links as well as their Practical guide to finding a job in Quebec.
• Placement Slovakia helps you find an internship in Slovakia.
• Search also for similar organizations in your own country which may provide possibilities and guidance for the country you would like to go.

Speculative applications

Send your CV and cover letter to both companies in your home country and in France who may have departments abroad, as well as companies in the country that you wish to go to. Address your application to human resources, or to the director of company.

Business Directories

• Europages : database which covers 36 countries.
• WAYP : yellow pages for all countries.
• Kompass: directory of companies across the world.
• Emploi.org : website proposing links to other company directories.

French businesses and associations abroad

• Trésor-International : list of French businesses who have branches abroad.
• Union des chambres de commerce et d'industries françaises à l'étranger (Union of chambers of commerce and French industry abroad).
• Alliance française : list of organizations teaching French abroad.
• Search also for similar databases created by your home country.

Researching via a search engine

• Search key work-related words in the country's language and a geographical place, ie town, region.
• For example: a second year master student studying history of art wants to look for an internship in a museum in Belgium: Brussels contemporary art museums / Bruxelles musées art contemporain.
• Try to use search engines of the country, for example, www.google.es for Spain, www.google.co.uk for the United Kingdom, www.google.de for Germany...

European institutions and international organisations

European institutions offer paid and unpaid internships. The calendar is normally fixed and you will have to submit your application online several months in advance. Before applying, find out about the recruitment requirements (often you will need a bachelor level or higher).

To find out more and to eventually apply, visit the Internship office website at the following institutions.

• European Commission
• European Parliament
• European Job Mobility Portal
• Council of the European Union
• Court of Justice of the European Union
• European Court of Auditors
• European Economic and Social Committee
• European Committee of the Regions
• Council of Europe
• Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development

Also think about international organizations and agencies: United Nations, UNESCO...

For internships at French embassies overseas, please take a look at the section Embassy internships.

If you have to complete an internship as part of your study programme and you decide to do your internship in a European country which is part of the Erasmus+ programme, you can apply for an Erasmus+ grant for internships from the European Union in order to help fund your time abroad.

Find out about this grant in the section Financial aid, under the heading Erasmus+ grant for internships.

Co-funded by the European Union 

As part of the FORTHEM Alliance, internships are available in the regions of the partner universities.

Different types of funding are available, depending on the length of the internship:

• short internships (2 to 6 weeks): see the FORTHEM Alliance website for grant amounts,
• long internships (2 to 12 months): apply for the classic Erasmus+ internship grant through the University of Burgundy.

If you have any questions about FORTHEM internships, please contact the Cette adresse e-mail est protégée contre les robots spammeurs. Vous devez activer le JavaScript pour la visualiser..

The Ministry of foreign affairs offers paid internships in French embassies. These internships can be in central administration, within a diplomatic mission (political chancellery, press relations, cooperation services, cultural action, and consular service) or at a consulate.

How to apply

• Go to the website France Diplomatie where you will find detailed information about the embassy internship programme, some practical advice and the conditions and information about the application process.
• Take a look at the internship offers and download the information sheets of internship offers that may interest you.
• Complete the interactive PDF application forms for the jobs that interest you and send them to your Cette adresse e-mail est protégée contre les robots spammeurs. Vous devez activer le JavaScript pour la visualiser. so that they can complete their section of the form.
• The International office will duly return this document to you so that you can send the application to those in charge of the offer.
• You will be informed by email if your application has been accepted or not. If your application is successful, you will receive an e-mail from your future host organization with instructions for administratively validating your internship. 
• Contact again the Cette adresse e-mail est protégée contre les robots spammeurs. Vous devez activer le JavaScript pour la visualiser. to finalize your file.
• If you have any questions, contact the International office at the University of Burgundy: Cette adresse e-mail est protégée contre les robots spammeurs. Vous devez activer le JavaScript pour la visualiser..

If you don't have French citizenship, be sure that you are eligible as a foreign candidate to apply for your desired offer before submitting your demand.

Also check with your own government to find out if similar possibilities exist at its embassies in foreign countries.

The Ministry of foreign affairs offer bursaries for French as a foreign language (FLE) masters students every year.

• Take a look at the Campus France website in order to find out about the requirements, application information, benefits, commitments and obligations.
• For any other questions please contact Cette adresse e-mail est protégée contre les robots spammeurs. Vous devez activer le JavaScript pour la visualiser. at Sciences of Language department, Faculty of Arts and Philosophy.

You can also look at these sites dedicated to FLE internship offers:

• FLE.fr
• Le café du FLE

If you are IUT student, after your 2^nd year you will be able to carry out a year abroad called DUETI (diplôme universitaire d'études technologiques internationales - university diploma of international technological studies) which allows you to do your internship abroad.