On the occasion of International Intern Day: November 10.
We offer you, future interns and future partner companies, a brief overview of what an internship is and why it is necessary in a student’s path.
Amandine Cornette de Saint Cyr, internship and partnership coordination manager at IESA arts&culture, also author of “Bonne à rien,” published by Éditions du Livre de poche.
She answers our questions about internships and everything you need to know about them.
How long must an internship last to be validated at IESA:
Between two and six months full time.
What is the benefit of doing an internship for a “partner” event?
IESA arts&culture is a partner of many cultural events for which learners can sign up for reception, stage management, production, communication, and mediation assignments… Taking part in these events as a volunteer provides a first in situ introduction to the artistic and cultural sector, how it is organized, and its major development challenges. They also allow learners to build their first network of professionals. Post-baccalaureate learners with little professional experience to put on their résumé will thus have the opportunity to flesh out their applications when searching for an internship.
Is every internship day validated when the internship is at a partner event?
Yes.
What are an intern’s rights?
Interns are entitled to financial compensation after two consecutive months of full-time internship (equivalent to 44 days at 7 hours per day). The hourly rate of the compensation is €3.90 per hour of internship. They are entitled to meal vouchers, transport allowances, leave, and authorized absences. The length of internships is limited to 6 months at the same host organization.
Why do an internship?
To have the chance to discover the professional world, understand how a company really works, grasp its codes, learn to fit into a team, and develop interpersonal skills. To discover or get to know a branch of the profession better, and build a network. It is also one more experience on your résumé, the possibility of getting a contract after the internship, ruling out sectors that do not interest us, putting your courses into practice, receiving a salary… And of course building a professional network.
Have you been an intern?
I trained in marketing at a business school, so I did many internships in companies. Thanks to the precious “internship agreements,” I discovered the world of advertising at the BDDP agency, television at Ardisson’s production company, Ardisson et lumières, and journalism at Figaro Madame, which even inspired a novel, “Bonne à rien,” published by Éditions Livre de poche.
