Internships

As the second largest city in Europe, the center of French business, political, and cultural life, and one of the world’s greatest cultural capitals, Paris offers an unrivaled opportunity to explore virtually any area of French working life and culture and develop your French language skills.

Our students have worked in areas as varied as marine genetics, hospitality, politics, and art galleries. While generalizing about a diverse city of eleven million people is almost impossible, many past interns have reported that

• You shouldn’t be surprised if a physical greeting of some kind, either la bise (a kiss on each cheek) or a handshake, is routine in your French workplace, not just on first introduction but every morning upon arrival at work. To Bise or Not to Bise? Beware – don’t take the first step if you are uncertain, but be ready to embrace! Two kisses are the norm in Paris and keep in mind that la bise is NOT a kiss. It's just a hello or a good-bye.
• Business lunches are an important part of communication. The lunch breaks are often occasions to build relationships. Needless to say, “brown bag” lunches are unknown in France. Typical discussion subjects are culture, food, vacation, politics, family, office gossip, etc (but not money!). Be prepared for intense discussion of political issues, current events in France, and their country's political situation, foreign policy, etc.
• But…don’t be surprised if it takes a little while for your French colleagues to warm up to you. The French take their time before they decide whom they want to socialize with. Social relations are much more at a one-to-one level and building a network can take time.
• Compared to the US, France has a much more hierarchical, top-down culture of management. For the French, the Boss is the Boss and management can be quite authoritarian. In France, respecting the significance of hierarchy and managers is important.
• Within the company, the French keep the doors closed (open spaces are not as popular as in US). It doesn’t mean that you can’t have conversations with your colleagues, you just have to knock on their doors…
• A typical day is 9-6, but depending on the sector it can also be 9:30am or 10:00am to 7:00pm, with lunch generally between 1 and 2. The standard French working week is 35 hours but most employees in France will stay until the job is finished.

“I am not exaggerating when I say being in Paris and my internships have helped me grow as a person. I know its tres cliche but it’s absolutely true. I can't stop raving to everyone what a fantastic job you do! You truly listen to the student’s request and successfully match according internships. And I know this is no easy task given we are competing with French students obligated to find internships as well.” – Tali, Brandeis University