The internship agreement

The intern's status

The intern is not bound to the company by an employment contract, but by an internship agreement: they therefore do not hold employee status. A three-way agreement is signed between the intern, the company and the school to set the terms of the internship. The placement is overseen by a supervisor, and the intern remains subject to the working-time and rest rules laid down by the French Labor Code.

The internship allowance

Once an internship runs longer than two months, the intern receives a mandatory internship allowance. Its amount may be set by an industry-wide agreement or a professional accord; failing that, it equals 15% of the hourly social-security ceiling, prorated to the time spent in the company. The exact amount in euros follows the ceiling currently in force.

Interns in continuing vocational training

If you are a jobseeker receiving unemployment benefits, you can keep your back-to-work allowance (ARE) for the duration of the training. Without the ARE, the mandatory internship allowance beyond two months applies. In both cases, the company is exempt from the administrative obligations tied to an employment contract (no entry in the staff register, no inclusion in the headcount).

What an internship brings

An internship provides a first professional experience and makes it easier to enter the job market. The intern follows the company's internal rules and customary practices (confidentiality, safety, working hours), just like its employees.

In short. An internship is not work-study in the sense of an employment contract: it is a period governed by an agreement. To train while holding employee status and being paid, look instead at the apprenticeship contract or the professionalization contract.