Can a student do an internship in the public service?

Verified 01 January 2024 - Legal and Administrative Information Directorate (Prime Minister)

Yes, if you are a student or student, an administration can welcome you for an internship. The duration of the internship(s) shall be a maximum of 6 months per year of teaching in the same host organization. We present you with the information you need to know.

The school or university education you attend may include periods of vocational training or internships.

You can be accommodated in an internship by an administration if you are a student or student.

You can be French or foreigners educated in France.

The internship is a temporary placement in a professional environment that allows you to acquire professional skills and to implement the gains of your training.

The administration cannot accept you as a trainee for the following reasons:

  • Hold a permanent job
  • Replace missing public agent
  • Dealing with a temporary increase in activity
  • Seasonal employment

Your host administration appoints a tutor to welcome you and accompany you during your internship.

A traineeship gives rise to the establishment of an agreement between you (or legal representative), your host administration and educational institution.

The traineeship agreement shall include the following mandatory particulars:

  • Full title and hourly volume per year or semester of your course or training
  • Name of the reference teacher of your educational institution and name of your tutor in the host administration
  • Skills to be acquired or developed during the probationary period
  • Activities assigned to you based on training objectives and competencies to be acquired
  • Start and end dates of your internship and total expected duration
  • Weekly period of actual presence to which you are subject in the host administration and possible presence at night, Sunday or public holidays
  • Conditions under which the teacher referrer and your tutor provide your supervision and follow-up
  • The amount of the bonus paid to you
  • Social protection scheme from which you benefit and, if necessary, mention of your obligation to provide insurance covering your civil liability
  • Conditions under which you are entitled to take leave, in particular in the context of obligations certified by your educational institution and leave and leave authorizations
  • Conditions for suspension and termination of the internship agreement and conditions for validation of your internship in case of interruption
  • List of advantages offered by the host administration (access to catering or restaurant titles, payment of transport and accommodation costs,...)
  • Rules and regulations Host administration's provisions applicable to you
  • Conditions for issuing your probationary certificate

The probationary agreement may be amended, in particular in the event of the probationary period being postponed or suspended.

The duration of the internship(s) that you can carry out in the same host organization can be a maximum of 6 months per year of teaching.

Each period of at least 7 hours of presence, consecutive or not, is equivalent to 1 day of training.

Each period of at least 22 consecutive or non-consecutive days of attendance shall be equivalent to one month's probationary period.

You must have a gratification if the duration of your internship is more than 2 consecutive months, or, during the same academic year, 2 consecutive months or not.

This gratification is due to you from 1er day of 1er month of internship.

The amount of the bonus is equal to €4.35 per hour of presence.

The fee is due to you for each hour of presence in the host administration.

It is paid every month.

A simulator is available:

Calculate the minimum bonus amount for a learner

If the duration of your internship is less than 2 months, the host administration can grant you a reward, but it is not mandatory.

In addition, you can take advantage of the partial reimbursement of your transport costs - place of internship under the same conditions as public officials.

You can also benefit from the reimbursement of your accommodation costs if the host administration grants it.

Please note

If you are a paramedic student on an internship, you are not concerned by the reward.

The host administration gives you a certificate of internship based on this model:

Model of certificate of probationary period

The certificate shall contain the following information:

  • Total effective duration of the training period
  • Total amount of bonus paid