Regulations governing student internships

There are several types of internships:

• Compulsory or optional internships already included in the curriculum. These include all compulsory internships included in the course curriculum, as well as optional internships identified as such or included in a teaching unit that the student may choose, but which must be completed, including the defence, before the end of the academic year.
• Internships included in the student's reorientation process during their training (included in the curriculum of the diploma in which they are enrolled) can be the subject of an agreement. Their inclusion in an appendix to the training contract signed with the student will formalize their definition in the organization of the training program, as set out in article D612-48 of the French Education Code.
• Internships during a gap year are possible as part of a training program comprising less than 200 hours of teaching. All other rules concerning internships apply in the same way to internships carried out as part of a gap year.
• Internships as part of complete distance-learning courses.

The internship agreement is mandatory, and is signed by the intern, the host organization and the training establishment. It is the document by which each party assumes its responsibility.

Among other things, the internship agreement defines the framework for the internship and the intern's rights and obligations, protecting him or her in the event of a dispute with the host organization and guaranteeing coverage in the event of an accident at the internship site.

The total duration of internship(s) with the same host organization, in France and abroad, is limited to 6 months per teaching year, i.e. 924 hours of actual presence. The duration of the internship or internships is calculated on the basis of the time actually spent by the intern in the host organization. Each period of at least seven hours' presence, whether consecutive or not, is considered equivalent to one day, and each period of at least twenty-two days' presence, whether consecutive or not, is considered equivalent to one month.

The internship must take place during the student's academic year.

A gratuity is a sum of money paid by the host organization as part of an internship. It has been subject to specific regulations since 2006, and can under no circumstances be equated with a salary. We therefore refer to interns as "gratification", not "remuneration" or any other term.

In France, when the duration of an internship with the same host organization exceeds two months, consecutive or otherwise (i.e., more than 44 days of presence, consecutive or otherwise, or more than 308 hours of presence, even on a non-continuous basis) during the same teaching year, the intern must receive a bonus.

Please note:

• public-sector bodies may not set a bonus higher than the set rate.
• Because of the principle of territoriality in French law, there is no obligation to pay a bonus for internships abroad. Any gratuity is therefore left to the discretion of the host organization, whatever the duration of the internship.

The amount of the bonus must be specified in the internship agreement and is assessed at the time of signature. In France, as of January 2024, the hourly rate of gratuity is equal to €4.35 per hour of internship, corresponding to 15% of the Social Security ceiling (i.e. €29 x 0.15). Public bodies may not pay more than the legal minimum, otherwise the internship agreement will be deemed to be an employment contract.

Consult the decree of December 19, 2023 setting the social security ceiling for 2024.

A calculation simulator enables employers to calculate the minimum amount due, based on the number of hours the trainee is actually present.

Gratified or not, interns are entitled to certain rights and benefits granted to employees (eg. access to social and cultural activities offered by the works council), even if they are not considered as employees.

Expense reimbursements (for meals and transport) must not be included in the monthly bonus: these allowances must be paid in addition.

Meal expenses

Trainees must have access to the company restaurant or meal vouchers under the same conditions as employees.

Transport costs

The employer is obliged to reimburse part of the transport costs (between home and the internship site) incurred to carry out the internship, under the same conditions as for employees.

For information, monthly reimbursements amount to (amounts given in €):

• 1.55 or €0.77 for a €37.20 annual Vélib' subscription.

For information, we do not reimburse transport costs for attendance of less than 5 days in the month.

A receipt from RATP is required.

Please note that the internship agreement subjects the trainee to Decree no. 2010-676 of June 21, 2016, and article 7, paragraph 2 of this text applies, ie.: "When the number of hours worked is less than half the legal or regulatory duration, the partial reimbursement is reduced by half compared to the situation of an employee working full-time".

The agreement may include an article on intellectual property and a confidentiality clause.

In France, a contract must be signed:

• if the trainee's work results in the creation of a work protected by copyright or industrial property (including software),
• if the host organization wishes to use it and the trainee agrees.

This clause also applies to internships in public-sector organizations.

Outside France, intellectual property rights will only apply if French law applies.

Find all the legal texts concerning internships :

• Decree 2021-1154 of September 3, 2021 authorizes internships to be carried out during a gap year or as part of an entirely distance learning course.
• Decree no. 2017-1652 of November 30, 2017, amending the provisions of the Education Code relating to internships and periods of training in a professional environment is the latest implementing text for the July 10, 2014 law aimed at developing, supervising internships and improving the status of interns: the entire legislative framework on internships is now in force.
• Decree of October 26, 2015 specifies that the maximum number of trainees that can be hosted simultaneously in host organizations with more than 20 employees must not exceed 15% of the workforce. It is limited to 3 trainees in organizations with fewer than 20 employees.
• Decree no. 2015-284 of March 11, 2015 specifying the terms and conditions for validation of company internships by the general old-age insurance scheme.
• Decree no. 2014-1420 of November 27, 2014 on the supervision of work-based training periods and internships.
• Law no. 2014-788 of July 10, 2014 aimed at developing and supervising internships and improving the status of interns.
• Decree no. 2010-676 of June 21, 2010 on the reimbursement of transport costs.
• Decree no. 2009-885 of July 21, 2009 on the terms and conditions governing internships for higher education students in government agencies and public establishments that are not of an industrial or commercial nature.
• Article L.124-3 of the French Education Code now allows fully distance-learning courses to include internships, provided that the local education authority has given its approval. However, the minimum teaching volume for the course must be 200 hours per teaching year (see article L.124-3 of the French Education Code), and the rector of the academic region or the competent authority must authorize the establishment to waive the requirement to provide a minimum of 50 hours of face-to-face teaching out of the 200 hours per year.