It is possible to do several optional internships during your years of study at Sciences Po. Together with your compulsory internships, they are a great way to try out new fields and types of job, and can help you narrow down your career goals and/or your choice of final internship.

Regulatory conditions

Failure to comply with these conditions may result in your request for an internship agreement being refused:

• An internship may last no longer than 26 weeks (6 months).
• The internship must be related to your study programme or career plan.
• You must be registered as a student.
• The internship manager you declare is in charge of supervising and supporting you throughout your internship. He or she must therefore be physically present and easily reached on the premises where you are completing your internship.

Please note that if you wish to do an optional internship during your semesters on campus: 

• The internship may not exceed 21 hours per week (or 15 hours per week for students studying at the School of Research and the School of Management and Impact)
• Before declaring your optional internship, you must:
  • consult your academic advisor, who will review your optional internship plan with you to be sure of its educational value before granting his or her agreement in writing.
  • email this agreement to Sciences Po Careers (scpo.carrieres@sciencespo.fr).

Specific case for 3rd year students during the academic year:

• The agreement of your Geographical Area Manager with the DAI is mandatory for obtaining an optional internship agreement in parallel with your courses at the exchange university. Send this agreement by email to Sciences Po Careers (scpo.carrieres@sciencespo.fr).
• Optional internships during the 3rd year will not receive ECTS credits and may not replace your semester of study. They are not substituable during the hybrid year.

Doing an internship abroad

Before doing an internship abroad, you need to read the advice and recommendations for travelers to your destination on the website of the French Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs (countries are classified into green, yellow, orange, and red zones)

Is the internship you plan to do in a risk area (orange or red zone)?

• Contact the International Affairs Division
  You must contact the person responsible for the region in question at the International Affairs Division by email (with Sciences Po Careers copied on the email) requesting permission to go to the high-risk country.
• You must obtain the agreement of the International Affairs Division by email before completing your online internship declaration.​

The deadline for completing internships

In accordance with the regulations governing the reception of interns in a professional environment, internships for all students must take place during the period of your administrative registration at Sciences Po, which runs until 31 August.

Legal framework

Law n°2014-788 of 10 July 2014, the implementing decree n°2014-1420 of 27 November 2017 and the amending decree n°2017-1652 of 30 November 2017 stipulate the conditions under which students may carry out an internship during their course of study.

Please note: An optional internship may not replace a compulsory internship.

Contact us

If you have any questions, please contact scpo.carrieres@sciencespo.fr