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COVID-19 : Information about internships

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For all questions relating to ongoing internships and professional placements, please consult this FAQ page, also available in regularly updated form on the Sciences Po institutional website.

you are a student:

Given the current health situation, internships and professional experiences taking place REMOTELY (telework) are recommended. 

Extracts from the official internship guidelines issued by the DGESIP (French Department of Higher Education and Professional Insertion):

"An on-site internship may be completed – While remote working is to be favoured for any positions that allow it, on-site internships may nonetheless be completed when remote working (telework) is either not possible or not relevant. The host organisation will, however, be required to adhere strictly to the National Protocol Covid19 in their maintenance of the internship and, if applicable, follow the relevant professional guidelines issued by the government.”

"With regards to internships abroad, we remind all parties that French health regulations do not apply to foreign host organisations. It is the responsibility of the parties involved to check whether conditions in the host country and organisation are such as to allow the internship to take place on-site or remotely.”

We invite you to get in touch with your internship supervisor to discuss the modalities of your internship (telework, face-to-face, mixed). If in doubt about the conditions of your internship, do not hesitate to contact Sciences Po Careers.

This information is valid for all current or future requests.

I have just found an internship in France or abroad: can I obtain an internship agreement?

YES: Nevertheless please note that due to the current health situation, internships taking place REMOTELY (telework) remain recommended.

Depending on employers’ recommendations and locations in France or abroad, it is possible to carry out internships totally or partially at the company’s office if distancing measures are implemented.
We invite you to get in touch with your internship supervisor to discuss the modalities of your internship and safety measures implemented. If in doubt about the conditions of your internship, do not hesitate to contact Sciences Po Careers.

In order to obtain you internship agreement:

  1. Consult the compulsory information sheet before declaring your internship.
  2. Declare your internship on your Student Space

Do I need to declare whether my internship will take place on-site or remotely?

YES, you should do so when you declare your internship agreement in the “Missions” section of your Student Space.

My internship takes place in France, am I allowed to work from my employer’s office?

YES, internships in France can therefore be carried out totally or partially at your employer’s office, if social distancing measures are implemented by your employer.
Due to the current health situation, internships taking place REMOTELY (telework) remain recommended. However, when teleworking is not possible or relevant, face-to-face internships can nevertheless be carried out under certain conditions.

Extract from the official DGESIP internship guidelines:

"An on-site internship may be completed – While remote working is to be favoured for any positions that allow it, on-site internships may nonetheless be completed when remote working (telework) is either not possible or not relevant. The host organisation will, however, be required to adhere strictly to the National Protocol Covid19 in their maintenance of the internship and, if applicable, follow the relevant professional guidelines issued by the government.”

We invite you to get in touch with your internship supervisor to discuss the modalities of your internship (telework, face-to-face, mixed) and learn about the sanitary measures implemented.
If in doubt about the conditions of your internship, do not hesitate to contact Sciences Po Careers.

My internship takes place abroad, am I allowed to work from my employer’s office?

YES, internships abroad can therefore be carried out totally or partially at your employer’s office, if social distancing measures are implemented by your employer.

Due to the current health situation, internships taking place REMOTELY (telework) remain recommended. When teleworking is not possible or relevant, face-to-face internships can nevertheless be carried out under certain conditions. These internships require strict compliance with social distancing measures.

Extract from the official DGESIP internship guidelines:

"With regards to internships abroad, we remind all parties that French health regulations do not apply to foreign host organisations. It is the responsibility of the parties involved to check whether conditions in the host country and organisation are such as to allow the internship to take place on-site or remotely.”

We invite you to get in touch with your internship supervisor to discuss the modalities of your internship (telework, face-to-face, mixed) and learn about the sanitary measures implemented.

If in doubt about the conditions of your internship, do not hesitate to contact Sciences Po Careers.

Important : 

  • For all internships taking place at your employer’s office abroad, we recommend you to make sure that you will be able to travel to and reside in your host country, and also that you can plan your return. As with all trips, we recommend you to stay informed by local authorities and your consulate about the international travel restriction measures that may arise in the country you plan to join.
  • Because of the uncertainty due to the pandemic, we strongly encourage you to consider that you may find yourself stranded in your host country against your will. So we invite you to favour internships in your permanent country of residence, where you can be surrounded and continue to follow your education from a distance, in the event of a limitation of international travels.
  • Please consult the "Regional Maps of Vigilance Zones" published by the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs (in French: Ministère des Affaires Etrangères).

I found an internship but I cannot work remotely (telework), can I get an agreement?

Yes - under certain conditions. Please read “I have just found an internship in France or abroad: can I obtain an internship agreement?

If in doubt about the conditions of your internship, do not hesitate to contact Sciences Po Careers.

How do I sign my internship agreement / amendment ?

Warning:You must send your signed agreement to Sciences Po Carrières by email to the address : scpo.carrieres@sciencespo.fr. The signed internship agreement by our services will be returned to you by email.

Some employers have an electronic signature procedure or will invite you to electronically sign your agreement via free software such as peopledoc, docusign, adobe etc.

Sciences Po Careers is able to sign your agreement upon receipt of the email containing the electronic signature to be appended. Please indicate scpo.carrieres@sciencespo.fr as the reference address for the “Director of the Institut d'Etudes Politiques de Paris” and the “Academic advisor”.

I am currently doing an internship: can I pursue it remotely?

YES, please note that due to the current health situation, internships taking place REMOTELY (telework) are recommended

My internship has switched to remote working, what should I do?

Any changes in the conditions of your internship, including a shift to remote working, must be detailed in an amendment to your agreement. This amendment is called an AVENANT. You will need to contact scpo.carrieres@sciencespo.fr to request the avenant, after which it must be signed (by you and your employer) and returned to Sciences Po.

Please note:  It is not necessary to redeclare your internship in your Student Space. Your current agreement will remain valid throughout the duration of your internship.

cf Extract from the official DGESIP internship guidelines:

“If an “on-site internship” is switched to a “remote internship” or postponed, it is necessary that an amendment (avenant) be added to the original internship agreement: this amendment may be made at the time that any changes to the conditions of the internship come into force and can be managed by email or using a scanner. In accordance with articles 1366 and subsequent of the French Civil Code, scanned signatures have the same value as original signatures so long as the identity of the signatories is proven.”

Am I required to accept an internship taking place at my employer’s office?

Please contact Sciences Po Careers so that we can assist you in the necessary procedure.

What healthcare coverage and insurance will I have access to during my internship?

Extract from the official DGESIP internship guidelines:

  • "The intern is responsible for his or her own healthcare coverage.
  • Occupational accident and occupational health insurance are covered by the student’s educational institution if the internship is unpaid, or by the host organisation (in all other cases). Finally, the intern may be subject to disciplinary liability if he or she does not respect the organisation’s health, security and hygiene regulations.
  • In the case of internships abroad, and if French law applies (by mention in the internship agreement), it is recommended that interns contact their allocated caisse primaire d’assurance maladie (CPAM) in order to arrange occupational accident coverage for costs inferior or equal to the French minimum legal threshold.
  • The intern is responsible for procuring civil liability insurance (particularly equipment breakdown) for his or her own equipment and must be insured by the host organisation for any equipment it entrusts to the intern.”

Are you planning to travel abroad for an internship?

Whatever your destination, it is imperative to check in advance the conditions of entry and stay in the country where your internship will take place. Due to the current pandemic situation, the traveling conditions inside the Schengen area are also subject to modification, regardless of your nationality or country of origin.

Before leaving, please check all the formalities or documents you will have to provide at the border (PCR test, quarantine, school certificate, internship certificate, etc.): without those, the authorities may deny your access!
For more information, please see:

Find out more

For further information, please consult the COVID-19 FAQ davailable on Sciences Po’s website.

YOU ARE AN Employer : 

Given the current health situation, internships and professional experiences taking place REMOTELY (telework) are recommended. Depending on the employer’s recommendations and location, it is possible to carry out internships totally or partially at the company’s office if distancing measures are implemented.
All Students are invited to get in touch with their internship supervisor to discuss the modalities of their internship (telework, face-to-face, mixed), especially when teleworking is not possible or relevant, to ensure that distancing conditions allow face-to-face internships.

Important: Conditions for overseeing remote internships

Extract from the official DGESIP internship guidelines:

"During a pandemic, it is possible for organisations to allow students to complete their internships outside of what would normally be seen as a standard working environment […]

However, decision to do so requires:

  • That, although working from home, the intern be under the authority of the host organisation.
  • That the intern complies with the provisions of his or her internship agreement by satisfying, as far as possible, the tasks entrusted to him or her.
  • That all signatories of the internship agreement be informed and give their approval.”

Consequently, we invite you to put in place a system for monitoring and assisting your interns regularly.

Your company welcomes interns in France?

Due to the current health situation, internships taking place REMOTELY (telework) remain recommended. 

Extract from the official DGESIP internship guidelines:

"An on-site internship may be completed – While remote working is to be favoured for any positions that allow it, on-site internships may nonetheless be completed when remote working (telework) is either not possible or not relevant. The host organisation will, however, be required to adhere strictly to the National Protocol Covid19 (Fr) in their maintenance of the internship and, if applicable, follow the relevant professional guidelines (Fr) issued by the government.”

Your company welcomes interns abroad?

Due to the current health situation, internships taking place REMOTELY (telework) remain recommended.

  • When teleworking is not possible or relevant, face-to-face internships can nevertheless be carried out under certain conditions.
  • These internships require strict compliance with social distancing measures.

Extract from the official DGESIP internship guidelines:

"With regards to internships abroad, we remind all parties that French health regulations do not apply to foreign host organisations. It is the responsibility of the parties involved to check whether conditions in the host country and organisation are such as to allow the internship to take place on-site or remotely.”

Should you have any questions, we would invite you to contact us by email at scpo.carrieres@sciencespo.fr.

Further up to date information regarding COVID-19 on the Sciences Po website

Want to get more information about internships at Sciences Po?

We invite you to browse our Recruit at Sciences Po guide or read our dedicated page on the Sciences Po Careers website.

Contact: scpo.carrieres@sciencespo.fr

Want to find out more about our upcoming Careers Fairs and recruitment events?

Contact: caroline.toussain@sciencespo.fr

 

Last modified 2021-07-30
28.02.2024
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