Paris Internship Workforce Course

 The purpose of this course is to provide the framework necessary for students to accomplish a successful inter-cultural internship.  This framework includes both theoretical and practical elements, with both elements focused on helping students achieve the inter-cultural outcomes of a direct experience in the French workplace.  Such outcomes are certainly obtainable but are by no way automatic.

The theorectical elements take essentially a sociological approach, and in particular the sociology of work.  While providing a necessary understanding of the current state of the French economy, the emphasis nonetheless is on presenting the makeup and the dynamics of the French workforce, which is important for understanding how to operate in the French workplace.  Topics include the importance of public administration, male/female relations, unemployment, the separate category for management-level workers (statut des cadres), labor law and its social implications, and workplace behavior often identified with the French workplace (socialization, relation to time, productivity, hierarchy, etc.)  This part of the course also takes a look at particular environments within the universe of work in France:  the not-for-profit sector (milieu associatif); the dynamics of a French company; education; arts and culture (including the strong role of the State), and the like.

One of the main goals of the internship is to give you an opportunity to immerse yourself into Paris and French society. Because of linguistic barriers and the nature of the internship (short term/part-time); however, not all types of placements will be possible.

 The internship

 Internships will most likely be available in the following areas:

  • National or international NGO's in fields such as public health, development, immigration, education, gender, and social welfare

  • Small or large companies or public agencies active in areas such as communication, marketing, trade, tourism, media, etc.

  • Research, either in social sciences or sciences might be considered for a student with the proper background who could be of help in editing scientific articles in English or/and carrying out their own research project

  • If you are fluent or proficient in languages other than English or French, internships might be identified in companies working mainly in these other languages (examples: Spanish, Chinese, or German)

  • Institutions that might be more difficult to reach in general are French public institutions (schools, museums, government ministries) or local institutions for which proficiency in French will be required since their working language won't be English