After a general or technological baccalaureate: which courses and which internships?

A qualification that prepares for what comes next rather than for a job

The general baccalaureate and the technological baccalaureate have one thing in common: neither qualifies you for a specific trade. They give access to higher education, where specialisation is built. The technological baccalaureate, with its series such as STMG, STI2D, STL, ST2S or STHR, already brings professional vocabulary and specialist subjects geared to a sector. The general baccalaureate leaves more room for academic subjects and for continuing at university or in a preparatory class.

For a young graduate, the question is therefore not “where can I find an internship?” but “which programme will let me do a useful one, and at what point?” In most courses, workplace experience is part of the curriculum: it comes after enrolment, never before.

The main families of courses open to you

Several routes open up after the baccalaureate, each with a very different relationship to professional practice.

• The BUT (bachelor universitaire de technologie) is a three-year degree taken at a university institute of technology. It includes projects and workplace periods throughout the course and can be followed as a work-study programme.
• The BTS or BTSA lasts two years, targets a very specific specialism and includes internships or work-study.
• The licence (bachelor’s degree) at university is more theoretical; optional or compulsory internships exist depending on the field of study.
• Preparatory classes lead to the entrance exams of the grandes écoles, with little or no time in business during the first two years.
• Specialist schools (business, integrated engineering programmes, paramedical, social work, art, design) each have their own internship rules.

Comparing these families on one simple criterion, the real place of practice, already helps you rule out options that do not match the way you learn.

Where and when internships appear in each course

In a BUT, workplace periods are spread across the three years and gradually get longer: you begin with a short first immersion and finish with an assignment lasting several months. In a BTS, internships are concentrated mainly in the second half of the course, with one or two placements depending on the specialism. In a licence, everything depends on the pathway: some fields of study require an internship in the third year, others leave it optional.

In schools and in health and social care courses, the logic is often different: fieldwork periods are numerous, governed by a national framework and assessed. Before you decide, look in each course’s brochure for the number of weeks of internship, their timing and the way they are validated. This information appears on the institutions’ web pages and in the admission requirements published on the national admission platform.

Why the internship agreement changes everything

In France, an internship is a period in a workplace that forms part of a course and takes place under a three-way agreement between the student, the institution and the host organisation. Without enrolment on a course, an agreement is generally not possible: a young person who has just passed the baccalaureate and is not yet enrolled cannot, in principle, sign a student internship agreement.

This point spares many disappointments. A business that accepted someone without any framework would be taking a risk, and the young person would not be covered as an intern. The right approach is to wait for enrolment, then ask the institution for its model agreement, its signing deadlines and the name of the academic supervisor. Observation or discovery periods organised by a school or a host institution fall under other rules, separate from a study internship.

Stipend, length and your rights during the internship

When an internship exceeds two months of attendance, consecutive or not, within one academic year, the host organisation must pay a stipend. French regulations set an hourly minimum, which changes: under the rules applying in 2026, it stands at 4.50 euros per hour of attendance. A collective agreement or a sector agreement may provide for more, and the business is free to offer more than the minimum.

The two-month threshold is counted on actual attendance: as a rule, twenty-two days make a month and seven hours make a day. An intern is not an employee, but has a framework: limited hours of attendance, rest periods, access to meals or the canteen, partial reimbursement of public transport costs, and protection in the event of an accident. Finally, check that the tasks you are given remain linked to your course and that your supervisor is named before the first day.

Preparing for Parcoursup and first contacts

France’s national admission platform, Parcoursup, sets the rhythm of the final school year: information on courses opens in December, applications are entered from the start of the calendar year until mid-March, confirmation follows in April, and replies come in stages from the end of spring. The exact dates change every year: consult the official calendar for the current session.

To make informed choices, use the time available before applications are entered.

1. List three or four trades or sectors that appeal to you, without trying to decide yet.
2. For each, note the courses that lead there and their admission conditions.
3. Attend open days and the immersion sessions that institutions offer.
4. Talk with students and former pupils about what the studies are really like.
5. For each application, write a statement of motivation based on these findings rather than on a general impression.

Making good use of the transition months

Between getting the baccalaureate and the start of term, or during a year of changing direction, several options provide experience without a study agreement. Seasonal work, a short contract, a civic service commitment for 16-to-25-year-olds, an assignment with a charity or regular volunteering show consistency and a sense of commitment. They do not replace an internship, but they feed your cover letter and interviews.

If you are aiming for a work-study place, applications for contracts sometimes start as early as winter or spring, even before admission results. You can look for an employer alongside your applications, provided you are enrolled in or accepted onto a course run in partnership with an apprentice training centre. Prepare a one-page CV that highlights your specialist subjects, class projects and extracurricular activities, together with a short letter.

A worked example: a plan built step by step

An illustration with rounded, fictional figures. Léa, who holds a technological baccalaureate in management, hesitates between a BUT and a BTS in accounting. She spends the winter comparing: the BUT offers her three years and several internship periods, while the BTS offers two more condensed years. She attends two open days and meets a student who talks about the workload during the internship.

She chooses the BTS, is accepted and, at the start of term, asks her institution for the agreement. Imagine a twelve-week internship at thirty-five hours a week: that is roughly 420 hours of attendance. At the minimum rate of 4.50 euros per hour, the legal stipend would come to 1,890 euros in total, a little over 600 euros a month over three months. The business may pay more, which should be confirmed in the agreement before the assignment begins.

Common mistakes to avoid after the baccalaureate

• Looking for an agreement without being enrolled: it cannot be signed, and the business will be put in difficulty.
• Choosing for prestige rather than content: a lesser-known course may offer a better balance between lessons and practice.
• Ignoring the internship calendar: a course with a long placement at a set moment means planning ahead (housing, transport, budget).
• Submitting applications at random without being able to explain the coherence of your plan.
• Forgetting the budget: tuition costs, equipment, travel and housing weigh more than the stipend.

A conversation with a National Education psychologist or an adviser at a youth information service lets you check these points before committing.