Internships at SKEMA: coordinating campuses, international mobility and recruitment

A multi-campus course that needs planning ahead

An international path means planning the transitions between study and time in a company. At SKEMA, the Grande École programme runs across several campuses: three in France (Grand Paris, Lille and Sophia Antipolis) and several abroad, including Raleigh in the United States, Belo Horizonte in Brazil, Suzhou in China, Dubai and Stellenbosch in South Africa, according to the programme's public presentation.

This geography has a simple consequence: before looking for an offer, note down the programme you follow, the campus where you will be at the time of the internship and the dates available between two teaching periods. An internship in France can be combined with a semester abroad, but not without organisation; an internship abroad also means checking that it fits with exams and the next start of term.

The programme page also states that part of the course, up to a quarter, can be done abroad on other campuses or at partner universities. This mobility is in addition to the internship search and must be planned together with it.

Three levels of internship, three objectives

The school describes a progression by level, which you can use as a framework for defining what you are looking for.

• Third year of the bachelor's: an introductory internship of two to four months. The aim is to understand a profession, a team and a sector; the assignment can be simple as long as it is real.
• First year of the master's: a professionalisation internship of up to six months. A precise subject, measurable responsibilities and a first deliverable are expected.
• Second year of the master's: an integration internship, also up to six months, often designed as a trial period ahead of recruitment, according to the school.

The practical consequence is clear: you do not write the same application for an introductory internship as for an integration internship. In the first case, curiosity and the ability to learn weigh more; in the second, employers expect results you can already demonstrate and a medium-term plan.

Gap year, work-study, internship: which form of experience to choose

Besides the standard internship, the programme presentation mentions two other forms of experience.

The first is the gap year, a long period in a company, in France or abroad, possible in the first or second year of the master's. The school flags additional fees for this option: check the programme page to find out what they are and to confirm the conditions currently in force.

The second is work-study. It is announced over one year in the second year of the master's on some French campuses, and over two years, in the first and second years, on others. The rhythm alternates teaching periods, one to two weeks a month according to the presentation, with weeks in the company under an employment contract. Unlike an internship, it brings a salary and requires you to find an employer willing to sign a contract.

To choose, ask yourself three questions: do you want to try several environments or go deeper with one employer, do you need to fund your studies with a salary, and does your career plan require a long stay abroad?

Working language and conditions in the host country

The working language and the conditions in the host country matter as much as the internship title. A role advertised in English may in practice be carried out largely in the local language; conversely, an internship in France in an international team may be conducted entirely in English.

Before accepting an assignment abroad, clarify:

1. the language actually used in meetings, in written exchanges and with clients;
2. the status offered: intern, volunteer, temporary employee; these notions vary from one country to another;
3. the right to stay or work, which may require a visa or a permit, with sometimes long processing times;
4. health cover and civil liability insurance, to be confirmed in writing;
5. the cost of living compared with the planned stipend.

These checks are not minor details: they often decide whether the project is feasible, well before the interview.

Using careers resources with a targeted search

The Talent & Careers platform and corporate relations can support students' efforts, depending on their access. These tools do not replace your own targeting: they speed it up if it is clear.

First define the functions and skills you are looking for, to avoid scattered applications. A list of three functions, two sectors and two geographical areas is enough to filter effectively. Then use the platform to spot matching offers, the companies that regularly recruit profiles from the school and meeting events.

Complete this with direct approaches: reasoned unsolicited applications, messages to alumni based in the target city, contacts made during stays on the international campuses. A local network built during a semester in Raleigh or Suzhou can open doors that are hard to reach from France.

Validating an offer before saying yes

Ask for a description of tasks and identified supervision before treating an offer as compatible with your plans. A serious offer fits on one page: context, duties, skills used, tutor, place, dates, stipend.

Then connect it to the agreement. In France, this brings together the student, the institution and the host organisation and must be signed before the internship starts. For an internship abroad, additional documents may be requested, such as proof of insurance or a document from the employer. Contact the relevant department on your campus to learn the exact process and timescales, as they can differ by programme and country.

One point to watch: a verbal promise never replaces something in writing. If the role changes after signing, go back over the assignment description with your tutor and, if necessary, ask for an amendment.

Illustration: an integration internship after a semester abroad

Here is a hypothetical example, with round figures, intended to show the reasoning.

Inès spends her first master's semester on a campus abroad, then wants a six-month internship in Paris starting in February. She begins her search in October, from the campus, allowing for the time difference for interviews. She targets twenty organisations in three sectors and gets eight exchanges, including three final interviews.

Two offers arrive in December. One is more prestigious but the assignment remains vague; the other specifies a budget-steering subject, a named tutor and a monthly meeting with the finance director. Inès picks the second, passes the offer to the school in January and receives her signed agreement before she returns. The internship starts on the planned date, with no time lost between semester and assignment.

Common mistakes when studying on several campuses

• Searching too late because you are absorbed by classes abroad: the time difference and exams reduce the time available.
• Ignoring the actual working language and discovering on arrival that it requires a level you do not have.
• Neglecting visa, insurance and housing formalities, which can delay departure by several weeks.
• Multiplying applications without targeting: fifty generic mailings achieve less than twenty reasoned messages.
• Confusing mobility with an internship: a semester on a campus does not replace the requirement for experience in a company.

One last useful habit: keep a simple table with organisation, contact, date sent, date of follow-up and decision. It prevents oversights and helps you choose with full knowledge.