Content and place of internship
– I found an internship in a field close to architecture that I find very intersting. Can I do it?
Before starting this kind of internship, you must submit by email a detailed request to the section which will decide whether the internship can be validated or not. In the request, the name of the firm, the qualification of the internship supervisor and a summary of the proposed activities must be mentioned. Otherwise, the student risks seeing the validation of his internship refused afterwards.
– Who can help me with emigration procedures for an internship abroad?
The section does not deal with the organization of internships abroad. There are several organizations specializing in this type of process, in particular for the United States, for example:
- http://www.interexchange.org/
- http://www.ciee.org/intern/
- https://www.j1-visa-intrax.com/fr.
Students are required to consult the page https://securite.epfl.ch/voyages in any case.
Applications and internship notice
– How do I fill in the “Description and objectives” field in the internship announcement form on IS-Academia?
Give a summary indications of the tasks that will be delegated to you by the firm. In other words, you have to make a very brief summary of your work activities in your internship. This information is essential to allow the section validating the internship. Please do not write for example: “internship in architecture”, “compulsory internship”, “6-month internship”, etc.
– I found an internship outside IS-Academia list, how do I go about having it validated?
You must upload a detailed description of the internship on IS-Academia by following the procedure described in the Vade-mecum for the announcement and management of internships on IS-Academia.
– I applied for an internship on IS-Academia but the company did not respond. What to do ?
Although EPFL encourages companies to respond to submitted applications on time, if a company does not contact the student after a reasonable period of time, we have no way of forcing them to do so.
– The person in charge of monitoring my internship has changed and I would like to modify this information on IS-Academia. How to do it ?
Write to the section’s internship coordinator and indicate the name and email address of the new internship supervisor. We will take care of updating the database.
Duration of the internship and working time
– Can I do a part-time internship?
You must submit a prior request to the section explaining the reasons and indicating the percentage of work envisaged.
– Can I do a 40% internship?
No, part-time internships for less than 50% working time are not validated.
– Is it possible to do my 12 months of compulsory internship in three semesters?
Exceptionally and by a previous request to the the section, a third semester of internship may be granted by the Academic Service, if this is essential to complete the 12 months. Please send your request by email to the Academic Service and put us in Cc of your email.
– Is it possible to do my 12 months compulsory internship in four semesters?
No, following the third semester which may be authorized upon prior request, the student will start the master’s cycle or interrupt his/her registration at EPFL.
– I would like to continue my internship beyond the 12 months or 3 semesters, what are the formalities necessary to exmatriculate myself and to resume my studies later?
You must inform the academic service of your decision by email put the section in Cc. If you have completed your 12-month internship before leaving EPFL, it is recommended that you validate your internship and send the section a final internship report before you exmatriculate.
– How do we calculate the number of months of internship completed?
The IS-Academia portal calculates automatically the months carried out (one months = 30 days).
– Can I do one-month summer internships?
You can do a one-month summer internship by the end of the second bachelor year. Internships of a shorter duration are not allowed.
– I have decided to extend my internship and I would like to change the end date of the internship on IS-Academia. How to do it ?
Please inform the section’s internship coordinator by email, at least 15 days before the initially planned end and do not proceed with the evaluation right away but wait for the new end date communicated to the coordinator.
– I can’t finish my 12-month internship for September. Can I finish my internship instead of going back to class and start my master’s degree in the spring?
Yes, exceptionally and on notice from the section, a 3rd semester of internship may be granted by the Academic Service. Please submit your request by email and put the section in Cc.
Internship agreement
– What is an internship agreement for?
The internship agreement is a contract which makes it possible to specify, as with an employment contract, the mutual commitments (rights and duties) regarding missions, remuneration, hours, start and end dates of the mission, in order to protect you and set up a specific framework for your internship. It is compulsory for internships in France and Geneva and recommended for the other cantons in Switzerland and abroad. Its content cannot be changed.
– How do I complete the art. 2 “Content of the internship” in the internship agreement?
Give a summary indication of the tasks that will be delegated to you by the firm. In other words, you have to make a very brief summary of your work activities. This article is very important and essential to allow the section to verify the validate the internship. Please do not write, for example: “internship in architecture”, “compulsory internship”, “6-month internship”, etc.
– How do I proceed to submit the agreement to the section’s internship coordinator for signature?
The agreement must be signed by both parties (employer and intern) BEFORE sending it to the internship coordinator and BEFORE the internship begins. It can be sent in three copies by post mail or by email in a single copy in PDF format.
Internship report
– I did several internships to complete my 12 months of compulsory internship. How many reports should I submit to the section?
Only one report must be submitted for the entire 12 months.
– When should I submit my internship report?
At the end of the compulsory 12 months, you will receive an email from the section before the start of your master’s degree indicating the deadline decided by the secretariat.
– I did several internships to complete my 12 months of compulsory internship. Do I have to submit a two A4 page report for each of these placements?
No, a single report of two A4 pages of text is sufficient for all the internships carried out during the compulsory 12 months.