International Internship - International Professional Experience
The CEMS International Internship is your chance to dive headfirst into a company's culture and processes, gaining the kind of insider experience that goes beyond theoretical knowledge. With the CEMS international internship, you will turn your academic experience into a professional and multi-cultural work experience before you graduate. Tap into the vast network of CEMS Corporate Partners and walk away not just having fulfilled this graduation requirement, but ready to launch your career - whether that's as a recruit to be hired or as an entrepreneur to set up your own company.
Students are responsible for finding their own internships. Students are also responsible for all official documents and should be aware of visa requirements for working in the country where they plan to do the internship. If you wish to receive internship offers by e-mail, you can do so via the CEMS Career Center.
Duration and Nature of the International Internship
For the purposes of fulfilling the CEMS MIM graduation requirements, “international” in the CEMS internship is understood as experiences in which students engage in international work in a professional setting. This may include interacting and collaborating on shared objectives with people from different backgrounds, including cultural practices, languages, or work expectations. The internship as a professional experience should include building cross-cultural skills, as students learn to work effectively in teams, lead projects, and deliver results even when cultural differences are present. It should also include adapting and influencing, where students learn to negotiate, influence others, and adapt to new ways of thinking.
The professional experience requirement can be fulfilled in one of four approved formats: an internship, previous work experience, the first eight weeks of full-time employment or a student-led start-up/entrepreneurial experience. Regardless of the format, students will navigate cross-border issues and gain global insights.
Internships must be a full-time activity at the professional level (first-job level, although salaries may not be commensurate) where the student is given one or more challenging projects with a certain degree of autonomy. They must cover a period of at least 8 consecutive weeks full-time in the same company (the first 8 weeks of a full-time employment position are also accepted). A longer period of internship is subject to local decision based on home degree requirements
Company Type
Internships can take place at a CEMS Corporate Partner, although not on a compulsory basis. Students are encouraged to access the CEMS Career Center for Internships and job positions from CEMS Corporate Partners and alumni. They can also take place at a non-profit organization such as Social Partners or in a humanitarian mission.
The CEMS Internship Guide provides an overview of the CEMS internship requirements and further information on internship possibilities, visas and other regulations in each CEMS country.
