FRANCE | Internship: At work | Recognition
After the internship
Do not forget to request an internship certificate after the internship is over. It should summarise the content of the internship, duration, specific tasks performed and an assessment of your professional behaviour. In addition, it is not a bad idea to remain in contact with your internship manager to maintain and possibly expand your professional network.
Letter of reference
In the European context, a letter of reference is considered to be an overall appreciation of the trainee and the quality of his or her work. The letter of reference is issued on the trainee’s enquiry and accredits the period of time during which the trainee has done an internship in a company. It can also contain some words about the trainee’s professional and personal qualities.
In France, a letter of reference contains predominantly the start and end date of the internship but rarely a description of the performed work.
It is possible that the company is not used to issue letters of reference according to your expectations or the conventions of your home country. In this case, you always have the possibility to write a letter of reference yourself or with your internship advisor. You can explain which information needs to be in the letter, work it out in accordance to the company and simply let your employer sign it.
In some European countries it is common and in fact very important to include in the application one’s attestations and letters of reference of all former employers.