Less than three weeks before the start of the compulsory internship in second year, only 15 to 20% of students have found a company. Thousands of high school students therefore continue their research, not without difficulty. Déborah Hadjouti, guidance counselor, gives us three ways to find interesting offers.
Succeeding in finding an internship is often difficult for pupils or students. And when the duration is only one or two weeks, the quest becomes even more complicated. A reality that thousands of high school students in France are experiencing right now. Because this year, for the first time, all second year students in the general and technological sectors must complete a compulsory two-week internship, from June 17 to 28, 2024. This concerns more than 500,000 high school students. But less than three weeks before the start of internships, between 50 and 75% of second grade students would still be without a solution, according to the national union of secondary school teachers Snes-FSU.
A situation which is partly explained, because there is no “not enough offers on dedicated sites and what’s more, students are in competition with the professional sector”, tells us Déborah Hadjouti, independent guidance counselor. So what should you do to find an internship? For this professional, it is important to do your research in the right place. There are of course sites like Linkedin, Indeed, or jobirl.com which is a little less known, or the 1jeune1solution.gouv.fr platform, but often the choice is quite limited. On the other hand, there are other avenues to consider, and in general, students do not always think about them.
The first approach, which is rather well-known to all, consists of “mobilize your personal network, friends, family, parents of friends, friends of friends”, explains Déborah Hadjouti. To do this, students should not hesitate to ask those around them to find out if anyone has heard of a professional opportunity. The second is quite well known to our ancestors, it is “door-to-door, local shops and small SMEs”. “Young people don’t dare, but knocking on their door, introducing yourself directly, showing your motivation and determination is an excellent way to find an internship, even if you have to step out of your comfort zone,” underlines the guidance counselor.
Likewise, communities, town halls or even associations can offer internships. “Associations often offer a more flexible and caring working environment, which can be beneficial for a first contact with the professional world,” she adds. This allows students “to discover the associative sector, to acquire varied skills and to develop a sense of commitment and solidarity. Today, there are associations in all sectors”, explains Déborah Hadjouti. Finally, the main key to remember is to anticipate your internship search as early as possible. Thus, students will have more choice of offers and enough time to properly target companies or organizations linked to their orientation project.