What's included?

• A guaranteed job (internship) opportunity working in France
• Pre-departure information and advice about the French Internship
• In-country assistance and support during the Internship in France
• 24-hour emergency contacts
• In-country induction and training - includes a 4-week French Language Course!

What's NOT included?

• Flights
• Insurance
• Visas
• Sightseeing activities
• Monthly stipend
• Accommodation: Homestay or Private studio (only if requested - See 'Fees' section)
• Food (dependent on your chosen accommodation request)

Dates and duration

• The French Internship Placement: Participants can work in France for a minimum of 4 weeks  - maximum 8 weeks
• The French Language Course: The minimum length of the French course is 4 weeks, however participants can choose to extend this to suit their needs. Maximum duration is 8 weeks. Starting dates are always on a Monday. You will be given an exact start date once your application for the Internship programme has been successful

Eligibility

• Minimum age: 18 years old
• Maximum age: 28 years old
• Minimum French level: A1 (Additional French language tuition might be required for very low levels)

Location

Project life

The language school is based in the heart of the historical centre of Montpellier just off the famous Place de le Comédie. The lessons take place in a beautiful 19th Century building that comprises of 14 classrooms spread across 3 floors. 

The school strives to create a stimulating and effective learning environment for its students, and provides a range of amenities, that includes free internet and Wifi access, to communal areas for students, food and drink vending machines, computer rooms, and a reading and study area complete with books, DVDs, French textbooks and magazines.

• There is a team of staff at the school to assist in any matters throughout your stay. The school also has a jobs board with vacancy announcements (which is also a great way to hear about new internships).
• The school also caters for interns who already have a good level in French, so you can choose to do a less intensive course if you prefer.
• You will receive a French level test at the end of the course as well as at the end of your French internship.
• A standard course contains 20 lessons per week from Monday to Friday, every morning from 9:30 to 12:45 with a break from 11.00 to 11.15 (one lesson = 45 minutes)
• On Mondays classes start at 10.00, lasting until 13.15
• Group sizes 3/8 students maximum 10

All of our placements are related to the hospitality sector.

• Your duties as an intern will ultimately be determined by the sort of company that you’re placed in (see below for companies are participants have previously been placed in).
• It can be a part-time or full-time position, and depending on your skills (both language and professional) you may be given a significant level of responsibility, be asked to work independently or as part of a team assisting staff within the company. Each intern will have a manager responsible for his/her internship programme.

Please note: Your internship company is only assigned to you after your interview (which is held on your first day at the language school). The Internships are unpaid, but you may find that your company may contribute to your daily expenses.

French Internships:

The French Internships range from tourism, hotel & catering roles, working in local shops, cafes and so on. Here is a list of internships that have been given to some of our past participants on the Internships France programme:

Accommodation and Food

Our Internship in France programme has a number of accommodation arrangements available for interns. These are obtained by our partner organisation in France, who will endeavour to ensure that your accommodation is always within 5 minutes (walk) to 20 minutes (by public transportation) away from your internship.

1. Host Family - Living with a host family in France is a fantastic way for interns to improve their French speaking ability and discover the French culture. We’re offering two types of host family accommodation for the duration of your work placement in France:

• Individual room with half-board (i.e. breakfast and dinner)
• Individual room with kitchen access

2. Private Studio - In this accommodation, food is not included. Please note, that due to the popularity of this type of accommodation we strongly recommend that you book this well in advance.

Flights, Transportation & Visas

• Airport: Montpellier International Airport
• If you haven’t arranged for an airport collection from your host family, you can use a shuttle bus, which runs a 24-hour service from the airport to the central bus station located near the language school.
• Transport in Montpellier includes a bus service, taxis, tramway and train station. Montpellier is not a big city so during your internship it is easy to walk from most places within it.

Safety & Insurance

All of Twin Work & Volunteer's placements are in partnership with recognised and established local organisations, run by or employing local people. These organisations, depending on the nature of what they do, might be small-scale NGOs, family projects, schools or orphanages, or local initiatives with environmental or social goals.

• We often use local businesses to provide logistical and support services to volunteers such as transfers, pick-ups, accommodation and so on. In this way, we support the local economy through helping independent local businesses to thrive. We take our partnerships very seriously and work extremely closely with all our partners.
• We provide 24-hour emergency support from the UK and our partners provide support locally.
• We have an agreement with the crisis management service Tranquillico, should the very worst situations arise.
• If any wider safety concerns arise in the destination, such as civil disturbances or natural disasters, we seek advice from the Foreign & Commonwealth Office (FCO)and implement their recommendations where appropriate.