In this post, we are going to talk about one of the requirements of the double degree; the internship. In order to get a master’s degree from Kedge Business School, it is required to complete a 6 months internship. The only two requirements for the internship are that it needs to last for 6 months minimum, and it needs to be in the field of business. Other things, such as where, how and when, is for you to choose! Therefore, no need to stress too much about it. The internship will not necessarily prolong your graduation from the University of Vaasa, especially in case you choose to write the thesis before doing the internship.

Practicalities of the internship

The student can freely decide where and in which company to complete this internship. Therefore, this is a perfect opportunity to go abroad and explore an extra country, in case an interesting position would be open in another country, and as it is only a 6 months period, it does not require a long commitment. The only thing that can cause some difficulties, can be the process to find and get an internship, depending on the place or country. For example, for exchange students, an internship can be more complicated to get in France, especially in smaller cities. The biggest issue is the language; many companies require good (at least B2 level) French skills in order to get a job in France. On the other hand, it is possible to get an internship in Paris in a rather large, international company, where English is the common language. Actually, in some companies, the recruiters can highly appreciate a full proficiency level in English! You only need to find the right company.

This internship does not necessarily need to be an internship position. What this means, is that for example after writing the thesis, you might want to get a permanent job position instead of a lower-paid internship. Therefore, you can get a permanent job and, then only get a certificate from the company to prove that you have worked in the position for 6 months. This is a good opportunity in case the master’s thesis is already done. The other option is to get a certificate from a summer trainee job, however, the job needs to last 6 months in a row. In my case, I will complete the internship from my extended ”summer” trainee job, which will continue at least until the 6 months period.

How to find an internship?

Kedge Business School works closely with big French companies as well as international companies, and exchange students have a great opportunity to benefit from these relationships. Also, Kedge has a Career Center that supports finding an internship and provides support even for CV updating. Also, Kedge Business School posts a lot of job offerings on their Facebook page, so by actively following the social media can also help to get a job. Also, the exchange year is a period of networking when you get to know a lot of new people from different backgrounds, so why not to benefit from these new friends, you never know whether someone of them works or have worked in an interesting company or has some ideas just for you! A good option is also to go back to Finland and try to find an internship in an already familiar company. It is not needed to complete this internship necessarily abroad. For example what I did, was to go back to my previous company in Finland, where I had worked as a summer trainee the previous summer. This option was not bad at all, especially after spending an intensive year in France. In addition, I could continue form where I stopped last year, and now after completing half of the internship, I can tell that I have learned a lot more and got a lot out of this experience already.

When to complete the internship?

What is a positive thing with this internship, is that the student can decide when to complete it. For example, the master’s thesis can be written before or after the internship. Taking an example; Sini has chosen to write the thesis first and then get an internship, whereas for me I had the opportunity to complete the internship before writing the thesis. None of these options is better than the other, you choose what works for you the best, and you’re good to go! Wherever and whenever you choose to do the internship, it will definitely give you some valuable experience and prepare you in your future career.

Don’t hesitate to leave a comment or ask for more detailed information about the internship! And don’t forget to follow us on Instagram @projectdoubledegree for more content!

Mari & Sini

Like many other exchange students, we used most of our free time from school for travelling. However, unlike many exchange students who were coming outside Europe and for whom it was important to visit as many countries as possible, we wanted to explore France. We saw our year in France as an opportunity to travel places we wouldn’t probably otherwise go. So, when we count all of our travels during our year abroad and our previous visits to France, we have had a chance to visit quite many places and we have seen different parts of France. In this post, we are going to share all the places that have made an impression for us and where we would like to travel again. So here we go, top travel destinations in France by Sini and Mari!

Bordeaux

Yes, we are maybe a little biased after living in Bordeaux for one year, but we both warmly recommend travelling to Bordeaux. In addition to being a charming old city with beautiful architecture, Bordeaux has many other assets what makes it a top travel destination in France. First, there are many things to do in the city. There are many interesting museums, nice green belts to enjoy sunny weather, and countless restaurants, cafes and wine bars to enjoy good food and drinks. Bordeaux is a perfect city just for a stroll and stopping in small shops or having a break in one of the cafes and terraces. Second, there is a good vibe in the city thanks to the warm Southern French people. The Bordelais and Bordelaises will prove wrong the common belief that French people are rude and snobbish. Instead, the people of Bordeaux are warm, friendly and helpful. The third reason and maybe the most important reason to visit the city is the wine. Bordeaux is a city of wine. There are wine museums, wine shops and wine bars. From Bordeaux, you can easily make guided trips to vineyards as well as visit the prestige wine town of Saint-Emilion. Finally, what makes Bordeaux a top travel destination, is the chance to visit other beautiful destinations like Archachon during the same trip.

Arcachon

Arcachon is only an hour from Bordeaux. It is located seashore in the West Coast of France. It is a small town that is famous for its long beaches with white sand, tides and seafood. The must-see in Arcachon is Dune du Pilat, the highest dune in Europe. From the top of the sand dune is 360° panorama over the Bassin d`Arcachon, the ocean and boundlessly continuing forest of pins.

Biarritz

Biarritz is a seashore city on the Atlantic coast of Southern France and it is only 35 kilometres from the border of Spain. Like Arcachon, the city comes to life during the summers, when the number of habitats rises from 25 000 to 110 000. The city centre of Biarritz is small with few restaurants, cafes, bakeries, bars and shops. The best about the city is the beautiful coast and long white beaches. Thanks to the high wawes, Biarritz is a popular surfing destination.

Paris

We couldn’t leave Paris from our list despite some downsides of the city. We believe that the pros of the city overrule the cons. Paris is one of the most beautiful and romantic cities in the world. There are so much to see and do. You could easily spend a week in Paris and still manage to see only a fraction of the city. Some of our favourites in the city are the district of Montmartre, Louvre, Tuileries Garden, Musée d`Orsay and the Palace of Versailles. The negative side of the city is that it is super expensive, there are so many people and Parisians are known for being rude and snobbish. However, don’t let this bother you and instead have a picnic in Tuileries Garden, walk along the Seine or go for dinner in one of the romantic restaurants of Montmartre.

Strasbourg

Strasbourg is one of the largest cities in France as well as being one of the three main capitals of the European Union. It is located in Eastern France near the German border. The influence of German culture is visible in the city and the Franco-German culture can be seen in the architecture, cuisine, language and traditions. The city is very charming with its white and timber-framed buildings and the city centre is listed as the UNESCO world heritage site. The perfect time to visit the city is from the end of November to end of December due to the oldest Christmas market in Europe.

Montpellier

Montpellier is known as a lively and international university city. It is located in Southern France and it isn’t one of the typical tourist destinations. However, we recommend visiting in the city for its charming old town, where you can get lost in its small and labyrinthic streets wondering all the restaurants, cafes, bars and shops. Montpellier is also a good shopping destination due to its modern and big shopping centres like Polygone and Odysseum. Additionally, the city has the coolest trams ever!

Cassis

The town of Cassis is situated on the Mediterranean coast next to Marseille. The most charming little seaside town in the Riviera made a bigger impression on us than Saint-Tropez, Nice or Monaco. Cassis has a small harbour, where you can take cruises to famous cliffs called Calanques. Additionally, you should enjoy the seafood and the local white wine. Cassis is a place, where we definitely want to visit again!

Menton

Menton is also located in the French Riviera near the Italian border. The city has often been described as the most beautiful city in France and therefore its nickname is ”La Perle de la France” (in English ”the pearl of France”). The influence of Italian culture is strong and the Italian language can be heard everywhere. The city is famous for its colourful streets in the old town, beaches and lemons.

Leave us a comment and tell us, if you have visited any of these places or would you like to? We are also interested to hear, what are your favourite places in France?

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Sini & Mari