Internship or work-linked training: what should you choose?

Work-linked training and work placements are two well-known training systems. However, it’s not always easy to tell the difference between the two. Contrary to what most people think, the main difference is a legal one, not one of academic pace.

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The sandwich course allows students to have practical training within a company and theoretical training at school. Over the course of a month, the student’s timetable alternates between 3 weeks/1 week or 3 days/2 days in a company and at school. The sandwich course (i.e. the vocational training contract or apprenticeship contract) and the work placement can follow the same timetable.

In this article, we’ll look in more detail at the difference between sandwich courses and work placements. We will then see which of these two types of training is the most beneficial, for both the student and the company.

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Work-study students and trainees: what’s the difference?

The first difference between an internship and a sandwich course is the employment contract within the company. A work-study student is subject to the Labour Code, whereas an intern is hired after signing a work-study agreement, without an employment contract. You should also be aware that the duration of an employment contract for a work-study student can be up to three years, depending on the length of the course. An internship contract, on the other hand, lasts a maximum of six months.

As far as pay is concerned, the salary of a work-linked student is paid entirely by the host company. It varies according to the type of contract signed, the age of the student and the year of the work-linked training period. Students on work-study contracts can be paid 27% of the minimum wage or even 100%, depending on their situation. They are also entitled to ask for their salary to be increased. The school’s tuition fees are paid by the company’s OPCO and the remainder by the company itself. Thanks to state aid, this balance is virtually non-existent. The training is therefore entirely free of charge for the student.

Trainees pay their own tuition fees. Trainees receive a bonus if, and only if, their placement lasts longer than two months. This bonus is negotiable and the minimum amount is calculated on the basis of the hourly Social Security ceiling. Trainees have certain benefits in common with alternates, such as reimbursement of travel expenses and meal vouchers.

As far as holidays are concerned, work-study students are entitled to five weeks’ paid holiday if they have been with the company for more than one year. Trainees, on the other hand, are not entitled to school holidays or paid leave.

Work-linked or work experience? Make the right choice.

In the light of these comparisons, it is clear that, for a student, a work experience contract is less attractive than a sandwich course contract in terms of salary and coverage of tuition fees. In both cases, students – whether on a sandwich course or not – have the opportunity to get a good education and obtain their diploma, by familiarising themselves with the professional world. What’s more, if students prove their worth to the host company, their apprenticeship contract can be converted into a fixed-term or permanent contract.

However, the course is still very interesting in the following cases:

go and do a work placement in a company abroad, because French employment law, and therefore the sandwich course, do not apply there
do an internship in a public institution
gain initial work experience. Recruiting a work-study student comes at a price, so for a first, unskilled experience, young people will focus their search on internships, which will be easier to find. The 1st and 2nd year Bachelors at INSEEC only do work placements, which allow them to vary their experiences and periods of discovery in companies.
pre-employment before the work-linked training contract. It is not uncommon for 3rd year Bachelor students to do a 6-month pre-recruitment placement before signing a 24-month work-study contract for their Master’s degree.
choosing a very specific company. Is the ultra-luxury company of your dreams only taking on trainees? Then you’re ready to take the plunge, because you’re sure that it’s a good long-term investment for becoming part of the network. The same goes for start-ups, which often lack the resources to recruit. Why not start with an internship of less than two months before taking a stake in the company?

These days, most companies prefer to recruit students with solid professional experience gained through work placements or sandwich courses. For companies in partnership with schools, recruiting work-study students is an effective way of meeting a current need for workers, especially for positions where it is difficult to find suitable profiles.
Recruiting work-study students will also give the company a new dynamic. Newly recruited young students will bring a different perspective to the job. This could prove effective, as they have recent knowledge of digital issues and up-to-date work techniques (particularly Excel, which is in high demand). To compensate for the efforts made by companies in training employees on work-linked training contracts, a number of grants have been put in place to reduce the cost of work-linked training for companies. For example, work-linked training under an apprenticeship contract gives access to regional aid for total or partial exemption from social security charges on the contract and the apprenticeship tax credit. A work-linked training contract gives access to a reduction in, or full exemption from, employers’ contributions.

Now’s the time to apply!

And for any other questions you may have, you can read our Frequently Asked Questions, take part in an information meeting or be contacted by our teams.