ARTS international internships
Information about international internships for students at the School of Arts, Design and Architecture.
Student Guide
Internship checklist
On this page, we have compiled a general checklist for internships. Remember to also check the conditions and requirements for the specific type of supported internship or internship program you are participating in.
Loading table of contents
Important information regarding internships abroad
Where to find internships?
You can find an internship through your own networks, by directly contacting employers that interest you or by using various online portals.
Start early. If you want to work abroad next summer, you should start looking for employers and jobs already in November-December (however, note the sector-specific differences, in some sectors summer internships are applied for as early as the beginning of autumn).
Especially when applying for an internship abroad, the employer appreciates initiative, and at the same time you make hiring easier for them. Find out about the destination country's security, job search practices and send the right type of CV and cover letter. You can find useful country-specific information in GoinGlobal's and Highered's country guides. You can also make an appointment to talk about finding an internship with Career Services.
You can search for internships from, for example, the following sources:
Jobteaser's job portal, a lot of internships and jobs for Aalto students both in Finland and abroad.
GoinGlobal, a very extensive global job search portal available for your use. Remember to use the right kind of key words in the search function, all kinds of internships can be found through the service.
Highered, lots of work and internship opportunities, especially in business and some technical fields. Access to Highered's portal is part of Aalto's EFMD (The European Foundation for Management Development) cooperation.
Also remember to look at the bottom of this page for Internship programs.
Financial aid for students and income control
If you are eligible for the student financial aid, contact the financial aid support office (Kela) in advance and find out the effects of the internship salary and possible grants on the aid. Read more on Kela's Student pages. Also remember to take care of income control, which is explained more on Kela's website.
Study credits
Aalto students have the possibility to include an internship in their degree in most of the programs. If you have any questions, please contact your own study program. Please remember that you must always negotiate about a possibility to include credits from the internship period in your Aalto degree with the persons responsible of your own programme!
Internship contracts
If you receive an internship from Finland or abroad that requires the internship contract to be signed by a representative of the university and/or requires other proof of your studies at the university, contact Learning Services. Please note that it is not possible to get internship contract templates from Aalto.
From your school's learning services or directly from Sisu, you can get an from the transcript of records and/or a certificate of attendance. If the internship contract does not require the university to commit to anything (e.g. responsibility issues) and the internship is not required to be part of the degree, the internship contract can usually be signed. Always check with your school's Learning Services. This applies to all internships other than supported internships coordinated by the university (so-called domestic internships).
In Erasmus+ internships, certain documents are required (e.g. Learning Agreement for traineeship). Please see more information on Erasmus+ internship.
Taxes
Any kind of paid work requires you to have a tax card. Internship grants are income that may affect the tax rate on your earnings.
During an internship abroad, the grants awarded by Aalto University may be taxable income to the extent that the total amount of grants, scholarships, etc. received by the person from different parties after deductions in the tax year exceeds the annual amount of the state artist grant. More information on vero website.
More information:
Insurances
The statutory accident insurance for students at Aalto University is for students on practical training and only applies to practical teaching and unpaid practical work training.
When traveling abroad for an internship, the obligatory insurances include health care insurance, accident insurance and liability insurance. Aalto University does not provide students with health insurance, accident or liability insurance. If the employer doesn’t provide you with insurance, you are responsible for ensuring you have sufficient insurance coverage.
If it is a paid internship, accidents are primarily covered by the employer's insurance. In a paid internship, the intern is usually covered by his employer's accident and liability insurance, but this should always be confirmed before the internship begins.
Additionally, we strongly recommend you take out a personal travel insurance. The European medical card is not sufficient, for example in cases of repatriation or in certain cases of medical treatment, so supplementary insurance may be necessary. Read more about travel insurance on Ministry for Foreign Affairs in Finland's website.
Sources of funding and internship grants
You can apply for the Aalto University travel, internship and/or Erasmus+ grant for your internship period abroad. You must apply for the grants before the start of your internship. Read more on field specific pages of internship abroad (ARTS, BIZ, TECH).
You can search for other funding sources in SYL's grant database. Also find out about the grants awarded by your own guild, student association or AYY and other entities.
Remember to also check the grants site for any possible grant opportunities for internships.
Svenska studiefonden awards grants for internships or student exchanges abroad. The grants are intended for students whose mother tongue or language of study is Swedish.
Rights and obligations of internship
You should always make a written employment contract for the internship.
Always remember that if you agree to accept an internship, your notification is binding. So think carefully before informing the employer that you will accept the offered internship.
During your internship, you are obliged to comply with the laws of that country and your rights and obligations are determined in accordance with the applicable rules and regulations and agreements.
Internship programs
In most cases, an internship abroad is searched for independently.
In addition, Aalto University students also have an opportunity to go abroad through different internship programs. The internship program has the advantage of ready-made places, and the program may include extras such as arranging accommodation and a leisure program. Below you will find more information about the programs and other internship opportunities. Please note that internship programs usually have specific application periods, so be careful not to miss the application period!
Are you looking for game-changing job opportunities? Applications for the Startuplifers internship program are now open all year round!
Startuplifers is a non-profit, student-led internship program and community that originated at Aalto University. Startuplifers connects the brightest Nordic talents from the fields of technology, marketing, sales and design for startup internships in the world's best and fastest-paced startup ecosystems - San Francisco, Singapore, Tokyo and Shanghai. Internships are paid and last 3–12 months. An internship in a startup environment offers a unique learning opportunity and a rocket-like lift for your own career development. According to some, it corresponds to 3–5 years of work experience in a domestic company.
Learn more about Startuplifters
Read more about Startuplifers. Also follow Startuplifers on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
EDUFI traineeships abroad are meant for students in higher education and recently graduated higher education students. You need to meet the general application criteria to apply for an EDUFI traineeship. The criteria includes Finnish citizenship or permanent residence in Finland.
AIESEC is a global youth organization that strives for peace and the achievement of humanity's potential by activating young people's leadership skills through practical experiences and challenging environments.
Learn more about AIESEC.
Through HIP, engineering students from Aalto University have worked at CERN. You get to do an independent project or participate in a larger research project. You can find open internship positions and more information about the search on HIP's website.
Vulcanus in Japan is a cooperation program between the European Union and Japan. The program started in 1997. Through the program, students of technical universities in the EU can go to Japan for a year to learn the language and work in Japanese companies. The Vulcanus year begins in September and ends in August of the following year. The program includes: a one-week Japanese seminar, a 4-month intensive language course and an 8-month internship at a Japanese company
The applicant must be an EU citizen and study engineering or natural sciences at university level. Architecture students can also apply. When applying to the program, the applicant must be enrolled in master's studies or bachelor's degrees (at least the 4th year of study). Participants in the program are paid a stipend that covers travel and living expenses. Free housing is provided for the entire duration of the program. The seminar and language course are also free for participants. Check the updated instructions and other additional information on the Vulcanus program pages.
Aalto University has signed an agreement to join Pan-European Seal Professional Traineeship Programme arranged by European Patent Office and European Union Intellectual Property Office. The Pan-European Seal will set up a programme to reach all academic areas, promote the use of both Offices’ online tools amongst university staff and students, help young people access the IP labour market, and encourage multicultural exchange. The Pan-European Seal will provide a framework for early talent detection by offering traineeships that will take place independently in both Offices. The programme offers traineeship opportunities in following areas below. The next application round will start 1 January 2024.
Traineeships:
EPO > Pan-European Seal Young Professionals Programme | Epo.org
EUIPO > EUIPO Academy Learning Portal: Pan-European Seal Programme (europa.eu)
Pay for internships:
- EPO 2000 €/month
- EUIPO 1200 €/month
Degree
You should hold a bachelor’s/master’s degree or be currently enrolled for PhD studies in relevant field. You should have obtained your degree no more than two years prior to the date of application.
Fields of science
EPO
- Science and engineering (including IT)
- Human resources and business administration
- International relations and communication
- Economics and finance
- Law
EUIPO
- Law
- Intellectual Property (IP) law
- IP & Knowledge Management
- Political Science & International Relations
- Linguistics
- Economics & Business Administration
- Information Technology
- Arts & Design
- Communication
- Facility Management
- Human Resources
Application
- Send the application with attachments no later than 15 February 2024 to Aalto University using the form below.
- After shortlisting, send the application directly to one of the two agencies.
Please, send your questions to: [email protected]
Aalto University Guidance on Language
Proof translations
The language of diploma/diplomas is defined by the language of completion of the degree. Upon graduation, students receive either an original certificate in English (in addition to the Finnish or Swedish certificate) or an English translation of the Finnish or Swedish diploma. If the student's examination language is determined, for example, Finnish, the student will not receive the original diploma in English on request. He will receive an automatic English translation along with the certificate. Diploma certificates (and attachments to it) cost nothing.
Language test
It is not possible to conduct a separate language test at the Aalto Language Centre (e.g. the TOEFL or IELTS exam) because we have no right to organize and therefore not accept these experiments. Instead, if students have completed an English course at Aalto (which are almost invariably B2 level), we can make a language proficiency certificate based on the course at the Language Centre And the same applies to Spanish and French if the student has completed a course of at least B1 level in Aalto.
Contact: [email protected]
Other special things to note
Please note that Aalto University's waiver applies to all students going abroad. Read the waiver in its entirety (pdf attachment) (updated 17.8.2020).
Accepting the waiver is part of the online internship grant application form and it is the responsibility of every grant recipient to familiarize themselves with its content. Waiver includes e.g. obtaining insurance, emergency situations, legal and intangible property (IPR) matters, and situations and responsibilities related to the interruption of the mobility period.
If you are covered under the Finnish health insurance system, you should get a European Health Insurance Card from Kela. By presenting the card, you can obtain necessary medical treatment during a temporary residence in another EU/EEA country. Card is free and you can order it online at Kela's pages.
EU-healthcare.fi -online portal offers information on rights to use healthcare services in another EU or EEA country or in Switzerland for EU-citizens.
More information about falling ill abroad can be found on Kela's website.
Remember to check your vaccinations. More information FSHS (Finnish Student Health Service).
We urge Finnish citizens travelling abroad and especially those travelling or moving to risk-prone regions to register at the matkustusilmoitus.fi service. More information in Ministry for Foreign Affairs in Finland pages.
Add phone numer(s) to your phone with ICE (In Case of Emergency) prefix. Setting an ICE number to show in your phone's lock screen is advicable.
You should start looking for an apartment well in advance of securing an internship. You can look for tips in internship reports, for example. Several countries have online portals for apartment searches. You can also ask your employer for tips. In many countries, there are organizations of Finnish students or Finland centers, through which you can try to look for an apartment. If you can't find an apartment before you leave, first book a room in a hostel, for example, and look for an apartment on the spot.
Be careful when making commitments, scams are possible! It is generally not a good idea to send money in advance without seeing the apartment or before the rental agreement has been signed.
Student, do you have questions about living and working abroad, either in general or in a specific country or city? You can contact one of our Global Alumni Ambassadors in over 20 countries, who are Aalto University graduates with international experience. These alumni are volunteeringtheir time and know-how to support Aalto students. Check the Aalto Global Alumni Ambassadors in JobTeaser and contact them.
- Bring your employment contract or an official document stating you have accepted an internship position. You will often need it when opening a bank account abroad, for example.
- Take care of your rights. A written employment contract is not legal in all countries (even in all EU countries), but know your rights and stick to them, even abroad. For more information, e.g. of your own union.
- Find out if you need a work permit and/or visa. More information from the embassy of the target country in Finland.
- Make travel arrangements only after you have been granted a visa or work permit, if one is required.
Culture shock is a term that refers to the stress of adapting to a foreign country and culture, which can be caused by this life change. Different degrees of cultural adaptation occur whenever a person changes their place from a familiar environment to a new one (e.g. change of job, transition to student life, transition from student life to working life, etc.). The so-called return shock when returning to the home country is also possible. So don't worry, just give yourself time to adapt to the routines of your home country again.
International assignments and working in a foreign country and work culture require tolerance of differences, flexibility, stress and pressure tolerance, and adaptability. You can learn the knowledge, skills and attitude of global competence in many different situations, also in your home country.
Did you find what you were looking for? See also
BIZ international internship
Information about international internships and grants for School of Business students.
TECH international internship
Information on international internship and scholarships for students of technology (CHEM, ELEC, ENG, SCI)
Internship reports
International internships
- Published:
- Updated: