Internship

Additional internships may be considered in addition to the six consecutive months in an architecture office.

• in an urban planning firm (max. six months)
• as part of Engineers Without Borders for a project directly related to architecture (max. three months);
• in a construction company, e.g. carpentry, joinery, masonry, etc. (max. 2 months)
• in other contexts, subject to prior authorisation from the EPFL’s architecture department (max. 2 months)

Registration and monitoring of internships are carried out on the IS-Academia platform, which centralises information and administrative procedures related to internships.

PDF  IS-Academia user guide

The internship agreement is recommended for Switzerland and the rest of the world, and mandatory for France. It must be completed in three copies signed by all parties before being sent to the internship coordinator and before the start of the internship. It can be sent by e-mail in a single copy in PDF format.
DOC   Internship agreement template FR
DOC   Internship agreement template EN
DOC   Standard agreement for extensions FR/EN

Two weeks before the end of the internship, IS Academia sends an electronic evaluation form to the internship supervisor and the student. At the start of the Master’s programme, students receive an email inviting them to submit their internship report and the employer evaluation form (see template below) to the departmental office, where these documents can be consulted. Final validation of the internship takes place after verification of the evaluations and the internship report.

To be completed by the student

DOC  Internship report template
PDF  Employer information form template

• I have found an internship in a field related to architecture that I am very interested in. Can I do it?
  • Before starting this type of internship, you must submit a detailed request by e-mail to the department, which will decide whether or not the internship can be validated. The request must include the name of the company, the qualifications of the internship supervisor and a summary of the proposed specifications. Without this information, the student risks having their internship validation refused when the time comes.

• Who can assist me with the emigration procedures for an internship abroad?
  • The section does not organise internships abroad. There are several organisations that specialise in this type of arrangement, particularly for the United States, for example:
    • http://www.interexchange.org/
    • http://www.ciee.org/intern/
    • https://www.j1-visa-intrax.com/fr
  • Students are advised to consult the page in any case.
    https://securite.epfl.ch/voyages.

• How should I complete the ‘Description and objectives’ field in the internship announcement form on IS-Academia?
  • You must provide a brief description of the tasks that will be assigned to you by the company. In other words, you must provide a very brief summary of the job description. This field is very important, as it is essential for the section to approve the internship. Please do not write, for example: “architecture internship”, “mandatory internship”, “6-month internship”, etc.

• I have found an internship that is not on the ISA list. How do I get it approved?
  • A detailed description of the internship must be uploaded to IS-Academia following the procedure described in the Vade-mecum for advertising and managing internships on IS-Academia.

• I applied for an internship on IS-Academia, but the company has not responded.
  What should I do?
  • Although EPFL encourages companies to respond to applications promptly, if a company does not contact the student after a reasonable period, we have no way to force them to do so.

• The person responsible for supervising my internship has changed, and I would like to update this information on IS-Academia. How can I do this?
  • Write to the section’s internship coordinator and provide the name and email address of the new internship supervisor. We will handle updating the database.

• Can I do a part-time internship?
  • A prior request must be submitted to the section, explaining the reasons and indicating the percentage of work envisaged.

• May I undertake a 40% internship?
  • No, part-time internships with working hours of less than 50% are not validated.

• Is it possible to complete my 12 months of compulsory internship in three semesters?
  • Exceptionally, upon notification from the department, the Academic Services Department may grant a third semester of internship if this is essential to complete the 12 months. Please email your request, stating your reasons, to the Academic Services Department and copy us in.

• Is it possible to complete my 12 months of compulsory internship in four semesters?
  • No, following the third semester, which may be authorised upon prior request, the student either begins the master’s programme or withdraws from the university.

• I want to continue my internship beyond 12 months or 3 semesters. What formalities do I need to complete to withdraw from the university and resume my studies later?
  • You must inform the Academic Services Department of your decision by email, putting the section in copy (Cc). If you have completed your 12 months of work experience before leaving EPFL, we recommend that you validate your work experience and send a final work experience report to the section before deregistering.

• How is the number of months of internship completed calculated?
  • The IS-Academia portal provides an automatic count of the months completed.

• Can I do a one-month summer internship?
  • You may do a one-month summer internship at the end of your second year of the bachelor’s degree programme. Internships of shorter duration are not permitted.

• I have decided to extend my internship and would like to change its end date on IS-Academia. How do I do this?
  • Please inform the internship coordinator by email at least 15 days before the originally scheduled end date. Do not proceed with the evaluation immediately, but wait for the new end date, which will be communicated to the coordinator.

• I am unable to complete my 12-month internship before the start of the new academic year in September. Can I finish my internship instead of returning to university and start my master’s degree in the spring?
  • Yes, in exceptional circumstances, and with prior notification from the department (section), a third semester of internship may be accorded by the Academic Services Department. Please submit your request by email, putting us (the section) in copy.

• What is the purpose of an internship agreement?
  • The internship agreement is a contract that, like an employment contract, specifies the mutual commitments (rights and obligations): tasks, remuneration, working hours, and the start and end dates of the internship, in order to protect you and establish a clear framework for your internship. It is mandatory for internships in France and recommended for Switzerland and other countries. Its content cannot be modified.

• How should I complete the ‘Article 2 – Internship content’ in the internship agreement?
  • You must provide a brief description of the tasks that will be assigned to you by the company. In other words, you must provide a very brief summary of the job description. This section is very important and essential for the department to verify the validity of the internship. Please do not write, for example: “architecture internship”, “mandatory internship”, “6-month internship”, etc.

• How should I proceed to submit the agreement for signature by the section’s internship coordinator?
  • The agreement must be signed by both parties (employer and intern) BEFORE sending it to the internship coordinator and BEFORE the start of the internship. It can be sent in triplicate by post or by email as a single copy in PDF format.

• I did several internships to complete my 12 months of compulsory internship. How many reports do I need to submit to the section?
  • Only one report needs to be submitted for the entire 12-month period.

• When should I submit my internship report?
  • At the end of the mandatory 12 months, you will receive an email from the department before the start of your master’s programme, setting a deadline for submitting your internship report to the secretariat.

• I completed several internships in order to fulfil the 12 months of mandatory internship. Do I need to submit a two-page A4 report for each of these internships?
  • No, a single two-page A4 report is sufficient for all internships completed during the mandatory 12 months.