Global Internships: Paris, France

Summary

Gain first-hand knowledge, connections, and international work experience through an academic internship in Paris, France. On this program, you will:

• Undertake a professional internship opportunity to build transferable skills in the career field of your choice
• Earn academic credit for your internship via a ten-week online course
• Learn about French culture and history through an on-site course taught by a Berkeley instructor
• Live with other program participants in apartment-style accommodations in Paris

"I think that studying abroad in a program like Global Internships, where everyone is working in different industries or with different organizations but still bound together through classes and living together, is very rewarding... meeting the people in my program definitely complimented my experience because I felt like I had a better understanding of different sectors of French culture."

—Paris Participant

About Paris

Stroll along the banks of the Seine, browse the city-sized art galleries of the Louvre, or spend the afternoon studying at a Parisian cafe. Paris is the heart of both cultural creation and economic activity in France.

Home to finance, government, education and health industries, the region accounts for 30 percent of France's GDP. It’s also considered the fashion and culture capital of the world. Three of the world’s most visited museums, including the Louvre, are located in Paris.

From the arts to politics, internships in Paris are as varied as its industries. Berkeley Global Internships participants have access to internships in sectors such as media, the arts, business, health and human services, politics, and NGOs. Discover why some of history’s greatest artists, writers and scholars have been attracted to the City of Lights!

Program Details

Dates:

• Paris: June 6 - July 31, 2025
• Online Course: June 9 - August 15, 2025

Dates are subject to change.

Units: 6 units

Language of Instruction: English and French

Two Required Courses:

On-site course:

• FRENCH 197: Supervised Independent Studies (3 units)

And an online course of your choice:

• UGIS W157: Experiential Learning (3 units) or
• UGIS W158: Global Citizenship (3 units)

Housing

• Students will live in apartment-style accommodation in Paris.
• Students will live in single room with a private bathroom, fully equipped kitchen, workspace, and cozy lounge area.

Eligibility

• Currently enrolled in a degree program or have graduated within the last 12 months
• At least one year of college coursework completed by the start of the program
• 2.0 GPA or higher
• At least 18 years old at the time of application
• Not on academic probation or under censure for student misconduct at any point from application review to the end of your program
• (Internship in French Only) Five semesters of college-level French or equivalent proficiency by the start of the program.

Application

• Application opens December 2, 2024 at 9 am PST
• Space is limited and applications are accepted on a first-come, first-served basis
• Deadline to apply is January 15, 2025 at 11:59 pm PST

Courses

In addition to your internship, you will take an on-site local history course and an online internship course for a total of 6 Berkeley units. 

On-site Course

Course: French 197
Title: Supervised Independent Studies
Dates: TBD
Instructor: Daniel Hoffman, Ph.D
Units: 3 units

FRENCH 197 gives you the opportunity to carry out in-depth research on a topic of your choosing, under the supervision of the instructor. Almost any topic is acceptable provided it relates to your interests and lends itself to being researched in Paris (not only books and online). Participants meet one-on-one with the instructor at regular intervals throughout the program. At these meetings, you will provide a detailed update on the progress of your research. Participants also meet regularly as a group for social and cultural events.

This course may satisfy a course requirement in the French major or minor—contact the Department of French for more information. Please note that academic requirements may change. Consult with your college/major advisor to see which degree requirements this course may fulfill.

Online Course

Option 1:

Course: Undergraduate & Interdisciplinary Studies W157
Title: Experiential Learning
Dates: June 9 - August 15, 2025
Instructor: Richard Thomas Ashcroft, Ph.D.
Units: 3 units
Prerequisites: None

With this course, you will be able to add a new dimension to your internship experience: a reflection on what it is to be both a worker and citizen in a globalizing world. You will be challenged to use your internship experience as an opportunity to explore the importance of cultural / generational differences in the workplace, professional ethics and personal values, and the structure and norms of different types of organizations. A series of audio-visual lectures, practical exercises, writing assignments, presentations, and online group discussions will ask you to engage in honest self-reflection about what you want from your career, and to develop the skills you need to succeed personally and professionally in a rapidly changing world.  We hope that this course will help understand the challenges of the modern global workplace and guide you towards a successful and fulfilling career. 
 

Option 2:

Course: Undergraduate & Interdisciplinary Studies W158
Title: Global Citizenship
Dates: June 9 - August 15, 2025
Instructor: Jeroen Dewulf, Ph.D.
Units: 3 units
Prerequisites: None

With this course, you will be able to add a new dimension to your internship experience: a reflection on global citizenship. You will be challenged to use your internship experience as an opportunity to critically explore cultural differences, modes of conduct and values. A series of audio-visual lectures, practical exercises, writing assignments, projects, and online group discussions will stimulate you to leave the comfort zone of what you are familiar with and to explore alternative views on right and wrong, good and bad and the beautiful and the ugly. The course will also encourage you to interact with locals and to engage with the city/region/country where you live during your internship. It is our hope that this course will help to increase your consciousness about the challenges of being a global citizen.

Consult with your college/major advisor to see which degree requirements these courses may fulfill.

Registration

Global Internships staff will enroll you in courses after your acceptance to the program. Please make sure there are no active blocks on your student account that may impact your course enrollment.

Instructors

Daniel Hoffman, Ph.D.

FRENCH 197: Supervised Independent Studies
Email: dhoffmann@berkeley.edu
Daniel Hoffman is a Lecturer of French at the University of California, Berkeley, where he teaches courses on language, literature, and culture. His writing bridges poetry and poetic criticism, and his current project is a lyric monograph on the work of Stéphane Mallarmé. He received his Ph.D. in French Literature from UC Berkeley.

In 2018, he was a Teaching Fellow at the UC Center for Teaching and Learning. In 2021, for his work during the pandemic, he received the "Extraordinary Teaching in Extraordinary Times" Award from the Academic Senate’s Committee on Teaching. And in 2023, he received UC Berkeley's Distinguished Teaching Award, the university's highest honor for teaching. 
 

Richard Thomas Ashcroft, Ph.D.

UGIS W157: Experiential Learning
Email: rashcroft@berkeley.edu

Richard Ashcroft is a Lecturer in UC Berkeley’s Department of Political Science and Interdisciplinary Social Science Programs, and former Postdoctoral Coordinator for the Network for a New Political Economy. His research and teaching explore how modern societies should evolve in the face of deepening diversity and disagreement, with a particular focus on the connections between postwar multiculturalism, political economy, and the legacies of empire. He teaches courses on the political theory of multiculturalism, classical and contemporary political economy, and US, UK and EU politics.

Dr. Ashcroft is from Winchester in the United Kingdom. He read Theology at Oxford, before attending law school in London and qualifying as a Solicitor of the Senior Courts of England and Wales. He spent several years working for a leading US-UK firm specializing in tax and trust law, and then became a legal aid lawyer in South London acting for the homeless and tenants of social housing. During this period he received an MA in the Theory and Practice of Human Rights, before completing his PhD in Political Science at UC Berkeley in 2018.
 

Jeroen Dewulf, Ph.D.

UGIS W158: Global Citizenship
Email: jdewulf@berkeley.edu

Dr. Jeroen Dewulf is Associate Professor in the Department of German at the University of California, Berkeley where he teaches courses in German Studies and Dutch Studies. He is also Queen Beatrix chair as well as Director of Institute of European Studies and Director of Dutch Studies.

Born in Ostend, Belgium, Dr. Dewulf graduated in Dutch and German Philology at the University of Ghent. He holds a Master's degree from the University of Porto and a Ph.D. from the University of Bern. His areas of specialization are European Studies, particularly related to (multi)cultural identity in Belgium and the Netherlands, and Post-Colonial Studies, in particular, Dutch colonial history and literature.

Internship

The Global Internships team works one-on-one with you to find an internship based on your academic background, experience, interests, as well as employer needs and availability. Internships in Paris are available in a wide variety of fields and internship placement is guaranteed. There will be two tracks for internship placements:

1. Track 1: Internship in English
   Minimum =  Prior French study is recommended but not required

   No university-level French is required to participate in this program, however, a beginner French course prior to departure is recommended for those without any language background.

2. Track 2: Internship in French
   Minimum =  French 102 or equivalent

   A minimum of five semesters of university-level French is required by the end of the last semester prior to departure (French 102 or equivalent). If you have not completed the required language coursework, you must submit a Language Evaluation Form by January 22, 2025. See Instructions for Language Evaluation.

Examples of past internships:

Global Minds Network is an international advisory firm with a vision to inspire and connect global minds for positive change. Our Mission is to facilitate global innovation and multicultural collaboration in order to accelerate organizational performance and international market success. 

The roles and responsibilities of the intern vary by specific task but may include:

● Coordinate and develop content for international communication programs. 
● Develop program offering in global innovation and leadership. 
● Engage in international outreach activities with focus on social media. 
● Plan and organize international online events for summer and fall. 
● Pursue research on global innovation and leadership topics.

At Coco&Rico, we believe that a smarter, more reasonable, ecological, and humane fashion is possible. We aim to contribute to making the fashion and textile industry responsible and ethical at all levels.

The roles and responsibilities of the intern vary by specific task but may include:

● Creation of an Image Library for Coco et Rico. 
● Content Creation for the brand's Social Media platforms, mostly Instagram but the intern may be asked to work on their Linkedin as well. 
● Create engaging posts and reels that are accurate to branding guidelines and display Coco et Rico's values, missions, and work. 
● Work on Copywriting, creating captions and establishing key words to participate to the SEO strategy. 
● If the intern has more time, they may work on the creation of a social media content schedule and build on its strategy
 

Opportunities can vary year-to-year by such factors as market trends, time of year, and the economy. Common industry sectors for internships include, but are not limited to:

• Accounting*
• Advertising - limited
• Creative Arts
• Business Development
• Sports Management
• Entrepreneurship
• Event Planning
• Fashion
• Finance*
• Graphic Design
• Hospitality & Tourism
• Human Resources - limited
• Information Technology
• Journalism
• Logistics
• Marketing
• Non-Profit
• Public Relations
• Publishing
• Pharmaceutical & Healthcare
• Real Estate
• Video Production

*indicates French language required

Costs

Tuition and Program Fee

The fees to participate in this program are broken down into 1) tuition and 2) program fees, which are applied to your student billing account as follows:

Fees are subject to change. All non-Berkeley students must pay an additional Document Management Fee of $68.

Estimated Out-of-Pocket Expenses

In addition to the fees outlined above, Berkeley Study Abroad has estimated amounts for out-of-pocket expenses. These amounts are used to calculate financial aid packages for eligible students. Actual expenses will vary depending on your lifestyle and spending habits.

It is your responsibility to obtain any necessary travel documentation for your program destination (i.e. passport, visa, etc). This may require you to pay fees of up to a few hundred dollars depending on the type of paperwork required.

Financial Aid

Financial aid is available for UC Berkeley students who are enrolled in at least 6 units during the summer.

Financial aid estimates for 2025 Berkeley Global Internships programs are now available in the Summer Financial Aid Estimator in your Cal Central account. Please FIRST obtain your estimate in the Summer Aid Estimator, then write to travelaid@berkeley.edu if you have any questions about the estimate you receive. Your estimate will include a Berkeley Study Abroad Scholarship if you qualify for one based on financial need.

How to locate the Estimator:

1) Log into Cal Central
2) Navigate to the My Finances Tab, and find the "Financial Resources" card
3) Scroll to the bottom of the Financial Resources card and click on Summer Sessions
4) From the Summer Sessions menu, click on Summer Cost and Aid Estimator

Make sure to adjust the number of units in the estimator if your program offers a choice of course selection. If your program only offers one combination or one course for 6 total units units, you do not need to update the units in the estimator.​

All other students should contact the financial aid office at their home institution for more information.

Explanation of Fees

Tuition is based on a per unit cost: 

• The UC undergraduate student rate is $419 per unit
• The visiting student rate for all non-UC participants is $615 per unit

The program fee includes the following items:

• Student housing in apartments, double rooms with access to kitchen facilities and a shared bathroom
• Excursions, including entry fees to local museums, historic sites, etc.
• On-site orientation activities, including an introduction to the city of Paris, French work culture, etc.
• Travel insurance, including accident/sickness medical coverage, emergency medical evacuation, security extraction, and other travel assistance services
• Other program-related costs, including fees for placement services
• The initial non-refundable deposit of $300, which will be charged on February 3, 2025, is applied to the program fee

Please note that the list of items included in the program fee is not all-inclusive and is subject to change.

The following items are excluded from the program fee:

• International airfare 
• Personal expenses (souvenirs, routine medical expenses, toiletries, etc.)
• Meals (access to kitchen facilities will be provided)
• Course materials (textbooks and readers)
• Other travel expenses (passport, visa, etc.)
• Additional meals
• Commuting costs for the daily travel to and from your internship

Timeline

*All dates are subject to change.