Curricular Internships abroad

An internship abroad not only is a good way to gain work experience, but also a perfect opportunity to develop other skills such as knowledge of foreign languages. An internship gives you the opportunity to discover the world of work. It helps you to enrich your theoretical and methodological background and allows you to put into practice what you learnt during your studies.  

The process for an internship in Italy is different from the process for an internship aboard. That is because different countries have different rules and standards. If you want to do an internship abroad, the Host Company/Institution must register HERE

Upon registration, the Company/Institution will receive an e-mail with a confirmation link. The Company will receive the credentials to access Politecnico platform. In order to host an intern, the Company/Institution must enter the Company/Institution ​​​​​​full information and upload a copy of the company registration report/certificate (officially translated into English) or, in its absence, a copy of the identification document of the legal representative or his/her proxy in the section called "Request Internship Agreement" (see screenshot example). 

Example PORTAL HOMEPAGE screenshot

At the end of this procedure, the Company/Institution will be visible in the list of host companies/institutions and you will be able to fill in the "INTERNSHIP AGREEMENT" online ("stage" tab of your personal page) which is necessary to start an internship abroad.

PLEASE NOTE: Politecnico, as the Promoting Institution, will not sign any documents other than the standard agreement required for all internships abroad.

PRIVACY POLICY ACCREDITATION of Companies/Institutions

Curricular internships abroad have specific rules and procedures, which vary depending on the degree programme. The procedure for the registration of your internship in your transcript depends on the rules of your degree programme. The duration of an internship (number of hours) depends on the number of credits included in your Personal Study Plan (1 credit = 25 hours). We suggest you check the internship regulations of your degree programme. The specific rules for each degree programme are also available in the STUDENT GUIDE - INTERNSHIPS section.
 

For internships during first or second level Specializing Master’s programmes: each programme has its own rules and procedures established by the Scientific Committee. You can find them in the Calls for applications. 

The Internship Agreement is a document that you must fill out online. It must be appovated BEFORE the beginning of your internship. 

It includes the following information:  

  • your personal data;
  • information on your Host Company/Institution and contact details of your Company/Institution Tutor (the person chosen to assist and guide you during your internship);
  • contact details of your Academic Tutor, a PoliTO faculty  member chosen by you or automatically assigned to you, depending on the rules of your degree programme. Your Academic Tutor is in charge of verifying that the contents and activities carried out during your internship actually match those declared by the Host Company/Institution;
  • internship dates (important in order to provide insurance coverage);  
  • expected training outcomes and contents of your internship.

How to fill out your Internship Agreement:

  • log in to your personal page of the Teaching Portal using your access credentials (Login);
  • select the "Opportunities" tab and click “Career Hub/Internship/New Progetto Formativo”;
  • enter the company name in the “Company/Institution name” field: if you find the company/institution in the drop-down list, it means that it has an agreement with Politecnico. In this case, you can continue filling in your Internship Agreement;
  • if the company/institution is not included in the drop-down list, it means that it is not registered to the portal of Politecnico and therefore must register to it. After registration, go to the next step;
  • fill out your Progetto Formativo in detail; if you do not have some information, ask your Company/Institution Tutor or your Academic Tutor;
  • click “SAVE AND SUBMIT FOR APPROVAL”. Your project will be assessed in this order by:
    - your Company/Institution Tutor, who receives an e-mail with a link to a page where he can accept or reject your project. Make sure you enter the correct email address;
    - your Academic Tutor and/or the Internship Coordinator of your degree programme can approve or reject your project from his/her personal page to VALIDATE it. These approvals are given online. Hard copies of these documents and signatures are not required;
  • after the validation of your Progetto Formativo, the Host Company/Institution can visualize it from its private area of the portal. You can also download a .pdf version of this document and send it to the Company/Institution, if needed.

WARNING: make sure that you have correctly entered the data previously agreed with the company/institution. After saving and submitting for approval, you will not be able to modify your Internship Agreement.


TEMPLATE of a internship agreement (curricular)

Internships have a given duration (hours) and provide a certain number of credits as specified in your Annual Personal Study Plan (1 credit = 25 hours). You can extend the duration of your internship (number of hours) by selecting one of the options available in the field “Expected no. of hours”(150 hour slots). You can only do this operation before the beginning of your internship and not while you are doing it. In any case, you cannot do more than 900 hours (the number of hours that can be selected depends on your study course).
Any request to extend the duration of an internship must be decided together with the Host Company/Institution. It MUST also be approved by a PoliTO faculty member (your academic tutor or the Internship Coordinator of your degree programme) who may reject your proposal. In this case, you need to make a new proposal and fill out a new Progetto Formativo. If your Progetto Formativo is approved, it means that the extension of your internship and the extra hours have been accepted too. At the end of an internship with extended duration, you will see that the internship is recorded in your transcript as follows: INTERNSHIP with standard hours/credits in accordance with the rules of your degree programme (i.e. 6 credits/150 hours) plus the annotation “curricular internship extension” with your extra hours/credits. These credits will be recorded in your transcript as extra credit (they do not count towards the 120-credits threshold required for Master’s graduation).         

IMPORTANT: After requesting and confirming an extension, you must mandatorily complete all the hours (including the extension) in order to obtain the registration of your internship in your transcript.

Before leaving for your internship, verify with the embassy/consulate of your host country if you need an entry visa (even if the host country belongs to the Schenghen Area). This depends on your nationality and current domicile. 
It is your responsibility to gather the necessary information and apply to get your visa (if required).
If you are a non-EU national, you can get support from the IMMIGRATION DESK of Politecnico di Torino.

If you are a EU national and you have a European Health Insurance Card, you will have access to state-provided healthcare in EU countries (only for emergencies or necessary medical treatment). If you are going to travel to a non-EU country, you must buy a private health insurance valid throughout the entire period of your stay. A private health insurance can be useful in a EU country as well. You can find specific information by country on the website of the Ministry of Health.
If you are a non-EU citizen, check the healthcare requirements at the embassy/consulate of your host country before leaving.

Useful links:

  • www.esteri.it/maew
  • ww.viaggiaresicuri.it
  • reopen.europa.eu/it

We suggest you register your trip on the Dove siamo nel Mondo website, run by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, so that the Italian diplomatic network abroad always has your updated contact information.

The Erasmus+ Traineeship Program supports internships in European countries at private companies, research centres, training centres with a registered office or branch located in one of the countries participating in the ERASMUS+/PROGRAMME COUNTRIES programme. 

You can get funding form the ERASMUS+ programme for 2 to 6 months of internship (full and continuous). The monthly allowance varies depending on the host country, as indicated in the call for applications.

More information available at this page BANDI per MOBILITA' internazionale studentesca.

After the beginning of your internship:

  • you must fill out an online timesheet for each day your internship. The timesheet is available in the "Opportunities" section of the Teaching Portal (the same section of our training project). You also need to specify the tasks that you have carried out during the day. Please note that a 30-minute break is mandatory after 6 hours of work;
  • any changes from what has been established in your training project must be communicated to Politecnico:
    - extensions are only possible in order to reach the total number of hours established by the training project. Extensions do not need to be communicated. The additional period must be indicated directly in your timesheet. The last day shown on your timesheet will be considered the actual end date of your internship (the end date included in your training project is only tentative);
    - business trips: you must indicate day, time and location in your timesheet for insurance coverage;
    - further changes (company tutor, academic tutor and main duty station): the host institution is required to inform Politecnico by email to tirocini@polito.it.

At the end of your internship:

  • both you and your company tutor are required to fill in an online questionnaire (mandatory for you - section "Attachement/Registration request", and optional for your tutor - who will receive a link about one week before the end date of the internship indicated in the training project or the actual end date, if earlier);
  • you will be required to submit your timesheet to your company tutor for online approval (section "Attachement/Registration request");
  • after your timesheet has been approved by your company tutor, you must upload your internship report (if required by the rules of your degree programme) and send it for approval to your academic tutor and/or Internship Coordinator together with your timesheet (click the button at the bottom of the page). If the report is not required by your degree programme (or by your academic tutor), the system allows you to send your documents for approval even if you have not uploaded any report;
  • the Internship Coordinator and/or the academic tutor are responsible for the registration of your internship in your transcript.

Contacts

Send a TICKET from your personal page on the Teaching Portal – "Internships and Career Hub" section. If needed, we will contact you to schedule a phone appointment.

Do not write to tirocini@polito.it since your e-mail will not be taken into consideration. You must always use the Ticketing Support System. This e-mail address is reserved for host organizations only!

PLEASE NOTE: the following questions must not be addresses to the Career Hub but should be sent to the competent offices (Registrar's Office, Admissions and Tuition Fees Unit, International Mobility Unit and Immigration Help Desk): questions about internships or thesis at an Institution/Company which require a modification of the Study Plan; deadlines for graduation or for paying tuition fees; requests for certificates; information on mobility programmes and residence permit.