Mandatory internship requirements across European degrees: convention de stage, Pflichtpraktikum, and placement years compared
By Muntasir Minhaz • Published Oct 14, 2025 • Career Planning, Study in Europe
France, Germany, and the UK each handle mandatory internships differently. France pays interns after two months on placement, Germany leaves the rules to each university's own regulations, and the UK builds placement years into specific "sandwich" degrees rather than making them compulsory everywhere.
🇫🇷 France: a signed convention de stage is required by law, and pay (gratification) starts once you pass two months on placement.
🇩🇪 Germany: internship rules sit in each program's Studienordnung, so requirements and pay vary by university and subject.
🇬🇧 UK: placement years are optional add-ons chosen at enrollment, usually through a dedicated "with placement year" degree title.
📩 Academic credit for the internship depends on your institution's own framework in all three countries, not one shared EU rule.
Why "mandatory" looks different in each country
No single EU rule forces universities to build internships into a degree. Each country sets its own legal framework, and each university decides how internships fit into a specific program. France, Germany, and the UK take three distinct approaches, and knowing the difference matters if you study in one country or move between them.
France: the stage obligatoire and the convention de stage
French degrees frequently require a stage (internship) as part of the curriculum, especially in professional bachelor's programs (licence professionnelle), business schools, and engineering schools. The internship runs on a convention de stage, a three-way contract between you, the host organization, and your school.
Pay is not automatic from day one. Under French education law, a host organization must pay a minimum gratification once your internship passes two consecutive months, or the equivalent in non-consecutive days across the same academic year. Under that threshold, the internship legally stays unpaid. The gratification rate is set as a percentage of the hourly social security ceiling and adjusts each year, so check the current rate on service-public.fr before you negotiate.
Germany: the Pflichtpraktikum and the Studienordnung
Germany has no single federal law listing which degrees need an internship. Instead, each program's Studienordnung (study regulations) and Prüfungsordnung (examination regulations) set the requirement, the length, and whether the internship earns ECTS credit. Business, engineering, and social work programs commonly require one or more Pflichtpraktika, while many humanities degrees require none.
Pay depends on timing and duration. A mandatory internship tied to your study regulations and completed before your studies or during a required period of the program legally stays unpaid, while a voluntary internship taken outside those requirements usually falls under German minimum wage law once it passes a set length. Ask your university's examination office for the exact wording in your Studienordnung, since the rules differ by faculty even within the same university.
UK: the sandwich degree placement year
UK universities rarely require every student on a course to complete a placement. Instead, many degrees offer a separate track, often called a "sandwich" degree or listed with a title such as "BSc Business Management with Placement Year." You choose this version at application or apply to switch onto it during your first or second year.
Once you commit, the placement year sits between your second and final year and usually lasts nine to twelve months. Placements are normally paid, since you become an employee of the host company for that year, and universities support the search through their careers or placement offices. The extra year does not always count toward your final degree classification, so check your specific course handbook rather than assume a standard rule.
Side by side comparison
| Feature | France (stage) | Germany (Pflichtpraktikum) | UK (placement year) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Set by | National education law and school | Each program's Studienordnung | Each university course |
| Contract | Convention de stage (3 parties) | Varies by university and employer | Employment contract with host |
| Pay trigger | After 2 months on placement | Depends on mandatory status and length | Usually paid throughout |
| Typical length | Weeks to 6 months | Weeks to 6 months | 9-12 months |
| Credit | Built into the curriculum | Set per Studienordnung | Often shown in degree title |
Rights that carry across all three systems
A genuine internship never replaces a real job. In France, an intern cannot fill a permanent position previously held by an employee. In Germany, mandatory internships tied to your Studienordnung still give you rights to daily and weekly rest periods, and adult interns keep the right to paid leave once the internship crosses roughly four weeks. In the UK, placement year students count as employees for tax, National Insurance, and minimum wage purposes, so the host company owes you the same basic protections as any other staff member.
What this means if you study or intern abroad
If you study in France on an exchange, ask your host school whether a convention de stage applies to you the same way it applies to French students, since some schools require it for any local internship regardless of your home degree rules. In Germany, request the exact clause from the Studienordnung in writing rather than relying on general advice, because pay and mandatory status change by faculty. In the UK, apply to placement-track courses early, since spaces on the "with placement year" version of a degree fill before general admissions close.
National education agencies publish country by country summaries through the Eurydice network , useful if you compare a country not covered here.