Internship in Paris | 19 september 2017
City of Light
Paris is an amazing city, also known as the ‘City of Love’ and the ‘City of Light’. It is a global centre of art, fashion, gastronomy, culture and it could also become your home for the next 6 months!
Besides living and working the city has many aspects that one should definitely benefit from! Paris offers a large variety of restaurants, bars, cafes, bistros, museums, gardens, expositions, events, galleries, boutiques, hidden streets and much more! Being here for 6 months is not enough time to discover all the 20 arrondissements, each of them having its own characteristic, history and speciality! Walking around the city and discovering small streets is definitely going to be a historic adventure! Churches and many museums do not charge entrance fees if you can prove that you are a citizen of the European Union and younger than 26 years old!
Multicultural City
What I love the most about living in Paris is the fact that it is a multicultural city. Everywhere you go you hear different languages and see different habits. It is normal to be different and everyone is accepted. The sentence I heard the most during my internship was “where are you from?” And for sure, you will use it a lot as well!
The reason why I feel so welcome and accepted in Paris is due to its Multiculturalism. 20.3% of the population were born outside of France. Most of the immigrants are from the Maghreb countries. In Paris you are surrounded by people from all over the world. There is a place for everyone from every country, allowing us all to feel welcome and equally respected as everyone else.
Internship at Renaissance Paris Vendome Hotel
With regard to my internship hotel, I had the chance to work in a small boutique 5 stars hotel Renaissance Paris Vendome Hotel in the heart of the city, next to the Louvre and Paris’ most expensive street, Rue Saint Honoré. I had the opportunity to rotate through all the operational departments of the hotel, such as F&B, Housekeeping and Front Office. Each month I had a different mission and different responsibilities, having to learn all the aspects of each department and experiencing it’s fun and hard sides. It was a challenging experience to adapt quickly to a new and different atmosphere as well as demands of colleagues and guests.
However, it was a rich learning experience and I am glad I had the opportunity! Having the chance to work in an international atmosphere with people from all over the world, in terms of the team and guests, as well as being able to improve my fluency in French and receiving recognition for the languages you speak and your hospitability is just priceless.
Paris is a city full of opportunities, also in terms of expanding your network and building a career. It is important to keep in mind that France scores high in hierarchy. However, since the hotel I worked at was a small American brand and the General Manager was not even French, hierarchy was not so present.
One aspect that sometimes can be forgotten when talking about Paris is that the city not only has its splendid glamour and luxurious side, but there are also homeless people out on the streets. This aspect is often forgotten, ignored or hidden but is a fact that should be taken into account when talking about the city of light!
Tips for students
One tip for students who are thinking about doing an internship in Paris – try to arrive a few days before the start of the internship. You can then familiarize with the surroundings of the hotel and your future home and get to know the city and the different ways to get to work and last but not least enjoy the Parisian lifestyle!
If you decide to do your internship in Paris, it is also important to know something about the French and specially the Parisian culture before you move! J’aime Paris!

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