11 ingredients for recruiting the best interns and completing your dream team

You've decided to take on a trainee in your company to help you meet occasional needs. But traineeships don't mean zero formalities.

Recruiting an intern is a sensible solution, whatever the size of your company, especially if you're a very small business or a start-up, because it's a cost-effective way of bolstering your teams.

That said, you need to be aware of and comply with the legal rules, the employment contract and the employer's obligations, if you are to take on an intern properly... and avoid the risk of being penalised!

OK, but how do you go about recruiting a trainee? Among the various employment contracts, the internship agreement has its own specificities, the number of hours is regulated, the tasks to be carried out are not just any old tasks... not forgetting the question of the intern's bonus, etc. None of this should be taken lightly!

Rest assured, in this article we take stock of the situation to help you organise your next recruitment of an intern or work-study student in the best way possible and in accordance with the rules, and to establish a professional relationship that is satisfactory for both parties!

See all software Recruiting

5 rules to follow when taking on a trainee in your company

#1 - Check that the applicant is enrolled on a course of study

First and foremost, it's important to remember that not just anyone can become a trainee.

So make sure that the internship is part of a school or university course, with a minimum of 200 hours of teaching per year.

If the candidate for your internship offer does not fall within this framework, you will not be able to recruit them (hence the obligation to sign the internship agreement, as we shall explain shortly).

#2 - Draw up the internship agreement properly

Internships are governed by a specific contract called the " internship agreement ".

This compulsory document seals the three-way relationship between the trainee, the company and the training establishment. It must be signed by :

• the host company
• the tutor or placement supervisor
• the student
• the student's school or university
• and the student's supervising teacher.

The placement agreement sets out the rules and conditions governing the placement. To ensure that it is properly drawn up, you should include the following information:

• the exact title of the course followed by the student,
• the tasks and duties entrusted to the student,
• the start and end dates of the work placement,
• the working hours or number of hours per week,
• the hourly rate of pay and the terms of payment,
• the benefits granted (contribution to transport costs, company catering, etc.),
• the trainee's social security cover.

☝️ An important point for your human resources department: as an employer, you are required to enter the names of your trainees in the single personnel register.

#3 - Determining the internship payment

Do you have to pay your trainee? This will depend on the length of the placement.

Payment is optional for trainees who have been with the company for less than two months. Otherwise, it must be paid to the trainee when you take them on for more than 2 months, i.e. more than 44 days at 7 hours worked per day.

Next, to find out the amount of the bonus, turn to your collective agreement. If it does not specify a particular rate, the minimum hourly rate to be applied is 3.60 euros per hour of presence (i.e. 15% of the hourly social security ceiling ).

The remuneration, to be paid on a monthly basis, corresponds to a cost of 544.40 euros for a 35-hour contract.

☝️ Good to know: if the work placement is not continuous, the bonus is still compulsory from the 30th hour of presence in the company.

For more information, the economie.gouv.fr website provides a summary of all the legal and practical information on pay for work placements:

• the time spent in the company
• the legal minimum amount
• payment arrangements
• how social security contributions are taken into account.

You can also use the internship pay simulator, a tool available to recruiters on the service-public.fr website.

Finally, in addition to pay, your trainee should be entitled to the same conditions and benefits as your company's employees:

• offers from your works council,
• luncheon vouchers
• reimbursement of half of transport costs, etc.

☝️ These rights and benefits are not taken into account when calculating remuneration, and are paid in addition.

#4 - Respect the maximum duration of the internship

An internship is subject to a maximum duration. For any one student, the maximum is 6 months per academic year, or 924 hours spread over the year if the placement is interspersed.

Note also that a waiting period applies to the renewal of a traineeship in a similar position, except where the traineeship is interrupted at the trainee's initiative. This must be equivalent to one third of the duration of the previous traineeship.

💡 At the end of the placement, a placement certificate must be issued to your trainee, stating the dates of the placement and the remuneration received.

#5 - Be aware of prohibited situations

Article L124-7 of the Education Code lists the situations in which companies may not use an intern.

You may not recruit a trainee to :

• replace an employee due to absence, suspension of contract or redundancy ;
• carry out regular tasks corresponding to a permanent position;
• compensate for a temporary increase in the company's activity - you should opt for a fixed-term contract (CDD) or a temporary contract (temping);
• to fill a seasonal job.

☝️ If these legal provisions are not complied with, the company director is liable to penalties. For example, the contract may be reclassified as an employment contract, which entails changes in a number of areas, including pay.

6 best practices for recruiting a trainee

Anticipate recruitment

Recruiting a trainee is a slightly different process from traditional recruitment, because it depends on the timing of school periods and holidays.

So make sure you advertise your internship a few months before you want it to start ( ideally around 3 months), so that you can reach students at the right time!

Cultivate relationships with schools

Schools and universities are where you'll find your future talent! If you need advice on how to optimise your recruitment, don't hesitate to contact the teaching staff and the Corporate Relations department.

The links you will have with training establishments (schools, universities, etc.) will be able to guide you in your recruitment process and provide you with valuable information on :

• who is looking for a work placement
• when and how to contact interested parties
• Internship search periods (gap years, end-of-studies internships), etc.

Distribute your internship offer through the right channels

As with all recruitment, your visibility is essential to attracting talent and finding the best candidate.

When recruiting a trainee, you can multiply the opportunities by diversifying the distribution channels for your advert, and maximise your chances of finding your future talent! Among the channels to consider are

• websites and job boards specialising in internship vacancies,
• social networks (Facebook, LinkedIn, etc.),
• traditional job boards,
• alumni forums or groups,
• sites dedicated to internship offers and the intranets of schools and universities,
• student events (fairs, conferences for future professionals, etc.),
• word of mouth, etc.

The possibilities are vast for gathering applications!

💡 Don't forget to write your internship advertisement in the same way as you would a job advertisement, specifying :

• the content of the assignment
• the level sought or the diploma being prepared
• the conditions of the internship (bonus, benefits, location and distance working possibilities, etc.).

Anything that will help make your offer attractive!

Prepare for the interview with your trainee candidate

To recruit a trainee, you'll also have to go through the interview process.

Before conducting your interview, remember to clarify your needs and expectations to make it easier to select your future trainee:

• what tasks do you plan to entrust to him/her?
• What skills do you expect them to have? (knowledge, know-how and interpersonal skills)
• What level of experience is required?
• How much time is required?

Although the process of recruiting an intern differs from a standard recruitment procedure, you can follow the same steps to ensure you find the best possible candidate.

At the interview stage, although you may not require the same level of professional experience and skills as an employee in a position, you can assess other relevant criteria such as :

• knowledge of the company and curiosity,
• motivation
• ability to adapt and willingness to learn,
• the suitability of their training and the skills they are currently acquiring for the work they will be doing,
• their degree of autonomy.

To do this, adapt your interview grid to include some of the following questions:

• What are their favourite subjects in the current course?
• What subjects are they having difficulty with and why?
• What other work placements or student jobs have they done, and what tasks have they carried out?
• What have they learnt? etc.

Appoint a tutor with care

Don't leave your future trainee in a corner! Make sure you appoint a member of your team who is prepared to invest in helping your trainee to flourish within your company.

Your colleague will have a key role not only in training the trainee and ensuring that they carry out their tasks properly, but also in helping them to become more independent and confident in carrying out the tasks assigned to them.

In the tutor, you choose someone who will make it easier for the trainee to adapt to the company's practices and culture. So the choice of tutor should not be anodyne! It's even a good idea to discuss the matter with the prospective tutor, so that he or she sees it as a vote of confidence rather than a burden, and feels fully invested in the role.

Make sure they fit in well

Finally, your trainee's induction must be well prepared to facilitate their integration and contribute to the success of their placement.

As with any member of the team, make sure you organise their onboarding, preparing for their arrival with :

• Announcing their arrival to your staff,
• allocating a dedicated workstation,
• providing them with work tools from day one,
• a welcome booklet with all the essential information, etc.

See all software Recruiting

Summing up: the Do's and Don'ts of recruiting an intern

To conclude, here's a short checklist of essential points to consider before recruiting your ideal intern:

✅ The Do's :

• Make sure that the internship is part of a school or university course,
• draw up a proper internship agreement,
• find out how an intern is paid,
• respect the 6-month internship period,
• choose the right tutor or supervisor,
• hand in a certificate at the end of the placement.

❌ The Don'ts:

• using an intern in one of the proscribed situations (replacing an employee, temporary increase in the company's activity, etc.),
• not having clearly defined your needs and the tasks to be entrusted to the trainee,
• putting the internship offer on the table at the last minute,
• neglecting to choose a tutor,
• skipping the crucial induction stage.

All that's left is to wish you every success with your recruitment. Who knows, your nugget of an intern may well be one of tomorrow's top talents!