Many students and young professionals dream of acquiring professional experience in a foreign country. More often than not, this is highly valued by companies and recruiters, as it shows initiative and an innate ability to adapt to new circumstances. As such, taking an internship abroad can be of great benefit to your professional career. In fact, living and working overseas can broaden your horizons, improve your language skills and open new doors for your career. Portugal can be the ideal country to undertake an internship, as there are many opportunities in a wide range of fields.
How to get an internship in Portugal?
To have the best success at obtaining an internship in Portugal, you must:
- Have a good command of the Portuguese language. However, a strong knowledge of other foreign languages, such as English, Spanish, French and German, can also be advantageous;
- Demonstrate a strong academic and/or professional background, as internships can be competitive;
- Determine whether or not you will require a visa to enter Portugal for the purposes of interning.
Internship durations can vary from several months to a year and can be part-time or full-time.
Important:
Since 2023, unpaid internships are no longer legal in Portugal! The only exception refers to internships that offer academic credit as part of a cycle of studies, so as long as they take less than 3 months. Even if you're taking an internship as part of your degree, if it lasts longer than 3 months, you are legally entitled to compensation for your work. Regardless, and even if you partake in a short, unpaid internship, you are still legally required to be enrolled in the Portuguese Social Security system.
Popular internship fields in Portugal
In general, Portuguese companies welcome international students, recent graduates, skilled professionals, as well as job seekers. Depending on your future career goals, you may wish to undertake an internship within your field of study or future occupation.
Major industries and services in Portugal include tourism, call centers/customer support, construction, real estate, agriculture, finance, technology, healthcare, software and IT, textiles, renewable energy, and transportation, to name a few. Students and workers in these fields may benefit from an internship in Portugal.
The country is modern and developed, meaning internships may later lead to paid career opportunities. Although the economy is growing steadily, the country still relies heavily on unqualified, low-paying workers for a lot of its key industries, namely tourism, agriculture and customer support centers.
How to apply for an internship in Portugal?
Before applying for internships, ensure your resume is up to date and showcases your skills in the best possible way. You will need to apply for internships via your resume and a cover letter, outlining why you are the best fit for the role and how you can benefit the company. Depending on the field of work, internships, like paid jobs, can be very competitive, so it's important to put your best foot forward. This may not be the case for industries like tourism or agriculture, where the companies may be so desperately in need of new members for their workforce that they will gladly accept pretty much everyone. Make sure your resume also includes the languages you speak and how fluent you are. Most internships will also require an in-person or telephone/video interview.
The best way to find internships in Portugal is online or via the media or newspapers. You can start by looking through international websites like , , , and others, while the most popular job-hunting websites in Portugal—which also post internship opportunities—are , , and . Social media platforms such as are also a viable option.
On the other hand, if you are interested in interning for a particular company, consider contacting them directly to inquire about potential internship programs. If you are a university student, your university may be able to help with internship placements, course credits or housing options.
Once you complete your internship, you may also consider continuing your career in Portugal.
INICIAR—The state-sponsored internship program in Portugal
There are currently a few government programs that actually pay the company to employ interns, helping them gain the necessary experience to enter the Portuguese labor market independently after the internship is over. The most famous program is called from IEFP and is widely used by companies from a wide range of sectors.
Under the current Portuguese law, INICIAR internships last 6 months and cannot be extended, meaning the company will either have to hire or let the intern go at the end of this period. Furthermore, wages covered by the public program will depend on the worker's qualifications:
- High School Degree + Curricular Internship: €888.25;
- Bachelor Degree: €1149.50;
- Master's Degree: €1254.00;
- PhD: €1358.50.
If you qualify and the company is interested in your services as an intern, they are the ones to complete your application through the official governmental portal. Also, keep in mind interns can only partake in the INICIAR program once, unless they complete a new cycle of studies. For example, if an intern is accepted into an INICIAR program for 6 months and afterwards gets a college degree, then they are eligible to participate in a second internship if they so desire.
Finally, foreigners qualify for the state-sponsored internship as long as they have a certificate as proof of their educational courses/accomplishments and have a valid visa that allows them to stay in Portugal for the duration of the program.
Good to know:
Everyone who has a high school degree, as well as proof of having completed a curricular internship, can participate in the INICIAR program, regardless of age. However, those with a Bachelor's Degree, a Master's Degree, or a PhD are only eligible to the Estágios +Talento, a sort of subprogram from INICIAR. In that case, applicants must be between 18 and 35 years old.
We do our best to provide accurate and up to date information. However, if you have noticed any inaccuracies in this article, please let us know in the comments section below.
