International recruitment: boost your career with graduate programmes and France’s VIE international internship scheme

Graduate programmes last 2-3 years and are designed to breed excellence across several functions and countries, while also including technical and managerial training for recent graduates.   
The young talents selected by multinationals like Orange, Société générale , SONY, EADS and many more (over 500 graduate programmes are listed in EDHEC’s International Recruitment Guide*) benefit from Human Resources coaching and mentoring aimed at nurturing the company’s future senior executives.
The recent graduates selected for these programmes have the chance of developing their skills in a fast-track environment and thus gaining earlier-access to managerial posts.
However, candidates have to negotiate an extremely stringent selection process. After filling out an application form on line, candidates undergo a telephone interview, followed by tests and finally a 24-48 hour assessment at the company’s headquarters. Although French students sometimes find the process a little long, they have to realise that they are in competition with the best European students, and particularly British students for whom graduate programmes have been part of the scenery for a long time. Graduate programmes provide an ideal first job for students graduating from top business schools. They are selective, function according to graduation year and enable the new graduate to start his/her career anywhere in Europe.

VIE international internship contracts are mutually beneficial for businesses and students. Each year 10% of EDHEC students opt for this route. VIE internships are beneficial for businesses in that they provide a means of recruiting talent in France or Europe for assignments abroad that generally last 18-24 months. They are beneficial for students at the end of their studies in the sense that they provide a fine opportunity to gain that first job (the rate of conversion of VIEs into permanent contracts is optimal). They also provide an administrative framework that enables students to set off abroad with the knowledge that their practical needs are largely taken care of.
How do you find VIEs? Major French groups and SMEs offer them. Offers can be viewed on careers.edhec.com, civiweb and corporate websites, but most VIEs are unearthed via unsolicited applications or through contacts made during other internships. A manager who has seen you operate and is satisfied with your work can provide you with a letter of recommendation for a VIE in the same company. This letter, coupled with your application, is an opportunity to explain to Human Resources why you are interested in the VIE internship in question.   
It is important to target the countries that interest you, as well as the type of assignment, so as to show that you are both suited to the post and motivated for it. The obvious attractions of VIE contracts make them highly-prized by recent graduates, thus meaning your application needs to stand out from the crowd.

When do I apply? At the end of your studies, bearing in mind that more and more businesses use VIE internships to fill their graduate intakes. You will consequently be asked to furnish a document testifying to your probability of graduating in the coming year. It is vital to validate your academic obligations, and especially your dissertation, in order to maximise your chances of being selected for a VIE.

You can find VIE internships all over the world, but 45% of them concern Europe, 20% Asia and Oceania, 12% North America, 14% Africa, 4% Latin America and 4% the Middle East. Interns receive a flat-rate allowance, which varies according to the country concerned, but not to your level of qualification. Companies add housing and transport benefits that often result in a highly comfortable level of remuneration compared to the cost of living in certain countries.
Recent graduates sign a 6-24 month contract with the company and may then work all over the world, although as mentioned above, 45% of VIEs are in Europe. “The VIE scheme is a French-style graduate programme with the difference that it is not based on a single country”, explains Manuelle Malot. Another difference is that VIEs remain highly masculine (67% of VIE interns are male), testifying to the scheme’s national service roots. One variant of the VIE is the VIA, which enables recent graduates to work abroad for French government departments and services (embassies, consulates, alliances françaises, research institutes, economic missions) or for co-operation and cultural services.

VI internships are open to students and recent graduates aged 18-28; in practice, however, interns offered assignments in companies generally tend to be over 23 and master’s level students with 4-5 years of post-baccalaureate studies.

The corporate functions most concerned are marketing, trade, purchasing, logistics, management control and finance, but also law, human resources and banking functions for the economics and management tracks.  
The sectors of activity hosting the most VI interns are banking, vehicle-manufacturing (including vehicle components), chemicals, pharmaceuticals, civil engineering, infrastructure, engineering, retailing, transport, aerospace, legal, tax and audit.

Manuelle Malot - Directrice Carrières et Prospective, EDHEC & Florence Da Costa - Head of Student Career Centre, EDHEC