How about doing an internship in Portugal?

Thursday July 11th, 2019 Expatriation,Stage

You are a student and you are dreaming about discovering Lisbon, Porto or Faro? And what if you did your internship in Portugal?

To do an internship abroad is a wonderful experience and Portugal is a dream destination: pleasant way of life, more and more professional opportunities… Many students tried the experience and keep a very good memory of that.

Doing an internship in Portugal: the processes

If you are part of the European Union, processes to do an internship in Portugal are very easy. You just have to get a school certificate, a work placement agreement from your school and to be under 30.

You don’t need a visa but a residence permit if you stay more than three months. To get it, you have to go to the Foreigners and Frontiers Service with you ID card, a picture and your student documentary evidence. You also have to ask to the Loja de Cidadão for a Social Insurance number (NISS) and give it to your company.

Concerning the salary, the amount can change. Generally, in Portugal you’re getting paid as soon as your internship is more than three months long. According to Expat.com, “according to the type of the company (SMB, multinational), the salary is negotiable and can reach €900 per month in some companies”.

The advantages: quality of life, integration and professional opportunities

When you hear about Portugal, the arguments you will hear the most are the sun, the quality of life and the numerous activities available in the country (surf, beach, hiking, culture, night life…). But that’s not all.

Portugal is also a welcoming country, where the professional opportunities are booming, especially in IT, business, tourism and health sectors. More and more foreign companies are coming in Portugal. This means that, even if it is very useful for your integration, you do not have to speak Portuguese. Speaking a second language (French, Spanish or German) is recommended.

However, if you still want to understand and speak Portuguese – particularly for integration in your daily life – here are different ways to learn it:

• Schools
• Online courses (Babbel, Duolingo…)
• Tandem: meet someone who speaks Portuguese and who also wants to learn your language
• Facebook Groups
• Events

The inconvenients: accomodation

The main difficulty in Portugal, and especially in Lisbon, is the rent price which can be quite high. With an average of €500 per month, this amount is non-negligible considering the Portuguese salaries. However, the cost of living is quite low. If you go to the market, you can find very affordable fresh products and in some restaurants, you can eat for less than €10.

Public transports are not low-cost but their prices are affordable – the monthly subscription is between €20 and €42. However, if you live in the city centre, most of the journeys can be done by foot.

In brief, Portugal is an easy destination for an internship, where there are many opportunities – both on the professional level and the activities. Now that you know everything, you can discover our internship opportunities in Portugal!