Traineeships
In Portugal, the internship is called estágio and its main objective is to integrate and complete the training of young people and to facilitate their integration into the world of work through the implementation of a period of practical training in a work context.
In Portugal the estágios can be:
- curricular: for young people enrolled in an education or training program;
- professional traineeships (extracurricular internships).
Professional traineeships:
There are some professional traineeship programmes organized by public bodies and/or with public financial support. These include:
estágios profissionais addressed to high school graduates, college graduates and young people who have obtained a qualification or completed vocational training courses. They can also be carried out in order to achieve a qualification to practice a specific profession. The internship is activated on the basis of a “contrato de estágio” stipulated between the host company and the intern, which cannot exceed 12 months - with the exception of mandatory internships for the acquisition of a professional qualification required for the exercise of a specific profession, which can last up to 18 months. If the internship lasts longer than 3 months, the host company is required to pay the intern a monthly internship allowance;
estágios Profissionais Programs financed and managed by public institutions, whose purpose is to promote the integration or reintegration into the labour market of unemployed young people:
The main program is the Medida Estágios Profissionais (Vocational Internship Measure), promoted by the IEFP-Instituto do Emprego e Formação Profissional, the national public employment service.
To access these internships it is necessary to be registered as unemployed with the IEFP's employment services. EU citizens can also access this measure, provided that their academic qualification is recognized by a national educational institution or other competent body. The Estágios Profissionais have a duration of 9 months, or 12 months (Estágio de Inserção, internship provided for people with disabilities), and internships carried out "within the framework of strategic projects", which can last 6, 9 or 12 months.
Trainees in these programmes receive a monthly grant, the amount of which varies, depending on the level of education of the intern.
More information is available in the website: iefponline.iefp.pt/IEFP/apoioIncentivos/apoioIncentivosEstagios
To find an internship in Portugal, you can also consult the following specialized sites:
- Estagiar, website specialized on internships: estagiar.pt/programas/nacionais/
- E2 Emprego & Estágios, website specializing in job and internship offers: empregoestagios.com/ofertas-estagios/
For more information visit the Traineeships section of the EURES Portal, and the official government portal.