Recruiting a Design Intern

Why host a design intern in your company?

Welcoming a design intern means benefiting from a fresh perspective, creative thinking and the ability to turn ideas into concrete solutions. Throughout their training, our students progressively develop autonomy, methodological rigor and a strategic understanding of design. Thanks to regular immersion in professional environments — through internships, workshops and collaborative projects — students gain experience each year and adapt to a wide variety of organizational contexts.

Degrees prepared: A postgraduate programme equivalent to a Master’s degree (French State-recognised) and DN MADE Bachelor-level programmes
Internship duration: from 2 to 24 weeks depending on the level of study
Funding: compensation rules depend on your country's legislation.
Ideal for: advancing a specific project quickly, initiating a design approach or strengthening a project team

How to recruit a design intern?

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The design profiles you can welcome as interns

L’École de design Nantes Atlantique trains students who are able to contribute to real-world projects from their very first professional experiences.

Internships allow companies to welcome students in training and benefit from a fresh perspective grounded in design methodologies and project-based approaches.

Students can complete internships within:

the DN MADE Bachelor-level programmes (Spatial Design, Digital Design, Product Design, etc.)
postgraduate programmes equivalent to a Master’s degree, French State-recognised (Care Design, Digital Design, City Design, Food Design, Media Design, Design & Innovation Strategy, etc.)

Learn more about our students’ skills

Integrating a design intern from the Master-level

Year 1: observation internship

During this first internship, students have already selected their major and specialization, giving them a solid foundation for their first professional immersion. The internship allows them to discover your company, your design practices and working methods, while bringing a fresh analytical perspective to your team.

Year 2: specialization internship

In the second year, students refine their technical skills and strengthen their professional posture within their specialization. They can quickly integrate into project teams and contribute to targeted assignments while combining creativity with emerging expertise.

Year 3: advanced specialization internship

At this stage, students operate as junior designers capable of contributing actively to several phases of a project. They collaborate with teams, participate in deliverables and bring innovative and professional perspectives to ongoing projects.

Year 4: advanced responsibility internship

Fourth-year students consolidate their expertise and take on higher value-added missions. They contribute to more complex projects and collaborate closely with teams, becoming operational support while preparing for their final professional positioning.

Year 5: pre-professional integration internship

The final internship is a direct bridge to employment. Junior designers manage projects from initial brief definition to technical development and feasibility analysis.

This internship highlights their project management, creativity and professional capabilities. Each year, around 45% of interns are hired by their host company following their internship experience.

Stagiaire designer Diplôme de designer Bac +5

Integrating a design intern from the DN MADE programme

Year 1: observation internship

At the end of the first year of the DN MADE programme (National Diploma in Arts and Design Crafts), students complete an introductory internship within a design agency or in-house design department.

This first professional immersion helps them better understand the environments and professions related to product, spatial, fashion or digital design.

Year 2: professional internship

During the second year, students complete a 12-week professional internship within a company or organization.

They contribute to daily team activities, observe professional practices and begin participating actively in projects. This internship represents a key step in developing professional skills and exploring design applications within your sector.

Recruter un stagiaire designer

	Internship periods	Duration	Location
DN MADE - Year 1	april > may	2 to 4 weeks	France or abroad
DN MADE - Year 2	february > may	12 weeks	France or abroad
Master-level - Year 1	june > july	2 to 3 weeks	France or abroad
Master-level - Year 2	december > february	6 to 8 weeks	France or abroad
Master-level - Year 3 & 4	july > january	13 weeks to 6 months	Abroad
Master-level - Year 5	april > october	16 weeks to 6 months	France or abroad

Talent Days, journées de recrutement de designers

Talent Days

The school organizes dedicated networking events between companies and students — an opportunity to identify future collaborators and present career opportunities directly to young designers seeking new professional challenges.

Learn more