Internship in a company without an agreement, what are the risks?

Find out what penalties you face with an internship without an agreement.

That's it, congratulations, you've found your dream internship! The catch? No internship agreement... Yeah, but here it is, it's the company you've been wanting to join for years, with crazy assignments, an office all to yourself, the prospect of a job, and a tempting salary!

So obviously the temptation to accept without an internship agreement is great... so what are we exposing ourselves to without this precious sesame?

You? Not much, except for no assurance of being paid, that the internship conditions stated above will be respected, no protection in the event of a workplace accident, and above all, no recourse to take action against the company.

Them? A company that takes on an intern without an internship agreement would be exposed to the same risk as taking on illegal workers. The penalty would be criminal and enforced by the criminal court. Inspections are becoming increasingly frequent.

The penalties provided for in Articles L 362-3 et seq. of the French Labour Code will then apply (imprisonment of 3 to 5 years for the head of the company, fines of 45,000 to 75,000 euros). In addition to natural persons, legal entities may also be held liable under the conditions provided for in the Criminal Code.

The new law on internships is therefore intended to protect you and despite the constraints that the internship agreement may represent, it remains the only element allowing us to establish a working framework and establish rules to combat the exploitation and abuse to which interns are often subjected.

Conclusion: no agreement, no internship!