Michelle spent 8 weeks in Paris during the summer of 2024, doing an internship. Here are her thoughts on her experience there.
How long was your program and when did it take place?
The program was an 8 week internship in Paris, from May 19-July 13.
Was this your first time in Paris?
No, but my first time doing an internship.
Do you speak French?
Yes
Were you housed with other BMCC students?
I shared an apartment with students from Kansas University and Brown, but was in the same building as other BMCC students.
What is your major? Did the internship relate to your major?
My major was Business Management. The internship involved marketing and social media, which was related.
What kind of business were you interning at?
My boss was creating a start-up and did not have an office. Sometimes I met her at a coffee shop and other times I worked remotely.
She was creating two brands, one of them called Commitment Fashion, which created items from recycled materials. She used castoff materials from other designers’ fashions (which would have otherwise been discarded as waste). I put together videos, photos and created content to describe what the brand is about.
The other start-up was called Bikini, but had nothing to do with bathing suits. Bikini was a chair manufacturer from the 1960s. She put together new furniture from this vintage furniture—again, using recycled materials.
My supervisor is a teacher—she teaches at a huge fashion school as well as being a designer. Sometimes she needed someone to help with the classes and I was able to sit in on the lectures, which was a great experience.
What kinds of things did you do in your spare time?
We did a lot of things. I say we, because the CIEE staff made sure that we had weekly group activities – like cheese tasting, wine tasting, dinners, a trip to Versailles. My housemates and I also went to museums, the Eiffel Tower, bar hopping, etc. Museums are free every Monday. Sometimes we took trips out of Paris, for instance, to Giverny, where Claude Monet lived and worked.
Would you recommend the program to others? What advice do you have?
Yes, I would definitely recommend the program to others, but be mindful of getting to know the job you are going to do and getting to know the person you will be working for (remotely) before you sign a contract. Sometimes it can be challenging if you are assigned to work with someone and they are not the mentor/boss you hoped for.
When you first got into the program did they give you choices of who to work with?
You do your first interview remotely with CIEE staff in Paris and they make recommendations. They advise you to be open to a variety of possibilities—for instance, the internship might be slightly different than your exact major focus, but a great experience and learning opportunity
If you find that you don’t like the person you are assigned to work with, can you be reassigned once you are in Paris?
Yes, CIEE works very hard to accommodate you, but it is much easier if you have more than one conversation with your potential boss before you sign the contract and move to Paris. Make sure as much as possible that it seems like a good fit. Don’t be afraid to request several remote conversation while you are still in New York and ask a lot of questions.
Did CIEE give you advice about living in Paris, using the Metro system, etc.?
Yes, CIEE was wonderful about that. They gave us three orientations before we left to Paris and one after we got there. They picked us up from the airport and took us to our apartment by taxi. CIEE gave us info. sheets with common phrases, such as how to order coffee, etc. They also told us about events in the area and opportunities—for instance, they were the ones who told us about museums being free on Mondays.
How did you find out about the program?
Sandra (Sandra Cortez, Study Abroad Director) approached me about the program. She asked about my major and asked me if I might like to consider studying abroad.
It sounds like it worked out well.
Very well.
