Siiii ragazzi! Italy, one of the team’s favourite cuisines, and we know how important that is when you’re spending time abroad. It’s a multi-faceted country that’s worth returning to again and again, to discover each region: and for that you can check out our top 10 most fun cities in Italy. Italy is a friendly country, where, if you make the effort to learn a few Italian words, doors will easily open for you! In fact, the locals are very friendly; but be warned that, like France, the UK and Ireland, there is racism and homophobia in the Italian countryside, so it’s best to head for the big cities to avoid intolerance and human stupidity. Beyond that, Italy is a magnificent country, bursting with monuments and with a very important historical heritage: 50% of the world heritage registered with UNESCO is in Italy! World heritage indeed! Do your BTS work placement in Italy, Andiamo! Don’t hesitate to read our many blog articles on the subject, to help you choose your target city for your work placement abroad.
A BTS CI work placement differs in the first and second years. In the first year, since the new reform, you can choose one or more assignments as part of your work placement abroad:
- Communication/marketing: management of social networks, communicating with the company’s customers as part of a sales approach, on-line and off-line marketing
- Customer prospecting: building a customer file, mailing, canvassing the company’s prospects and target customers, building an export network, building a supplier base, database management, etc.
- Taking part in sales events: organising trade fairs and shows abroad, negotiating orders, managing customer orders, etc.
These assignments must be in foreign languages, and are often unpaid. While in France it may be compulsory to pay an intern under certain conditions, this is very rarely the case abroad: Belgium and Luxembourg are also at this level, and soon Cyprus – for more information about an internship in Cyprus, you can follow our blog here – but these are the only countries in the world where companies are legally obliged to do so. In Italy, therefore, your BTS CI placement abroad is unlikely to be paid, so you’ll need to budget for it and apply for a grant from your region: you can use our blog to get a good idea of how much money you’ll need for your placement abroad in Italy. Depending on the city you choose, Italy can still be very affordable! Among the countries considered to be rich, Italy is certainly the most affordable, with inexpensive basic products, particularly food, which is cheaper than in France.
Doing your BTS CI work placement in Rome
The capital! A city of commerce and agriculture, Rome is ideal for your BTS CI work placement. With 1 billion things to visit and even more to taste, you’ll never have time to get bored. Rome is a major cultural centre, and you’ll love getting lost in the historic centre! As well as being fun, Rome is a European capital and, like Paris, a world city, so you can do your BTS CI work placement abroad in a wide variety of fields. At International Horizons, we prefer to find an internship in Italy with a human-sized company: it gives you the chance to work on several assignments, talk a lot and avoid being put in a cupboard to do nothing for 2 months! In short, from experience, it’s much nicer.
Doing your BTS CI work placement in Florence
An open-air museum! The team’s favourite city in Italy and Europe for some s/o Seb & Hugo. In a word: magnificent. It’s the city of the Renaissance, of love, of splendour. Florence, Pisa and Montepulciano are all within easy reach when you do your work placement in Italy, in the beautiful region of Emilia-Romagna. The economy is obviously focused on tourism and wine exports, among other things. Check with your teacher, but some schools allow you to do a first-year BTS CI placement in the service rather than product sector; in fact, most of them do. You should be aware, however, that Florence is an expensive city in Italy, so you’ll need to budget more than if you were to do your placement in Naples, for example.
Do your BTS CI work placement in Milan
The fashion capital of the world! And, above all, the economic capital of the country. If you’re a fashionista, Milan is the place to be. A bustling city, there’s no shortage of opportunities for a BTS CI work placement. Milan is a highly industrial city, so it could be the perfect place, like Genoa or Catania, to do your BTS CI internship in your second year. As a reminder, in your second year, your BTS CI work placement must focus on import/export, with strictly supervised assignments in order to obtain your diploma. You’ll have to work on import/export documents, methods of transporting goods, quotations according to the various Incoterms (International Commercial Terms), etc. You know all about it! So Milan is ideal for product-oriented companies. After that, we can also find you a placement with a service-oriented company: we’ll adapt.
Doing your BTS CI work placement in Palermo
Southern Italy – and especially where my Grandma comes from! Palermo is Italy’s migrant city, a very pleasant place to visit, with a pedestrianised city centre and a lively atmosphere both day and night. And, as Sicily is an island, there are plenty of opportunities for your BTS CI work placement abroad. Sicily is heavily dependent on imports, with very little production, apart from fruit. With global warming, the island has even turned to the production of exotic fruit in recent years, exporting its produce throughout the European Union. Sicily also has direct ferries to Malta: why not discover another country during your work placement abroad? In any case, we love Malta too, and you can read our feedback here.
Doing your BTS CI work placement in Bari
Puglia is all about sunshine, wine, excellent food and spectacular towns and seascapes: you can read about our experience on our blog, if you want to find out more about what there is to do in the region. Bari is a big city, a little smaller than Nantes: very pleasant in the evening, very dynamic, the old centre is ideal for hanging out on the terrace, and the beach is just a few minutes’ walk away. As far as your work placement is concerned, there are plenty of possibilities: the city has a relatively varied economy. What’s more, French people tend to go to Milan or Rome for their work placements in Italy, so it’s easier to find an interesting work placement abroad in Bari.
Do you have a clearer idea about your BTS CI work placement in Italy? If you have any questions, you can always check out our FAQ to see how we work, or contact us – it’s free and there’s no obligation: our team will always be delighted to give you advice, answer your questions or help you plan your work placement abroad! When planning your work placement in Italy, don’t forget to be realistic about your language level (English and/or Italian), so that the company welcomes you with full knowledge of the facts, and so that you have a good experience, adapted to your linguistic maturity. But you should know that in Italy, you won’t be disappointed! Italy is a very welcoming country, with generous people, incredible landscapes and cities and blazing sunshine during your first-year work placement. It’s also a great way to do a placement abroad, without having to travel too far from home! There are direct flights every day from all French international airports to several Italian cities! In just a few hours, if you feel a bit down, you can get back to your family to recharge your batteries and get back to the heart of your experience in Italy. The International Horizons team is just waiting for you to sign up and find your work placement in Italy!
For more general questions, visit the International Horizons Internships Abroad FAQ.