Every year, students send dozens of applications to luxury houses and receive only automatic replies, or nothing at all. The problem rarely lies in the profile: it lies in the timing, the channel, the type of internship targeted or a CV that looks like all the others. Internships in luxury houses are won with a method: applying at the right time, through the right channels, for offers consistent with your background, with a CV that shows deliverables rather than passion. This article details the calendar, the channels that work, choosing the type of internship, what the recruiter looks at, how to follow up and the most common mistakes.
The internship calendar
Internships in luxury houses follow the rhythm of study programmes and of activity at head offices and boutiques. A few general reference points, which vary between schools and houses:
Long gap-year or final-year internships (often six months) start mainly in January and July. Offers are published several months in advance: allow three to six months between the start of your search and the start of the internship.
First- or second-year internships, which are shorter, are often sought at the beginning of the calendar year for the summer.
Boutique internships also follow activity peaks: extra staff before the year-end holidays, summer season in resorts and tourist cities.
Structured programmes (final-year internships leading to a graduate programme, VIE international volunteering) often have dated recruitment campaigns, announced on the groups’ careers sites.
The practical rule: start searching as soon as you know your internship dates, and follow the offers every week. The best offers go quickly, often before the stated deadline.
On conditions, an internship of more than two consecutive months in the same school or academic year entitles the intern to a gratuity. Service-Public.fr 🔗, the French government’s public information site, sets the legal minimum at 4.50 euros per hour of internship, corresponding to a share of the social security hourly ceiling, and recalls that the amount must appear in the internship agreement. Some industries provide for a higher amount.
The channels that work
The careers sites of groups and houses. This is the main channel for head office internships. Large groups also present their programmes for students and young graduates there: the recruitment pages of Kering 🔗 and LVMH 🔗 give examples. Set up alerts by job and by city.
School relations. Offers reserved for students of certain schools, campus presentations, careers fairs, application workshops: this is often the most effective channel, because the house already knows the programme. Go through your school’s internship or corporate relations office.
Careers fairs and events. They let you meet recruiters and alumni, understand houses’ needs and sometimes submit an application directly.
The alumni network. An alumnus working in a house can tell you which teams are recruiting, review your CV or pass on your application. Ask for a twenty-minute conversation rather than directly for an internship.
Unsolicited applications. They work better in boutiques than at head office. For head office, target a specific team and address its manager, through the careers site or the online professional network.
General internship platforms. They relay many offers, but competition there is strong. Use them to spot offers, then apply through the house’s site if possible.
Choosing the right type of internship
Many students apply to anything with the word “luxury” in it. It is better to choose a type of internship consistent with your background and plans.
Head office internships. Marketing, product, merchandising, CRM, communication, events, retail, supply chain, finance, human resources. These are the most sought after. They require a background in a business school, university or engineering school, and a clear professional plan.
Boutique internships. Trainee sales advisor, boutique assistant. They are more accessible and very formative, including for students who then aim for head office: head office teams appreciate candidates who know sales.
Studio and workshop internships. Assistant designer, assistant pattern maker, workshop intern. They are reserved for design profiles or technical training, with a portfolio.
Internships in subsidiaries abroad. They require languages and autonomy, and prepare well for international careers.
Internships with neighbouring players. Department stores, specialised communication agencies, distributors, materials suppliers, subcontracting workshops: they provide experience of the sector and its vocabulary, often with more responsibility than a first internship in a house.
A good internship path is built in two stages: a first internship that brings the vocabulary and codes of the sector (often in a boutique or with a neighbouring player), then a head office internship in the target job.
What the recruiter looks for in the CV
A luxury internship recruiter reads hundreds of CVs that look alike: the same schools, the same interests, the same declared passion. What makes the difference:
A clear plan. The summary says which internship you are looking for, over which period and in which job: “Master’s student in marketing, looking for a six-month internship in product marketing from January.”
Deliverables. For each experience, what you produced: an analysis, a presentation, an event organised, product sheets, a dashboard. Not a list of departments you passed through.
Knowledge of the boutique. A boutique job, even outside luxury, or a sales internship, is an asset for every head office internship.
Proven languages. A stay abroad, a score, an internship abroad.
Precise interests. A practice, a short course, a workshop visit, rather than “fashion, travel, art”.
Impeccable presentation. One page, without mistakes, sober.
The young graduate CV analysed on this site shows two internships in houses described through their deliverables. If you do not yet have any experience in the sector, our article on building a CV without luxury experience helps you transfer your student jobs.
Following up without insisting
A well-made follow-up can unblock an application; one follow-up too many closes it. A few rules:
- wait one to two weeks after sending before following up, unless the offer gives a timetable;
- follow up once, with a short message: a reminder of the role, your availability dates and one sentence on what motivates you;
- target the right person: the recruiter named in the offer, or the team manager if you know them through your network;
- say thank you after an interview, within twenty-four hours, with a message of a few lines;
- accept a refusal gracefully: possibly ask for feedback, and keep in touch for a future campaign.
The sector is small: a recruiter who turned you down for one internship may offer you another six months later if the exchange was courteous.
Common mistakes
Applying too late. Starting to search a month before the internship start date, when the offers have already been filled.
Sending the same CV everywhere. A CRM application and an events application do not call for the same summary or the same order of experience.
Only targeting the best-known houses. Competition is strongest there; smaller houses, subsidiaries or neighbouring players often offer more formative internships.
Writing a letter centred on passion. It does not set you apart; our article on the cover letter for luxury proposes a more effective structure.
Neglecting the online professional network. An incomplete profile, or one inconsistent with the CV, weakens the application.
Ignoring the boutique. Refusing a boutique internship on principle, when it brings experience that head offices look for.
Forgetting the agreement. An internship in France requires an agreement signed by the school, the student and the host organisation; check your school’s deadlines.
For the rest of the process, our article on the steps of recruitment in a luxury house describes interviews and role plays, and the one on fashion schools helps place your programme.
An intern’s CV must be readable in a few seconds and get through the screening software of large groups, which receive a considerable volume of applications. The LuxeCV editor produces a sober page and a PDF that these tools interpret correctly, so that your application is read by a human. You can create your CV for free.
Sources
- Service-Public.fr, Minimum gratuity for a student intern in a company 🔗.
- Kering, Recruitment and talent page 🔗.
- LVMH, Join us page 🔗.
Frequently asked questions
How many applications should you send to land a luxury internship?
There is no magic number. Around twenty targeted applications, adapted to each offer and followed by one follow-up, often give better results than a hundred identical ones.
Is a boutique internship useful for a business school student?
Yes. It teaches selling, the clientele and the daily life of a house, and head office teams value it highly, particularly in marketing, product, CRM and retail.
Can you do a luxury internship without an internship agreement?
In France, an internship takes place under an agreement signed between the educational institution, the student and the host organisation. Without an agreement, it is not an internship. Ask your school about signing deadlines.
Do you need to speak English for an internship in a luxury house?
For a head office internship, almost always: teams work with markets and subsidiaries. For a boutique internship in a major city, English is also very useful for welcoming the international clientele.