At CERN, the European Organization for Nuclear Research, physicists and engineers are probing the fundamental structure of the universe. Using the world's largest and most complex scientific instruments, they study the basic constituents of matter - fundamental particles that are made to collide together at close to the speed of light. The process gives physicists clues about how particles interact, and provides insights into the fundamental laws of nature. Find out more on home.cern.

Diversity has been an integral part of CERN's mission since its foundation and is an established value of the Organization.

Take part in CERN’s Technical Student Programme! 

If your university or institute requires or encourages you to acquire work experience through an internship, imagine doing this at CERN in Geneva. It’s more than work experience. In fact, it’s a student programme like nowhere else on Earth and an impressive addition to your CV!

If you are a student looking to complete practical training in domains related to Material and Surface Science or Chemical Engineering, you will have the opportunity to work at the cutting edge of technology, contribute and broaden your knowledge in areas as varied as mechanical testing of materials, magnetic measurements, metallography, surface treatment, optical and electronic microscopy, X-ray diffraction or radiochemistry to name a few.

Please note that students specialising in theoretical or experimental particle physics are not eligible to apply for this programme.

A panel of CERN experts meets three times a year in February, June and October,  to review all applications, and on each occasion, typically 80 students are selected to join the programme.

In order to qualify for a place on the programme you will need to meet the following requirements:

• You are a national of a CERN Member or Associate Member State.
• You have completed at least 18 months of your undergraduate studies (Bachelor or Master’s) at the time of the next student selection round taking place in June 2023.
• You remain registered as a full-time student during the internship.
• You have a good knowledge of English or French.

CERN would very much like to benefit from your expertise, commitment and passion. In return, CERN will provide you with:

• A contract of association from 4 to 12 months.
• An allowance of 3407 Swiss Francs per month (net of tax).
• A travel allowance.
• Depending on your personal circumstances, a supplement if you are married and/or have children.
• Coverage by CERN’s comprehensive Health Insurance scheme (the contribution will be automatically deducted from your allowance).
• 2,5 days of paid leave per month.

Life @CERN

Get a glimpse of what it’s like to work at CERN: https://careers.cern/benefits and https://careers.cern/our-people

Required documentation:

You will need the following documents, in English or in French, clearly labelled (e.g. “CV”, “Academic transcript”, "Reference Letter") and in PDF format to complete your application:

• A CV.
• A copy of your most recent academic transcript giving an overview of your marks (if you download it from your university portal please make sure there is no protection so that we can open it).
• A reference letter from your University Professor is mandatory. Should you have one from a previous internship you may add this as a second reference.

You may upload the reference letter yourself, whilst submitting your application, or through your referee via the link you will receive shortly after submitting your application.

Here are few tips:

• Be as specific as possible in the application fields “Education” and “Experience”.
• We recommend you prepare your answers in Word or Notepad in advance, as once you start completing the application on Smartrecruiters, you have a limited time to submit it.
• If you apply to more than one job, you will need to upload the documents for each application you submit.

Check out our dedicated pages for more information.

Your application along with all supporting documents should reach us no later than Monday 27th March 2023 (at noon: 12:00 CET). 

Please note that your application may also be shared during the process with a panel of national experts for evaluation purposes. Ultimately, it will be reviewed by a panel of CERN experts between 27th March until mid-June 2023. During this period, you may be contacted for phone/video interview or additional information. The outcome of the recruitment process will be given no later than 30th June.

Please note that if a traineeship agreement is required by your institute (university), as an international organisation CERN will not sign external documents. You will therefore be required to use the CERN traineeship agreement provided upon request.