Launch your career in space! Apply now to the ESA Student Internship Programme

Browse this year’s opportunities directly on our recruitment website. Create your candidate profile, upload your CV and add your motivation letter to submit your application. 

To be eligible to apply for an ESA internship, you must meet the following criteria:

• A student, preferably in your final or second-to-last year of a university course at Master’s level.
• A citizen of one of the following ESA Member States: Austria, Belgium, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. Nationals from Latvia, Lithuania, Slovakia and Slovenia, as Associate Members, or Canada as a Cooperating State, can apply as well as those from Bulgaria, Croatia and Cyprus as European Cooperating States.

How do I apply?

Browse the opportunities directly on our recruitment website by clicking here. Once you find the one that interests you the most, create your candidate profile, upload your CV and motivation letter, then submit your application.

Starting date

The starting date of the internship is flexible and can be decided by mutual agreement with your tutor. It should allow for the fact that you will need to be enrolled at university for the duration of the internship, which will be between three and six months.

Our tips for applying

To make your application as strong as possible, we suggest the following steps:

• Read through the different opportunities thoroughly and select the opportunity that most interests you and fits best with your academic background and aspirations. You can apply to a maximum of two internship positions, however within each internship opportunity there is no limit to the choice of topics.
• Share your motivation, interests and enthusiasm in your motivation letter – but keep it clear and concise.
• Answer the questions in the application form carefully: they are important for us to learn more about your profile and background.

Selection process

• November 2023: publication of internship opportunities.
• December 2023 - January 2024: shortlisting and selection of candidates.
• February 2024: earliest start date for internships. The starting date of the internship is flexible (between February and October of the same year) and can be decided by mutual agreement with your tutor.

Get informed

Find out more about what the Student Internship Programme at ESA offers, how the selection process works and the terms and conditions on our Student Internships page.

If you have any questions about ESA’s Internship Programme, please check our internship FAQs.

Good luck with your application!