Student jobs and internships (prácticas) in Spain

Terms used

• Prácticas — Prácticas are student placements with a company or institution, run under an agreement with your university.
• Convenio de cooperación educativa — The convenio de cooperación educativa is the framework agreement between a university and a host organisation that governs student placements.
• Bolsa — A bolsa is a financial grant a student may receive during prácticas; it is not a wage.
• Alta — The alta is the registration of a person with Social Security.
• SEPE — SEPE is Spain's public employment service.

Key rules

• Agreement: Your university, the host organisation and you must sign the training annex before your first day.
• Pay: Spanish law does not require prácticas to be paid, and a bolsa is not a wage.
• Social Security: The host organisation registers you and pays the contributions, including for unpaid placements since 1 January 2024.
• Warning sign: No agreement and no registration means the arrangement is not a proper placement.

The short version

A proper placement in Spain runs under a signed agreement between your university and the host organisation. If there is no agreement and no Social Security registration, it is not a proper placement. This page covers university students. Vocational training (FP) placements have separate rules.

Two types of prácticas

• Curricular prácticas are part of your study plan and count for credits (ECTS) toward your degree.
• Extracurricular prácticas are voluntary and done alongside your studies. They give no credits, but they are recorded in the European Diploma Supplement (Suplemento Europeo al Título).

Both types have two supervisors: a tutor at the host organisation and an academic tutor at your university. Both need a signed agreement.

How the agreement works

The convenio de cooperación educativa is the framework agreement between your university (or its foundation) and the company or institution. You do not always sign it yourself.

You do sign a training project or annex for your own placement. The university, the host organisation and you all sign it, and it must be signed before your first day. It sets out:

• the objectives, activities and skills you will work on
• duration, schedule and location
• the tutors on each side
• any grant (bolsa)
• insurance and Social Security
• confidentiality, and your rights and duties

Do not start work until the annex is signed. The documents list below shows what to have ready.

Pay

Spanish law does not require prácticas to be paid. The agreement may provide a bolsa. Curricular placements are often unpaid. Extracurricular ones are commonly paid.

Typical bolsas in 2025 were around 300–700 euros a month for part-time placements. They are higher at large firms and in sectors such as engineering or finance. Some collective agreements or university programmes set minimums.

A bolsa is not a wage and does not create an employment relationship. If you are doing a full job with a wage, you need an employment contract, not prácticas.

Social Security

The host organisation must register you (alta) with the Tesorería General de la Seguridad Social and pay the contributions. This applies to paid placements, curricular or extracurricular.

Since 1 January 2024, unpaid training placements are covered too, with a lower flat-rate contribution that the organisation usually pays. Details for unpaid placements and the transition rules can still change, so ask the Seguridad Social what applies to you.

How to spot an unregistered arrangement

Treat it as a warning sign if:

• there is no agreement or annex, or it arrives after you have started
• your university's placement office has never heard of the placement
• the organisation says it will "sort out" registration later, or will not register you because you are unpaid
• you are doing regular full-time work with no tutor and no learning plan

Ask for the signed annex and confirmation of your registration before you start. Your university's placement office can check this.

Working hours and exams

No law bans students from working during exam periods. Your placement schedule must fit your academic activity, and some classes may have mandatory attendance. If you have a work contract and are studying for an official qualification, you have the right to paid leave for the time needed to sit exams. Collective agreements and university rules differ, so check yours.

If you are a non-EU student on a student permit, there are separate limits on your working hours.

Where to find placements

• Your university's career or placement office and its online placement portal
• Your faculty's placement coordinator
• University-business foundations (fundaciones universidad-empresa)
• Job portals such as InfoJobs, LinkedIn, Indeed and Universia
• Erasmus+ traineeships
• Company graduate programmes, job fairs and direct applications
• Public employment services, including SEPE and regional equivalents, which advertise some schemes

The FAQ below answers common questions.

Documents you need

• Educational cooperation agreement (convenio de cooperación educativa): signed by your university (or its foundation) and the host company. It is the framework that governs placements, and you do not always sign it yourself.

• Training project or annex for your placement: signed by the university, the host entity and you before your first day. It sets out objectives, activities, duration, schedule, location, tutors on both sides, any bolsa, insurance and social security.

Frequently asked questions

Do prácticas have to be paid in Spain?

No, Spanish law does not require prácticas to be paid, but the agreement can include a monthly grant called a bolsa. Curricular placements are often unpaid, while extracurricular ones are commonly paid. Typical bolsas run from 300 to 700 euros a month for part-time placements, and the bolsa is not a wage.

Where can I look for prácticas placements?

Start with your university's career or placement office and its online placement portal, then ask your faculty's placement coordinator. Job portals, university-business foundations, Erasmus+ traineeships, job fairs and direct applications to companies also work.

Is an unpaid placement covered by Social Security?

Yes, since the 2024 pension reform, unpaid prácticas are also covered, with a lower flat-rate contribution that the host entity usually pays. The entity must register you with Social Security, so a placement with no registration is a warning sign. Check the details for your case with the Seguridad Social.