Frequently Asked Questions Internships

October 18, 2017

1. Who are the internship advisors for my degree?

The Internship Committee (also known as Commissione Riconoscimento Moduli Didattici Esterni) consists
of several professors belonging to the ETF and ICM colleges; each professor pertains to a particular major
degree. Current members are:

• Computer Eng: proff. Gianpiero CABODI and Carlo NOVARA

• Electronics Eng.: prof. Claudio PASSERONE
• Electronics and Communication Eng. and Telecommunication Eng.: prof. Roberto GARELLO
• Cinema and Media Eng.: prof.ssa Sara MONACI
• Physics Eng.: prof. Fabrizio PIRRI
• Politong Project: prof. Fabrizio BONANI
2. Whom can I contact if I have a question?
The internship advisor of your degree course. More in general, for didactic questions (which internship to
choose, the academic advisor, etc.) contact the Internship Committee (the professors listed in question 1)
by writing an email to tirocini.ict@polito.it. For administrative questions (how to fill in the educa-
tional project, how to change the internship timetable, etc.) contact the Stage&Job office at their desk,
or by email at stage.job@polito.it. For questions on yout career, degree sessions, course credits, etc.
ask the didactic secretary.
3. The advisors listed in the answer to question 1 for my degree course are different from the name that
appears on the “Portale della Didattica” for the Internship module. Who are my true advisors?
The professors listed in the answer to question 1. The professor that appears in the “Portale della
Didattica” (at the time of this writing, prof. Passerone) is in charge of registering the Internship (see the
answer to question 29), but otherwise refer to the advisors for your degree course.

4. I’m part of the Politong Project; who should I contact for questions?
See the answer to question 1: there is the name of a professor who is in charge of managing Politong
students.
5. Which information should I include when contacting the Internship Committee or the Stage&Job office?
In your emails always specify:

• your first and last name, and your student ID number;

• your course degree and the code of the Internship course you have in your career (carico didattico);
• if you have already contacted a company, the name of the company and the name of the contact
person in the company;
• if your internship has already started, the name of the company, when you started and the name of
the academic tutor;
• if you have already finished the internship, the name of the company, when you finished it, the name
of your academic tutor and when you submitted your final report.
Unless explicitly requested, please don’t attach the final report, which should be submitted to the academic
tutor only.
 6. Where can I find additional information on internships?
In the Stage&Job office web site (http://stagejob.polito.it) or in the web page on “Portale della
Didattica” (Student Portal) for the Internship course (see messages as well as material). Moreover, for
students who are going to start their internship during the second semester of an academic year, the
Internship Committee organizes a meeting in December, and is available in that occasion to answer
student questions.

7. Where can I find a list of companies offering internships?

On your personal page on “Portale della Didattica”. You can check the list for non curricular internships
as well as the list of reserved curricular internships; to see the latter, you must be enabled (it should
be automatic if you have Internship in your career). For some degrees (for instance, telecommunication
and cinema) the advisors can often suggest additional companies that do not appear in the previous lists.
Moreover, if you know a company that is looking for some students but does not appear in the lists, you
can propose that company to the Internship Committee and have it registered on the Stage&Job office
web site.
8. Should I choose a company from the Politecnico list, or can I choose another company?
You can choose any other company that you know, but if it is not among those in the Politecnico list, you
should ask the Committee a special approval (see question 19). Make sure that an Internship Agreement
(see question 16) is active between Politecnico and the company.
9. What is Infostage?
It is a meeting, organized at Politecnico, between companies and students of the ICT area. It is usually
scheduled around mid February each year. During the meeting it is possible, in a direct and informal way,
talk to employees of the companies that offer internships, and get information on the company and on the
activities planned for the internships. Not all companies participato to Infostage (usually we host from
30 to 50 companies, in two different days). Participation for the students is free and does not require a
reservation.
10. I didn’t understand which information I should provide when I contact the Internship Committee.
As already explained in question 5, always provide your first and last name and student ID, your course
degree and the code for Internship in your career, the name of the company (if any) in which you are
performing or have performed your internship, and the name of your academic tutor. Also provide any
other information that you believe useful for the Internship Committee.
11. How are internships assigned to students?
When there are many students willing to start an internhsip (usually at the start of the second semester),
special internship assignment meetings are organized, where students are called following a merit order
(see question 12). Otherwise, assignments can be made directly without an internship assignment meeting,
and the merit order is used to solved conflicting cases only. If a meeting is not scheduled close to when
you want to start your internship, contact the professor in charge for your degree course (see question 1)
to learn how to proceed.
12. How does an internship assignemnt meeting works?
Students who want to participate to an internship assignment metting shall book before a certain deadline
(indicated for each meeting) through a link on the Stage&Job office web site. After the deadline, students
are ordered based on their grade average and are invited to a Politecnico room for the meeting (the room
number, date and time are indicated on the web site, or communicated to the students directly). During
the meeting a table of all available internships is projected on the room big screen. Students are called
following the grade average order, and each of them selects the internship he wants to choose. The table
is updated each time a student makes a selection, so that students who are called afterwards cannot make
the same selection. The meeting ends when all students are called. If you cannot participate to the
meeting, you can ask someone else to represent you by a proxy. If you are absent, you are simply skipped
and you can come to the next meeting (if you are booked to a meeting, but you know you cannot come,
please inform the Internship Committee in advance, if possible).
13. I want to have my internship during the summer or starting in september, should I register for the assign-
ment meeting in March?
No, it’s not necessary. Beside, the internship offers will probably not be the same, since companies often
change their plans. However, if you want to schedule your internship in April or May, and you want to
 be sure to select a particular one, then it might be a good idea to book for the March meeting, having
already agreed with the company to start one or two months later.
14. Should I have an interview with the company before selecting them?
It is not strictly necessary, but highly recommended. Some companies require a mandatory interview,
so try to organize yourself to have interviews with different companies, in order to increase your chances
of choosing an internship. You can exploit the Infostage meeting to meet many companies at once and
organize the interviews.
15. What is the educational project (progetto formativo)?
It is a form to fill in on your personal page of “Portale della Didattica”, with all the necessary information
to start an internship. In particular it includes information about the student, the academic tutor, the
company (also the name of the company tutor), a brief description of the activity, the start and finish
dates and the weekly timetable. It should be signed by the student, by the company tutor and by the
academic tutor, and should be submitted to the Stage&Job office at least 7 days before the beginning of
the internship. Once it has been submitted, the Stage&Job office produces all the documents required by
the law and sends them to the appropriate destinations.

16. What is the Internship Agreement (Convenzione di Tirocinio)?

It is an agreement between a company and Politecnico that allows the company hosting students from
Politecnico in an internship, with insurance provided by Politecnico. It should be submitted before the
educational project (progetto formativo) and it is valid for 5 years, covering all students for the entire
period. If there is no active Internship Agreement, it is not possible to fill in the educational project. A
new Internship Agreement requires some days, so you should take this into account when selecting your
internship start date. If you don’t know whether a company has a valid agreement with Politecnico, ask
the Stage&Job office (or ask the company directly).
17. Who is the company tutor and what are his tasks?
He is an employee or collaborator of the company, and usually works on the same project of your internship.
He is selected by the company and his main task is to be your technical advisor, guiding and helping you
in completing your activites. He also signs the educational project at the start of the internship, the
interhship booklet during the internship and sends an evaluation of your internship to the academic tutor
and to the Internship Committee.
18. Who is the academic tutor and what are his tasks?
He is a professor of Politecnico and has the task of ensuring the smooth progress of the internship. He
has the right to contact the company tutor and possibly arrange a meeting (in the company) to check the
status of your work. He signs the educational project at the start of the internship, he receives the final
report from the student at the end, he signs the internship booklet and, together with the company tutor,
expresses the evaluation and informs the Internship Committee. The academic tutor has no technical
tasks (he is not therefore required to help the student if there are technical problems). It is advisable to
periodically update your academic tutor on the progress of the internship and to promptly communicate
any problem. The academic tutor is assigned by the Internship Committee, possibly taking into account
the student preferences.
For Electrical Engineering and Computer Engineering courses, educational projects are often signed by
Profs. Passerone (ELN) and Cabodi (INF) to speed up the paperwork. They are therefore formally the
academic tutors. However, an effective academic tutor is generally assigned afterwards. The assignment
of the effective tutor is communicated either directly to the student (and the company tutor) via email,
or by publishing a list on the Stage&Job website and in “Portale della Didattica”.
19. I found a company by myself; can I start the internship by finding an academic tutor to sign the educational
project?
No, you should first contact the Internship Committee by email at tirocini.ict@polito.it (or even
better, contact directly the advisor for your course degree) to validate your internship. The commission
shall receive, preferably from the company, a detailed description of the activities and the name of the
company tutor, so that he can be contacted in case additional details are needed. To this end, you can
use a special form, called “Modulo Proposta”, that can be downloaded from the Stage&Job office web
site, or the company can upload the internship description on the web site using its own credentials. Note
that when many students are looking for internships (typically at the beginning of the second semester,
in February or March), internship are assigned in dedicated meetings using a mechanism that takes into
 account the student grade average, and the possibility to start an internship in a particular company is
not guaranteed.
20. How many hours should I spend in the internship?
It depends on the number of credits of the Internship you have in your career (carico didattico). If it
has 10 credits, you should spend 250 hours; if it has 12 credits, you should spend 300 hours; if it has 14
credits, you should spend 350 hours. Hours should be listed in the internship booklet that you receive
by email at the start of the internship from the Stage&Job office. Hours spent before the educational
project (progetto formativo) is officially approved cannot be listed in the internship booklet and don’t
count towards reaching the total required. You cannot list more than 8 hours per day and more than 40
hours per week.

21. Can I spend more or less hours with respect to those required in my internship?
No, although small differences (a few hours) can be tolerated.
22. Can I change the weekly timetable indicated on the educational project?
Yes, you can change the weekly timetable, but you should inform the Stage&Job office in advance. There
is a special form on your personal page on “Portale della Didattica” that you should be filled in and sent
to the Stage&Job office.
23. May I extend/suspend the internship?
When you fill in the educational project you should indicate the start date (usually known precisely)
and the end date of the internship (usually only estimated). If you notice that what you wrote does not
correspond to what you actually do, or does not allow you to finish the internship, with the agreement of
the company and the academic tutor you can ask an extension and/or a temporary suspension. At the end,
the total number of hours spent during the internship should correspond to those required. The request
should be addressed to the Stage&Job office using the form that you find on “Portale della Didattica”.
24. May I permanently stop the internship?
Yes, both the student and the company may unilaterally decide to stop the internship. In that case,
contact immediately the Internship Committee to explain your case and get guidance on how to proceed
(selection of another internship, selection of an alternate exam, etc.).
25. Should I write a report at the end of the internship?
Yes, you have to write a report. It should briefly describe the company mission and the project in
which you have worked, while the main part describes the work you personally carried out during the
internship. It is a technical report, and should be organized as such. In the conclusions you may also
write what you feel you have learned from training that would not have otherwise learned by attending
courses at the Politecnico. The report should be of approximately 30-40 pages, excluding attachments. See
also http://didattica.polito.it/tesi/SaperComunicare.pdf for some useful information in writing
technical reports (in italian).

26. Should I really give all the information listed in question 5 when I contact the Internship Committee?
Don’t you already have those information?
You should always give all the information (name, student ID, degree course, company, name of the
tutors, . . . ). The Internship Committee consists of professors who don’t have access to the databases
of the secretaries or of the Stage&Job office. Moreover, even if those information are known to the
Committee, it takes time to retrieve them. Finally, if you list those data in your email, the most suitable
professor will answer you, or otherwise more time is required, or nobody may actually reply to you.
27. How is the internship evaluated?
At the end of the internship (or during the internship) you should write a report on your activity that
should be sent to the academic tutor. Moreover, the company tutor should send to the academic tutor
an evaluation form (you can find it at the end of the web page of the Stage&Job web site on curricular
internship for the ICM and ETF colleges, currently at the address: http://stagejob.polito.it/studenti/
l_ingegneria_informatica_elettronica_fisica_delle_telecomunicazioni_del_cinema). Based on your re-
port and on the evaluation form, and possibly based on talks between the two tutors, the academic tutor
expresses his evaluation and sends it to the Internship Committee..
28. Does the internship have a grade that affects the average of the other exams?
No, the internship is registered as PASS or NO PASS only, for the 01CWH and 10CWH internship codes.
However, the academic tutor sends to the Internship Committee an evaluation, which is forwarded to the
Laurea Commission. The Laurea Commission can, at its own discretion, award up to an additional point
(over 110) to the final laurea grade.

29. Who is in charge of registering the internship credits?

The Internship Committee, on the recommendation of the academic tutor, is responsible to actually
register the Internship in your career. At the moment, the professor in charge of the Internship modules
is prof. Passerone, regardless of your degree course. You can contact him directly if you have problems in
registering your internship.

30. What date appears in the register for the internship?

The date that appears on the register for the internship should normally correspond to the date in which
you sent the internship report to your academic tutor. In the event that the academic tutor does not
communicate this information to the Internship Committee, the date used will be the one in which the
evaluation is received (so remember to the academic tutor to specify the date, especially in the vicinity of
the deadline for the graduation application).

31. How and when the internship is registered in my career?

When the Committee receives an evaluation from the academic tutor, it is inserted in a register in a
short time frame (no more than a few days), and the register is published. The evaluation appears on
the personal page of the student in a section with the tentative evaluations. Once an adequate number
of evaluations are received, the register is closed and electronically signed by the professor in charge, and
the evaluation becomes consolidated, meaning it is waiting for a second electronic signature from another
professor of the Internship Committee. When the second signature is obtained, the registration process is
complete (validated) and the evaluation appears in the student career. This procedure does not require
any student intervention.
The time it takes to register the internship may vary: when far from graduation deadlines, registers are
closed once a month; regardless of the number of votes received, and in the days immediately before and
after a deadline it becomes daily.
For urgent registrations (when applying for scholarships, for certificates, etc.) ask to the professor in
charge of the Internship module (see question 29).
32. The internship module appeared in the tentative evaluation on my personal page of the didactic web site,
what should I do?
Nothing in particular. It means that the academic tutor sent the evaluation to the Committee, and the
evaluation has been inserted in a register, which is not yet closed and signed. The date that you see is also
the date that will appear at the end of the registration process (useful to know to satisfy the requirements
to access laurea degree sessions). After some time (see the answer to question 31) the internship evaluation
will be consolidated (signed by the professor in charge) and the validated (signed by a second professor of
the Committee).
33. When should I terminate the internship and submit the final report to access a graduation sessions?
The deadline to pass the exams in order to access a particular degree session are decided by the Secretary’s
office, and published in the Guide for Students. If you have any doubt, ask the secretaries, not the
Committee.
34. I want to apply for graduation, but my internship has not yet been registered, what should I do?
Apply for graduation subject to the registration of the internship. In this way, the graduation application
is accepted, but the secretariat will verify, possibly in the days immediately following the deadline for
the application, the effective registration of the Internship module. If you see the Internship among the
tentative evaluations it means that the score has been received by the Committee and the registration is
in progress (see question 31), so you don’t have to worry. If you don’t see the internship in your personal
page, not even in the tentative evaluations, then make sure you’ve correctly sent to the academic tutor
the internship report within the time allowed for access to the graduation session, that the company tutor
has sent to the academic tutor the evaluation questionnaire, and that the academic tutor has sent to the
Internship Committee the final evaluation. Once these three conditions are verified, you can contact the
professor in charge of the Internship module (see question 29) to learn about the registration status.
35. I don’t have the Internship in my career, or it is in overbooking; may I do my internship and have it
acknowledged once it will be in my career?
No, you should first insert the internship in your career, otherwise it is not possible to formally start it.
In order to insert the internship in your career you need to have attended (not necessarily passed) courses
for at least 100 credits; therefore, it is not possible to insert the internship in the career before the third
year.

36. I have the internship in my career, but I would rather attend other courses instead; what should I do?
Contact the Internship Committee and explain your situation. It is always possible to exchange the
internship with alternative courses, by paying for the change. However, in some periods of the year the
Internship Committee and the Secretary’s office give the possibility to make the change without incurring
in additional charges.

37. Is it possible to perform the Internship in other periods, different from the second semester of the academic
year?
The internship can be in any period of the year, but the classes are organized such that you have a couple
of free days in the second semester of the third year, thus making it easier to attend the internship and
the courses. However, there are no formal constraints and you can choose any other period as well, such
as the summer months (if the company is open), or the first semester, or between the two semesters; the
only constraint is that the internship should already be part of your career.
38. How should the weekly timetable be, part-time or full-time?
It depends on the agreements between you and the company. Some companies prefer a full-time internship
(perhaps because the type of the planned activities requires it), other companies accept a part-time. In case
you change your timetable during the internship, you should notify the Stage&Job office (see question 22).
Remember that you cannot spend more than 8 hours a day and 40 hours a week.
39. I’m working or I have worked in the past for a company, can I ask my activity to be recognized as an
Internship?
Yes, you can ask that your past work experience is recognized as an internship. You must submit a
request to the Registrar’s office, including all the documentation of your previous work experinece (con-
tracts, projects, employer’s statements, etc.) and a report describing your past acitivities. The request is
forwarded to the Internship Committee for an evaluation. The evaluation is based, among others, on:
• domain of the activities close to the contents of the degree course;
• professional qualification of the activity;
• lenght of the activity.
It is important that this information can be easily understood from the submitted documents. In general,
a full-time 2 year work experience in the ICT domain is accepted to be recognized as an internship.