Hungarian molecular-biology student completed a 6-month internship at a Lyon vaccine-research lab
Result: Co-authored an internal protocol that fed into a pre-clinical study; recommendation letter from the principal investigator
🇫🇷 France • Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
Erasmus+ Internships and Mobility Programs in Lyon
Piktalent organises Erasmus+ internships and mobility programs in Lyon, France for higher-education institutions, VET providers and individual students. Each placement includes a vetted host company, accommodation, insurance and on-site coordination. Lyon is France's second professional capital — a biotech, banking and gastronomy hub at the Rhône–Saône confluence with deep host-company capacity in life sciences (Sanofi Pasteur, BioMérieux), banking and a fast-growing tech scene around the Confluence and Part-Dieu districts.
In short
- Location
- Lyon, France (Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes)
- Programmes
- Erasmus+ KA131, KA171, VET, HEI, BIP, job shadowing
- Duration
- 2 weeks – 12 months
- Includes
- Placement, accommodation, insurance, 24/7 support
Cost of living for interns in Lyon
High costTypical monthly intern budget in Lyon based on Piktalent-arranged shared accommodation. Figures are indicative and updated against current placements; Final pricing is confirmed with your proposal.
- Room
- €550–850/mo
- Daily expenses
- €320–420/mo
- Total monthly
- €870–1,270/mo
- Erasmus+ grant
- Erasmus+ grant covers most monthly cost of living outside Paris; top-up common in the capital.
What Piktalent delivers in Lyon
Every mobility programme in Lyon is fully managed end-to-end — so coordinators at sending institutions can focus on academic outcomes while we handle logistics, compliance and on-the-ground support.
Accommodation
Vetted, safe housing in Lyon within commuting distance of the workplace — typically shared apartments or student residences.
Insurance
Travel and liability insurance covering the full mobility period, aligned with Erasmus+ requirements.
24/7 support
Local coordination team in Lyon plus a 24/7 emergency line throughout the placement.
Host company matching
Placement matched to the participant's field of study and learning objectives across our Lyon host network.
Mentoring & orientation
Airport transfer, city orientation and weekly check-ins with the on-site coordinator in Lyon.
Documentation
Learning agreements, mid-term and final reports, Europass certificates and all paperwork required by the sending institution.
Mobility programmes
Erasmus+ mobility programmes we run in Lyon
Lyon is Piktalent's leading French destination for HEI biotech, pharma and clinical-research placements, and a strong choice for hospitality groups (KA121/KA122) of 10–15 participants in restaurants and hotels across the Vieux Lyon and Presqu'île districts.
Also available to individual students
À la carte support services in Lyon
Accommodation
Vetted housing close to the host company in Lyon — apartments, residences or host families.
Insurance
Health, accident and liability cover compliant with Erasmus+ and host-country requirements.
Visa & documentation
Guidance on visas, residence permits and host-country paperwork for non-EU participants.
Language courses
Pre-departure and on-site language training to speed up workplace integration in Lyon.
TEFL — Teach English Abroad
Accredited TEFL certification — open enrolment, no internship required.
Internship job portal
Browse and apply directly to open internship positions in Lyon and across Europe & the USA.
Why Lyon for internships and mobility programs
Lyon's professional culture is more relaxed than Paris but more formal than Marseille — punctual, polite, with structured meetings and clear hierarchies. The city's famous bouchon culture means networking often happens over long lunches rather than after-work drinks. Biotech placements are highly structured around lab protocols; tech placements at Confluence run more like Barcelona startups.
Economy
Lyon is a key economic hub in France, attracting international companies and offering an internship market that spans early-stage startups, established SMEs and multinational employers.
Key sectors
Active host-company sectors in Lyon: pharma, business, engineering, gastronomy. Each Erasmus+ internship is matched to the participant's field of study.
International environment
English is the working language in most international placements in Lyon. Teams are typically multinational, and incoming Erasmus+ participants integrate alongside an established alumni network.
Europe's largest vaccine-research cluster (Sanofi Pasteur, BioMérieux, Mérial) — unique for biotech placements
France's second financial centre (Crédit Agricole, Banque Populaire, Société Générale regional HQs)
UNESCO-listed gastronomy capital — strong demand in hospitality, F&B and luxury hotels
Major chemical and clean-tech corridor along the Vallée de la Chimie
Working English common in biotech and tech; intermediate French strongly recommended for full integration
TGV connections to Paris (2h), Marseille (1h45) and Geneva (2h)
Available internship fields in Lyon
Piktalent offers Erasmus+ internships in Lyon across the fields below. Each link opens a dedicated page with host-company examples, durations and learning outcomes.
How an Erasmus+ internship in Lyon works
Four steps from first brief to final report. Plan twelve weeks of lead time for a quality mobility programme in Lyon.
- 1
Brief & matching
Share participant profiles, dates and target field. Piktalent matches each intern to a vetted host company in Lyon.
- 2
Learning Agreement & paperwork
We co-sign the Erasmus+ Learning Agreement, issue insurance and confirm the mobility programme details with the sending institution.
- 3
Pre-arrival & accommodation
Vetted accommodation in Lyon is booked before arrival; pre-departure briefing covers culture, transport and emergency contacts.
- 4
On-site support & reporting
Local team in Lyon runs check-ins, monitors the internship and delivers final reports plus Europass Mobility documents.
Internship examples in Lyon
Recent placements managed by Piktalent in Lyon.
Who is Lyon best for?
Lyon works particularly well for the participant profiles below. If your sending institution matches one of these, we typically have host capacity within 2–4 weeks.
- 1HEI students in biotech, pharma, chemistry or clinical research
- 2Hospitality, gastronomy and luxury-hotel students
- 3Banking and corporate-finance students wanting a French alternative to Paris
- 4Participants with B1+ French who want full immersion in a major French city
Frequently asked questions about internships in Lyon
Other cities in France
Compare Lyon with other Piktalent destinations in France.
Related cities by sector
Other Piktalent destinations with overlapping host-company sectors to Lyon — useful when comparing cost, language and lead time across the same field.
From the blog — Lyon & France
Plan your internship program in Lyon
Tell us your sector, dates and group size — we'll send a tailored proposal for Lyon within 48 hours.