New ranking reveals the best cities for paid internships and work experience

Business Name Generator has analysed cities across the globe to determine the best locations to start a career in.

June 2022: Internships are great ways to kick-start your career, providing you with real-life exposure to the world of work. Interning in a major city can be even more valuable for your personal and professional development. But where is the best place to seek an internship?

Business Name Generator has analysed 50 global cities to determine the best place to seek an internship, considering the number of internship opportunities, average salary, working hours, and the cost of living. In addition, they delved into search volume data to reveal the most sought-after companies to undertake an internship with. You can view the full study here.

Manchester, UK is the best city in Europe for interns, with over 2,400 free skills and networking events – the best European cities to be an intern include:

Rank

City

Country

Number of Vacancies at Internship Level

% of Remote Jobs

Average Working Hours

Average Intern Monthly Salary (£)

Free Skill / Networking Events

Average Cost of Rent Per Month – 1 Bed (£)

1

Manchester

UK

811

12

38.5

£1,736

2420

£908

2

London

UK

2,177

9

38.5

£2,372

1,000

£1,761

3

Paris

France

2,395

7

32

£1,091

188

£1,087

4

Stockholm

Sweden

267

7

35.9

£2,680

54

£1,189

5

Lund

Sweden

314

5

35.9

£1,639

20

£681

6

Helsinki

Finland

96

10

33.7

£1,076

33

£897

7

Newcastle

UK

385

23

38.5

£1,598

140

£724

8

Berlin

Germany

4,434

9

35.2

£965

100

£971

9

Nottingham

UK

695

16

38.5

£1,773

100

£692

10

Munich

Germany

4,912

5

35.2

£1,327

132

£1,230

Manchester is the best intern city in Europe, boasting the most outside-of-work development opportunities with 2,440 workshops and networking events at no cost. The city has over 800 open vacancies at internship level, with 12% of them offering remote flexibility.

London follows in second with 2,177 open intern vacancies and an average salary of £2,372 (€2,780) per month. The capital has 1,385 free attractions for those interns looking to experience a metropolis on a budget. Paris is the third-best city, bragging 2,395 open vacancies and average working hours of 32 per week, leaving interns plenty of time to explore the art galleries and local shops.

Zurich pays interns the most with an average monthly salary of £2,953 before tax, followed by Stockholm and London. Looking specifically at intern salaries by city, Business Name Generator reveals the top paying locations:

Rank

City

Country

Average Intern Monthly Salary (£)

1

Zurich

Switzerland

£2,953

2

Stockholm

Sweden

£2,685

3

London

UK

£2,372

4

Nottingham

UK

£1,773

5

Manchester

UK

£1,739

6

Edinburgh

UK

£1,686

7

Lund

Sweden

£1,639

8

Newcastle

UK

£1,598

9

Luxembourg City

Luxembourg

£1,372

10

Munich

Germany

£1,327

Interns in Zurich can expect to pocket £2,953 (€3,461) a month on average. London ranks in third with a monthly salary of £2,372 (€2,779) before tax, which is £28,464 (€33,354) a year. Other UK cities include Nottingham, Manchester and Edinburgh where the average monthly salary is up to £1,773 (€2,076) for an intern.

Switzerland, Sweden and London are known for their heightened cost of living, so interns need to look beyond salary when deciding on a location to launch their careers.

Business Name Generator commented on the findings: 

“Internships give you the transferable skills, connections, and industry insights to help you launch or test out a career. Whether a placement, a short or a long-term scheme, the internee, and employer can both benefit from this arrangement.

While internship formats may differ slightly from country to country, the study highlights the number of opportunities out there for fresh talent and how prospective interns shouldn’t sell themselves short when it comes to salary. This is especially the case as the cost of living skyrockets, which is another important factor for prospective interns to consider.”