In Brazilian Portuguese, an internship is called an estágio. Like in other countries, it’s an opportunity for students or young people to gain experience in a company, either unpaid or with a small stipend or salary. These employees are called estagiários, or interns, and to participate in an internship is to estagiar. In Brazil, internships are competitive, but some also opt to do internships abroad. In some cases, applicants have to take an entry exam, like you would have to for a civil service job.

Let’s take a look at the concept in action.

In this recent article, the author discusses the importance of the estágio:

O mercado de trabalho mudou e estagiar se tornou um desafio capaz de assegurar uma boa vaga depois de conquistar o diploma. O foco de estudantes, atentos para o crescimento de setores e da economia, definiu que mostrar o potencial dentro de empresas por meio do estágio deixou de ser somente via ensino superior e deu lugar para o ensino técnico, com a durabilidade de 02 anos, teor prático e a certeza de carteira assinada e independência financeira.

Read the full article here. Besides an internship, what should students also do to become more desirable in the job market?

Here’s a recent news segment from Globo’s Fantástico program about estágios:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nr64GO0iV9E

According to the report, what do estagiários lack in terms of employee benefits?

And here’s a video from VEJA magazine, giving advice about how to prepare a resume, called a CV or currículo.

How do you say cover letter in Portuguese?

Answers after the jump.

Answers

1. Take courses, like in foreign languages or information technology

2. Most of them, including vacation time, bonuses, and transportation/food benefits

3. Carta de apresentação