What are voluntary internships in Civic Service?
- An opportunity for growth and a voluntary step taken by junior graduates who wish to become fully involved in civic action.
- A personal project specific to each Civic Service intern based on their background, skills, motivation and interests. Each Civic Service experience is unique, reflecting interns’ specificities.
- Mentoring support, giving interns the chance to learn and become part of the activities of a company.
- An internship stipend, the amount of which is determined by law, which enables interns to complete their engagement without financial or other constraints. Civic Service interns also benefit from full social security coverage funded by the host institution.
This experience as a civic service volunteer at BRGM allowed me to integrate a project developed on the whole of Martinique. This project allows me to apply my skills in geology and cartography on a sensitive subject on the island: natural risks. In addition to my main mission, I am involved in a variety of subjects that I would probably not have known about in the industrial sector. From scientific research on volcanoes to the setting up of educational geological trails, my geology here is useful and valued!
Doing a Civic Service internship at BRGM
At BRGM, Civic Service volunteering is an opportunity for graduates to acquire professional geoscience experience in the field, particularly in France’s overseas territories (Guadeloupe, French Guiana, Martinique, Reunion Island and Mayotte), New Caledonia and French Polynesia. Civic Service interns join our Regional Activities Division which defines, leads and coordinates BRGM's activities in the French overseas territories.
BRGM has signed an agreement with the Civic Service Agency, which sets out the conditions for accepting interns. According to this agreement, BRGM has been granted permission to provide Civic Service internships for graduates aged between 18 and 25, with a degree, masters or postgraduate degree in geosciences.
Over the past 4 years, BRGM has hosted 60 Civic Service interns who have completed 12- to 24-month internships.
All interns are supported during their engagement by technicians and engineers and are actively involved in the activities of different BRGM departments.
Civic Service opportunities in the field
Selected Civic Service internships
Knowledge of groundwater management and protection
Quantitative and qualitative assessment and monitoring of groundwater resources; study of the vulnerability of water bodies to human-induced contamination and to freshwater/saltwater interactions; and participation in the setting up of new projects.
Knowledge and prevention of natural hazards
Participation in the diagnostics of hazard areas and in implementing solutions to ensure their safety, the undertaking of national and regional projects (e.g., coastal monitoring network, studies of land movement risks, and acquisition and dissemination of geological information), the enhancement and dissemination of geological information via the French national databases managed by BRGM.
Knowledge of geology and management of gravity-related and coastal risks
Assessment and management of subsurface contamination risks, assessment and use of natural resources (geothermal and mineral).
Mapping and geology of France
Participation in the mapping of surface formations for various applications and in scientific work to promote geological mapping, such as through writing scientific articles.