Internships can be a vital step between finishing a university degree and finding a full-time job, but rising inflation and the growing cost of living have some students asking whether they can afford to pursue one.
Fortunately, Montreal remains a top contender for interns on a budget. Out of 50 cities worldwide, Business Name Generator (BNG) placed Montreal ninth on its list of top places to complete an internship, based on average working hours, salaries offered, cost of rent and free local activities.
Montreal was the only city in Canada to rank in the top 10. BNG determined it is one of the most cost-effective locations for students and new graduates to find internships with an average salary of $4,150 (or US$3,200).
A chart listing the top 10 best cities for interns.Courtesy of BNG.
The study also factored in metrics like the number of networking events and free attractions to visit during downtime.
While Montreal ranked lowest on free professional meet-ups with 91, it did offer a competitive 142 free activities that raised its overall score to a five.
That was just 0.4 lower than Los Angeles, which proved to be the best global city for interns. The California metropolis offers over 4,000 intern positions, 671 free networking/skill training events and a healthy salary of $4,700 (or US$3,618) on average.
Meanwhile, the study found that Apple and Amazon were the "most sought-after" companies for internship-seekers in the U.S. and the U.K.
Although neither company placed highest in Glassdoor ratings — Apple sits at 4.2 and Amazon at 3.8 — around 6% of Apple's nearly 450,000 employees are interns, while 13% of Amazon's 850,000 employees are completing internship programs.
Microsoft, Meta and Adobe rounded out the top five for most-pursued internship spots.
All data for the BNG study was collected in May 2022.
