Schools

Work-study programs at PSL: finding the right balance between studies and professional life

Article published on December 16th, 2025

This year I’m starting my second year of apprenticeship for the Human Resources Management master’s degree. The word “master’s degree” may sound intimidating. For many people, it’s the last step before “real life” starts. To me, it’s an opportunity to get a glimpse of professional life all while still studying. Thanks to apprenticeship, I learn from both worlds: theoretical and practical work. That’s where magic happens.

Apprenticeship, here I come!

After obtaining my Sustainability Sciences track and being admitted to a master’s degree, a new stage started for me: finding a company that would welcome me for two years. Thankfully, at PSL, we’re never alone. The master’s degree supervisors guide us, advise us, and often share apprenticeship and internship offers from partnering companies.

After many interviews, I got the job I wanted: an apprenticeship at BNP Paribas (French bank).

In the first year, I worked as a DEI supervisor and this second year, I’m continuing this path as a Human Resources transformation supervisor. Everything went so fast but in a good way. I was entering a big company, full of discoveries and opportunities, with a wish to learn and to find my place. Like many apprentices, I was often unsure about the posture to adopt: you’re not fully a student, but you’re not a professional either. I finally understood that apprenticeship is exactly that, an in-between: a learning space where you can grow at your own pace.

Back to school: two months to get to work

Before joining the company, we must have two months of full-time classes in the first year. This is a very precious period: it allows you to grasp the academic program, meet your classmates, and slowly get ready for the apprenticeship. To me, it was also an opportunity to take my first steps in the Human Resources field, which I was unfamiliar with. These few weeks of classes allowed me to better understand the challenges of the job and to start building strong foundations before going out into the field.

First day, first badge: welcome to the professional field

Then one morning, everything becomes real: it’s my first day at work. I discover the offices, I meet my team and other apprentices during an integration day. We are introduced to the company through a treasure hunt designed to help us get familiar with the workplace. I feel excited and apprehensive at the same time, and I finally realize, this is it: I’m part of the adventure.

My rhythm settles pretty fast: three weeks at the company, one week at university. It’s not always easy to juggle between different projects, but this blend between the two worlds is incredibly stimulating. What I like the most is the constant communication between the company and the university. The academic tutors and the company supervisors meet for a breakfast organized by the university, then twice a year, our teachers come to the offices to get feedback on our progress. This double outlook makes the experience coherent, well-framed, and deeply formative.

When theory meets the coffee machine

What motivates me the most in this degree is the constant dialogue between theory and practice. This back and forth between work and university creates a real learning environment: we learn, we observe, then we come back to think about it. The teachings all make sense as soon as you put them into practice in the workplace...

A media-training seminar to teach us to talk to the media, handle stressful situations, answer questions and communicate messages efficiently also gives us the opportunity to train: we film ourselves and analyze our performance. This is not just an academic exercise; it becomes a real preparation for public speaking during meetings, project pitching, or facilitating team workshops.

A “sociology of work” class allows us to better understand team dynamics, interactions or resistance to change. As for the workshops on consulting, they offer us valuable keys to listen, analyze and support transformations within an organization.

Every moment back at school becomes a moment of hindsight: a break to analyze what we’ve learned in the workplace, confronting practical experience with theoretical approaches, making sense of everyday professional life. Similarly, every day back at the company is an opportunity to experiment with what we’ve learned in class, develop our posture, and consolidate our understanding of HR challenges.

Growing between two worlds (and wanting to choose one)

Today, after a year and a half as an apprentice, I can see how this experience has changed me. I’ve learned how to manage my time, speak confidently, collaborate with different people, learn about company strategy...but also, I got to know myself better. Apprenticeship is not just a rhythm; it’s a different way of learning. It’s learning to make mistakes, to bounce back from our mistakes, to think, and to get involved in things.

If I had to give a piece of advice to those who are hesitating about it, I would say: don’t wait to be “ready”. We learn as we go. Between the field and the classes, we discover much more than just new skills, we discover ourselves.

Many degrees are open to apprenticeship at PSL: discover them and find the one that will make you grow, explore and reveal yourself.