# EN: un stage dans votre entreprise



## Daph

Hi everyone,
which sentence is correct?
I want to do an internship in your company
I want to do an internship at your company
I want to do an internship with your company

Thank you
Daph


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## misterk

Interesting - they all sound fine!
In order of preference, though, I would say (1) at; (2) with; (3) in.
I suspect that others might have an entirely different order of preference.  But I don't think any of these sounds awkward or unnatural in English.


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## Daph

Thank you very much Misterk. I am waiting for other answers but this is reassuring! I am struggling with preposition, I mean , it is so tricky! Like I work AT this company, but IN this department.
Thanks a lot
Daph


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## wster

Daph, I am assuming that you don't work at the company at the moment.

Go with _at_.  _With_ is a bit too friendly.  _In_ is somewhat mechanical (ie too spatial).

But the differences here are small.

If you are going to be that critical, then you should say _would like_ rather than _want_.  More polite, just as in French.


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## Daph

Thank you for your sound advice. I have written _want _to simplify my sentences on the forum ( fewer words to type) but thanks anyway.


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## Keith Bradford

Strangely, I would say quite the opposite.  For me, to apply for a place _at a company _sounds rather odd (though I'd unhesitatingly say _"...a job at Woolworth's_" or _"...a job at a factory_").  Perhaps this is a UK/US difference?


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## wster

Keith Bradford said:


> Perhaps this is a UK/US difference?



Yeah, seems it must be.  But there would still be the matter of why you (Brits) would distinguish _at a company_ from _at Woolworth's_.


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## Keith Bradford

Because I suppose "at" suggests to us a place, not an abstract organisation.  Woolworth's is the shop (or US "store"), not the company.

My alternatives would be *with *or *in*, in equal measure.


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## Keith Bradford

An excellent example of British usage came to me overnight, using Post Office.

I want to do an internship at the Post Office = _Je veux travailler dans ce grand bâtiment XIXe en centre ville.
_I want to do an internship with the Post Office = _J'aimerais travailler pour La Poste mais à l'extérieur, comme facteur ou technicien.
_I want to do an internship in the Post Office = _Peu importe, pourvu que ce soit La Poste qui m'emploie.
_
I give these as indications, not as a hard-and-fast rule.


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## Daph

Hi Keith,
I am not sure I understand the 2nd one " j'aimerais travailler ailleurs, comme facteur ou technicien"... does it mean he dosen't really want the job?
Thanks for your help
Daph


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## flyingcabbage

Keith Bradford said:


> Strangely, I would say quite the opposite. For me, to apply for a place _at a company _sounds rather odd (though I'd unhesitatingly say _"...a job at Woolworth's_" or _"...a job at a factory_"). Perhaps this is a UK/US difference?



I fully agree with this. I'm Irish, so my English would be a lot closer to British usage than American - so it probably is a UK/US difference.

I would have said "with" or "in" before "at". Sorry if this makes it more compliacted!


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## Keith Bradford

Daph said:


> Hi Keith,
> I am not sure I understand the 2nd one " j'aimerais travailler ailleurs, comme facteur ou technicien"... does it mean he dosen't really want the job?



Non, pardon, je voulais dire "Je veux travailler *pour *La poste mais pas *dans *ce bâtiment-là - plutôt dans un laboratoire ou à l'extérieur comme facteur."  Je l'ai corrigé.


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## thedov

Just to add, I speak BE and have no problem with using 'at', so the difference must be really very slight.


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## wster

thedov said:


> Just to add, I speak BE and have no problem with using 'at', so the difference must be really very slight.



Interesting.  And given you are in London, maybe it is more of a cosmopolitan/provincial distinction than a US/UK one.


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