Quebec City is small, French, beautiful, surprisingly tech-heavy, and easily one of the most affordable major cities in Canada. If you’re comfortable working in French — or determined to get there — it offers an internship environment you simply can’t replicate anywhere else in the country.
Who Studies Here
Université Laval is the anchor — one of the oldest French-language universities in North America, with substantial engineering, science, and business faculties. INRS focuses on graduate research, ÉNAP on public administration, and TÉLUQ runs a distance-learning model. Roughly 40,000 students fill the city’s Sainte-Foy and Saint-Roch districts.
Where the Work Is
The Quebec City economy is broader than its tourist face suggests:
- Gaming — Beenox (Activision), Frima, and a long tail of indie studios cluster in Saint-Roch
- Insurance and financial services — Industrielle Alliance, La Capitale, Beneva are headquartered here
- Government — provincial capital, with significant federal presence too
- Optics, photonics, and applied research connected to Laval’s institutes
- Tourism and food, ever-present but not where most intern roles sit
What an Intern Actually Does
Gaming and software interns often join small, focused teams shipping real product; insurance and financial-services interns work on data, actuarial, or technology projects with surprisingly modern stacks; research interns plug into Laval’s institute network. The work culture is generally relaxed and personable by Canadian-tech standards.
Living There as an Intern
Quebec City is striking and inexpensive:
- Rent is among the lowest of any major Canadian city
- The RTC bus network covers the city; downtown is walkable and bike-friendly
- Winters are long, snowy, and beautiful (Carnaval is in February for a reason)
- Old Quebec is one of the most photogenic settings of any workplace you’ll have
A Note for International Students
This is the most important caveat: outside Laval’s English-friendly bubble and a handful of bilingual tech offices, French is the working language. Bill 96 has tightened expectations further. If your French is solid or improvable, the city opens up entirely; if not, treat this as a deliberate language-immersion play and plan accordingly.
Typical Internship Roles in Quebec City
Most intern lanes in Quebec City need functional French; the strongest sectors:
- Gameplay programming and design at Beenox (Activision), Frima, and indie studios
- Insurance and actuarial technology at Industrielle Alliance, Beneva, La Capitale
- Optics, photonics, and applied research connected to Laval’s institutes
- Government tech and digital-services internships at provincial agencies
- Software at Saint-Roch startups across cleantech, B2B, and creative tech
How to Stand Out in Your Application
Three things work in Quebec City as much as anywhere else:
- Show one piece of real work in your application — not just a list of courses
- Be specific about why this company, in this city — not just any internship
- Have at least one local reference point — a class you took, a project you noticed, an event you went to
Apply in French where you can, and don’t hide that you’re still learning — Quebec City employers respect effort over perfection in a way Toronto and Vancouver employers rarely match.
Where Inkaer Comes In
Inkaer connects Canadian startups with international students for paid internships across Canada, French- and English-language alike. Record one short video (in French if the role calls for it), get on a curated shortlist, and let Quebec City employers find you. No cost.
Want the broader picture? See our national guide to paid internships in Canada, or read our companion post on what an internship in Quebec City actually feels like.