Internship Contract Spain (Contrato de Prácticas)

An Internship Contract Spain (Contrato de Prácticas Formativas en Alternancia o Prácticas Profesionales) is a special form of employment contract governed by Article 11 of the Estatuto de los Trabajadores (Real Decreto Legislativo 2/2015, de 23 de octubre) designed to support the transition of qualified workers from education into the labour market by allowing them to apply the theoretical knowledge and skills acquired during their academic or professional training in a real workplace context. Real Decreto-Ley 32/2021, de 28 de diciembre, de medidas urgentes para la reforma laboral, substantially reformed the training contract framework in Spain, replacing the former contrato en prácticas and contrato para la formación y el aprendizaje with two new modalities: the contrato de formación en alternancia (Articles 11.2 ET) and the contrato de prácticas profesionales (Article 11.3 ET).

The contrato de prácticas profesionales under Article 11.3 of the Estatuto de los Trabajadores (as reformed by RDL 32/2021) is concluded with workers who hold a qualification — including university degrees (títulos universitarios de grado, máster, o doctorado), higher vocational training qualifications (ciclos formativos de grado superior — FP), professional certificates (certificados de profesionalidad), or equivalent official certifications — and have not been employed in the same or similar professional activity for more than three years (or five years for workers with disabilities) from obtaining the qualifying title. The contract allows the worker to obtain work experience and professional practice in a job matching the level of their qualification.

The duration of the contrato de prácticas profesionales under the reformed Article 11.3 ET is between 3 months and 1 year. Unlike the former contrato en prácticas (which allowed up to 2 years), the new framework limits the maximum duration to 1 year, after which the worker should be converted to a permanent contract (contrato indefinido) or the employment ends. A probationary period (período de prueba) of no more than 1 month may be agreed within the practices contract. If the worker is taken on as a permanent employee at the end of the practices contract, the period of training must be counted towards the worker's seniority (antigüedad).

The salary for a worker on a contrato de prácticas profesionales cannot be less than 60% of the salary established for a worker performing the same or equivalent functions in the applicable sector convenio colectivo, or the national salario mínimo interprofesional (SMI) — whichever is higher — in the first year. In the second year, the minimum rises to 75% of the equivalent salary. This mandatory minimum salary confirms that training contracts are not used as a mechanism for underpaid labour — the 2021 Labour Reform significantly strengthened salary protection for trainee workers.

The contrato de formación en alternancia under Article 11.2 ET, by contrast, is used for workers studying simultaneously for a qualification — combining work and study — and may be concluded with workers aged up to 30 years (with no age limit for workers with disabilities or in certain vulnerable groups). This modality requires a prior agreement (convenio de cooperación) with the educational institution, and the worker's effective working time cannot exceed 65% of the applicable working week in the first year and 85% in the second.

From a social security perspective, workers on contrato de prácticas profesionales are fully registered with the Tesorería General de la Seguridad Social (TGSS) and contribute to all contingencias, including desempleo (unemployment) — a critical improvement over the pre-reform framework, which exempted certain trainee workers from unemployment contributions. The employer benefits from reduced social security contribution rates (bonificaciones) under the SEPE (Servicio Público de Empleo Estatal) incentive scheme for conversion of practices contracts to permanent employment.

The contrato de prácticas profesionales must be registered with the SEPE within 10 working days of execution under Article 16.1 ET and Royal Decree 1483/2012. The employer must provide the worker with the formative plan (plan formativo individualizado) setting out the skills and competences to be developed during the training period, the designated tutor (tutor), and the evaluation criteria for the trainee's performance.

A Contrato de Prácticas Spain is needed whenever a company wishes to engage a recently qualified worker for a defined period to apply and develop the competences acquired during their formal education or professional training, under the specific framework of Article 11.3 ET.

The contract is needed when a company wishes to engage a university graduate (graduado, máster, or doctor) in their first professional role related to their degree — for example, a law graduate working as a junior abogado, a business graduate working in financial analysis, or an engineering graduate working in product development — within three years of obtaining their qualification.

A prácticas contract is needed when a company engages a holder of a Formación Profesional (FP) Grado Superior qualification for a role matching their vocational specialisation — for example, a holder of a ciclo formativo in audiovisual production working in a media company's production department, or a ciclo formativo in administration and finance graduate working in a company's accounts department.

The contract is needed when an employer wants to convert an unpaid university practices placement (prácticas universitarias no laborales) into a formal employment relationship — the contrato de prácticas profesionales provides a structured legal framework for the employment component of what was previously a voluntary internship, with full social security protection and mandatory minimum salary.

A prácticas contract is needed when a multinational company with a formal graduate recruitment programme (programa de becas or junior talent programme) wishes to engage Spanish university graduates or FP graduates on a legally compliant fixed-term training contract with the option to convert to permanent employment at the end of the training period.

The contract is needed when a company in a regulated profession — law (bufete de abogados), medicine (clínica médica), architecture (estudio de arquitectura), or pharmacy (farmacia) — engages a recently qualified professional who must complete a defined period of supervised professional practice (prácticas supervisadas) as a requirement for obtaining their colegiación (professional registration) with the relevant Colegio Profesional.

A prácticas contract is also needed when a company wishes to benefit from the SEPE's social security contribution incentives (bonificaciones) for training contracts — available for companies that convert practices contracts to indefinite employment — which reduce the employer's Tesorería General de la Seguridad Social (TGSS) contribution costs during the training period.

Under the Estatuto de los Trabajadores (ET) RDL 2/2015, Spanish employment law governs contracts, dismissals, and working conditions. The Tesorería General de la Seguridad Social (TGSS) administers social security contributions. The Servicio Público de Empleo Estatal (SEPE) manages unemployment benefits. The Inspección de Trabajo y Seguridad Social enforces labour compliance. The Juzgados de lo Social hear employment disputes under the Ley Reguladora de la Jurisdicción Social (Ley 36/2011).

A valid Internship Contract Spain under Estatuto de los Trabajadores Article 11.3 and Real Decreto-Ley 32/2021 must contain the following essential elements to be enforceable and to comply with SEPE registration requirements and TGSS social security obligations.

Identification of Parties: Full legal name, DNI/NIF/NIE, and domicile of both the employer (empresario) and the trainee worker (trabajador en prácticas). The employer's Código de Cuenta de Cotización (CCC) with the Tesorería General de la Seguridad Social (TGSS) must be stated. For corporate employers, the company's NIF, Registro Mercantil entry, and the name of the legal representative signing must be included.

Qualification and Training Context: The specific qualification held by the worker — the official title (título oficial), the awarding institution, the date of award, and confirmation that no more than 3 years (5 years for workers with disabilities) have elapsed since the qualification was obtained. The professional activity covered by the contract must be related to the level and specialisation of the qualification, consistent with Article 11.3 ET. A copy of the qualification certificate (copia del título) should be appended to the contract.

Job Position and Functions: The job title and a description of the professional activities and functions the trainee will perform, demonstrating their relationship to the content of the qualifying course. The professional group (grupo profesional) under Article 22 ET and the applicable sector convenio colectivo must be identified.

Formative Plan: The individualised training plan (plan formativo individualizado) required by Article 11.3 ET and SEPE guidelines, setting out: the competences and skills to be developed during the practices period; the designated tutor's name and professional qualifications; the monitoring and evaluation methodology; and the training objectives that the worker should achieve by the end of the contract. The employer must provide the trainee with a written certification of the competences acquired upon completion of the contract.

Duration: The agreed contract duration between 3 months and 1 year under Article 11.3 ET, with explicit start and end dates. The contract may be extended within the maximum 1-year limit if the initial duration is less than 1 year — extension by agreement of both parties is allowed, but total duration cannot exceed 12 months. A maximum probationary period of 1 month may be agreed and must be stated in the contract.

Salary: The agreed gross salary (salario bruto), which must not be less than 60% of the equivalent salary established in the applicable sector convenio colectivo for a worker performing the same or equivalent functions (or the SMI if higher) in the first year, and not less than 75% in the second year under Article 11.3.h ET. The salary must be stated in monthly (or weekly) gross amounts and payment frequency, and the applicable convenio's minimum salary tables (tablas salariales) must be referenced.

Working Hours: The agreed weekly working hours (jornada laboral) and schedule. The working time for a contrato de prácticas profesionales is the full ordinary working time applicable to comparable permanent workers, unless a part-time arrangement (contrato a tiempo parcial) is agreed and stated in the contract.

Applicable Convenio Colectivo: The sector convenio colectivo applicable to the employer's activity, which supplements the ET's minimum standards for salary, additional leave, and working conditions.

Social Security: The employer's obligation to register the trainee with the TGSS before commencement of work, with full social security contributions covering contingencias comunes, desempleo (unemployment), formación profesional, and FOGASA. The specific contribution codes (tipos de cotización) applicable to the contrato de prácticas under the TGSS tariff tables must be applied correctly.

SEPE Registration: The obligation to register the contract with the Servicio Público de Empleo Estatal (SEPE) within 10 working days of execution through the Contrat@ electronic platform.

Data Protection: A RGPD-compliant clause under Reglamento (UE) 2016/679 and Ley Orgánica 3/2018 (LOPDGDD), informing the trainee of the processing of their personal data by the employer, the legal basis (performance of the employment contract under Article 6.1(b) RGPD), and their data rights enforced through the Agencia Española de Protección de Datos (AEPD).

Forms-legal.com provides this Internship Contract Spain template as a practical reference. All practices contracts should be reviewed by a qualified abogado laboralista or gestor laboral to confirm compliance with the reformed Article 11 ET, the applicable sector convenio colectivo, and the specific social security contribution codes applicable under TGSS tariff rules.

Under the Estatuto de los Trabajadores (ET) RDL 2/2015, Spanish employment law governs contracts, dismissals, and working conditions. The Tesorería General de la Seguridad Social (TGSS) administers social security contributions. The Servicio Público de Empleo Estatal (SEPE) manages unemployment benefits. The Inspección de Trabajo y Seguridad Social enforces labour compliance. The Juzgados de lo Social hear employment disputes under the Ley Reguladora de la Jurisdicción Social (Ley 36/2011).