I did an internship at an international company.
'Stage' = STAJ — borrowed from French, pronounced as in French. 'Azienda' = a-TSYEN-da — the 'z' sounds like 'ts'.
Use when describing early career experience. Internships ('stage') are very common in Italy — often unpaid or very low paid. They are a standard pathway into professional life, especially for graduates.
'Fare uno stage' = 'to do an internship' — 'stage' is borrowed from French and is the standard Italian word for internship. 'Ho fatto' = passato prossimo of 'fare.' 'Un'azienda internazionale' uses the elided article before the vowel.
Ho iniziato come stagista.
I started as an intern.
'Stagista' = intern — a common entry-level professional identity in Italy.
Lo stage non era pagato.
The internship was unpaid.
Honest and very common — unpaid internships are controversial but widespread in Italy.
Lo stage mi ha aperto molte porte.
The internship opened many doors for me.
Positive framing — emphasizes the networking and career benefit.
The Italian internship ('stage') system has been widely criticized for exploitative conditions — long hours, low or no pay, and little learning guarantee. Reforms have been attempted but the system remains precarious for young Italians entering the job market.