travelling and interning
Interning at Noma, a world-renowned restaurant, allows you to travel around the globe and learn with a group of passionate chefs. Source: Charley Gallay/Getty Images North America/Getty Images/AFP

A common conundrum for most students seeking an internship is getting the bang for their buck. After all, an internship is not only the chance to kickstart your professional career, but it could also be an opportunity to try something new.

For some students, that would be travelling and interning simultaneously. Apart from earning an income, students can also explore the sights, cultures and traditions in the area they are interning. It also helps to reduce the financial pressure of being an intern and an international student.

The kitchen internship programme at Noma can help make this dream a reality. The three-Michelin-star restaurant based in Copenhagen, has opened applications for its paid kitchen internship programme in 2023. 

Getting accepted as an intern is no easy feat. According to Shyam Krishnamurthy, who runs “The Interview Portal”, 20 interns work at the cutting-edge Copenhagen restaurant every season. 

Before Noma offered paid internships, hundreds of front-of-house and chef hopefuls would arrive in Denmark to become a stagiaire (that’s when a cook works briefly, for free, in another chef’s kitchen) for three months, according to the Financial Times.

Most Michelin-starred kitchens accept stagiaires to allow aspiring chefs to improve their culinary skills and polish their crafts under the tutelage of a senior chef. In fact, the Financial Times reports that René Redzepi, co-owner of Noma, was a stagiaire at El Bulli in Spain.

With that said, here is what you need to know to secure an internship with Noma. The following information is based on details available on its website.

travelling and interning

Chef Rene Redzepi is the mind behind Noma, which acquired the ranking of “The World’s Best Restaurant 2021”. Source: Carl Court/AFP

Travelling and interning at the same time: Noma’s kitchen internship programme

Availability

You can choose to apply for a six or 12 months internship. While applications for the 2022 session have closed, a limited number of spots are available for 2023. At the time of writing, Noma has not updated its website to show the commencement date for the 2023 internship period, so do keep an eye out for updates.

Compensation

You will be paid 20,000 Danish Krone per month. Noma will cover all your meals throughout the day at the restaurant, and you are entitled to health insurance and vacation pay.

Benefits

The internship will serve as an extension of your culinary education and provide an informal education course on “Nordic Gastronomy” (that’s the study of the relationship between food and Nordic culture).

Throughout your internship, you will rotate through their kitchen and gain an intimate knowledge of how Noma operates.

Occasionally, Noma has pop-up locations around the world. In April 2022, Food & Wine reported that the Copenhagen-based restaurant would open a shop in New York City from May 16 to May 20. Interns will have the chance to travel and learn from the passionate individuals at Noma.

Eligibility requirements

Before you submit your internship application, you should apply for a residence permit as an intern in Denmark with The Danish Agency for International Recruitment and Integration (SIRI). Click here for more information on applying for the permit and visa eligibility requirements. 

Due to visa requirements, you must be between the age of 18 and 34. Noma also has some additional eligibility requirements:

  • You must be enrolled in a culinary education programme or have completed one within the past two years
  • You have experience in a professional kitchen
  • You must be able to communicate in English 

How to apply

You can submit your application by emailing Noma’s Management Assistant & Project Manager, Risa Kamio, at intern@noma.dk.

Since they receive a lot of applications, you’ll stand a higher chance of landing an internship if you describe yourself, your skills, and your motivations for coming to Copenhagen.