@VV2
You're right to seek clarity before making such a big decision. Here's a detailed breakdown of your situation and the risks involved, especially from the perspective of Luxembourgish labor law and general European internship practices:
1. Nature of the "Internship Proposal"
If the document you've received is not signed by the company and is labeled 鈥淚nternship Proposal,鈥� it is likely not legally binding 鈥� more of an offer letter or intention to contract rather than a contract itself.
In Luxembourg, a 鈥減romesse d鈥檈mbauche鈥� (employment promise) can be binding if it includes:
The position
Salary
Starting date
Signatures of both parties
But if either party hasn鈥檛 signed, especially the employer, it may not be enforceable as a contract.
2. Can either party withdraw after this unsigned offer?
Yes 鈥� legally, until a signed contract is in place, either you or the company can withdraw with no legal consequence in most cases.
If you accept this offer now (digitally or via email), it still doesn't guarantee the internship if the company hasn鈥檛 signed a formal contract.
Until the final internship agreement is signed in person, the company can technically still change or cancel the offer 鈥� and so can you.
3. Why would they delay the official contract until day one?
This isn鈥檛 standard everywhere, but some companies, especially in Europe, do sign contracts on the first day of the internship due to:
Administrative HR procedures
Onboarding policies
Need to verify physical presence (to prevent fraud or visa misuse)
However, this puts the intern at some risk, especially if you've already:
Quit your job
Relocated
Spent money on housing or flights
4. Can you sign the contract digitally?
Yes, digital signatures are legally valid in Luxembourg, especially using platforms like DocuSign or Adobe Sign. So there is no legal reason why they couldn鈥檛 send you a signed version unless:
It鈥檚 their internal policy to wait
They want to check your documents in person
They're covering themselves in case they need to cancel
5. If the terms change on Day 1, are you obligated to sign?
No. You are never obligated to sign a contract you don鈥檛 agree with.
But here's the catch:
If you don鈥檛 sign it, you鈥檒l be left without an internship, job, or legal stay unless you have a backup plan.
You won鈥檛 be compensated for any relocation or lost income unless there's a written promise they breach.
Recommendations Before Accepting:
1. Ask for a formal signed promesse d鈥檈mbauche or internship agreement, even if just preliminary.
Mention you鈥檙e willing to sign digitally for speed.
2. Request clarification in writing about:
Whether the offer is binding
What the "document" to help with accommodation will be
If there鈥檚 any risk of changes or cancellation before Day 1
3. Check visa or work authorization (if non-EU):
Do you need a visa, and does the current document suffice?
4. Negotiate for a fallback clause, like:
鈥淚f the contract is not signed due to the company鈥檚 change, they will reimburse relocation costs.鈥�
