Internship
About Internship at PFN
Recruitment Themes
For the 2025 internship, we have established two types of courses with different implementation periods, each with its own themes. Specialists from various fields including research and development, large language models, computing infrastructure, computer vision, life sciences, and product/service development will serve as mentors, allowing you to experience research and development at PFN. In addition, for all courses and themes, we plan to provide opportunities for interaction with management and full-time members during the period. You will select your preferred course and theme when submitting the selection assignment that will be provided after your application. The actual themes and work content you will work on during the internship will be finalized through consultation with our members during the selection process.
List of Internship ThemesNote: Change history of theme recruitment content ・Updated on 4/4: Merged RD37 into RD36
Regardless of the course, intellectual property generated from intern activities belongs to PFN. When selecting a theme, please be careful not to bring in research themes from your affiliated institution. We also encourage the publication of results during the internship as OSS, papers, or articles on the PFN Research & Development Blog, within the scope of no confidentiality or rights issues.
10-Day Short Development Course
This is a short-term internship where you join a PFN project team to experience practical research and development work. Please participate in all scheduled days during the period.
Period: Held on the following 2 schedules (10 business days each)
・ August 18, 2025 (Mon) - August 29, 2025 (Fri)
・ September 5, 2025 (Fri) - September 19, 2025 (Fri)
7-Week Research & Development Course
Work closely with our engineers and researchers who serve as mentors for nearly two months to engage in thorough discussion, research, and development, aiming for research and development results.
Period: August 7, 2025 (Thu) - September 26, 2025 (Fri)
In principle, only the official summer vacation period of your university will be the target period. We will consult on the start and end dates depending on your schedule such as class schedules. Even during the internship period, we will flexibly accommodate absences due to laboratory activities, conference attendance, or returning home.
Each theme of the 7-week research and development course has either a "project-oriented" or "research-oriented" approach. Please refer to last year's examples below for theme selection.
Project-Oriented Internship
This internship is oriented toward practical problem-solving and involves engaging in our project work for core technology research and development or product/service development.
Research-Oriented Internship
This internship focuses on engaging in pioneering and challenging research activities aimed at submitting papers to top international conferences.
Application Qualifications
The necessary requirements for applying to the internship are as follows:
・ Must be a student aged 18 or older at the time of the internship, and not employed full-time at another company (other cases negotiable)
・ Ability to speak Japanese or English fluently and communicate proactively
・ Ability to come to the Otemachi office on weekdays during the internship period as required by the company (accommodation assistance available for those living far away, as described below)
・ Possession of legal qualifications (Japanese nationality, permanent residence, student visa, etc.) to engage in internship/part-time activities in Japan during the internship period
・ Ownership of a laptop computer that can be used for development during the internship
In addition, knowledge and development experience related to the themes listed in [Recruitment Course/Theme List] will be considered during selection. Please check the description of each theme for details. We welcome applications from those who have no experience in full-scale development. Re-entry is also possible for those who have applied in previous years. However, those who have already participated in past internship programs are excluded. If administrative work is required for university credit recognition, prior consultation is necessary. We may decline if the procedures are complicated.
For International Students
International students attending universities in Japan on student visas are required to apply for and obtain [Permission to Engage in Activities Other than Those Permitted under the Status of Residence] before the internship begins. A copy of your residence card will be required when signing the internship employment contract.
Development Environment
Participants are required to provide their own laptop computers for development during the internship. In principle, the company will not provide computers.
Please note the following points when preparing your PC:
・ There is no PC provision or purchase subsidy from the company. PCs provided by your university or organization cannot be used for internship work.
・ Please use a PC that is personally owned by the student or family members.
・ Depending on the work content, you may be required to install software specified by our company.
・ The PC specifications should be sufficient for university coursework and classes.
※For your reference, here is an example of recommended PC specifications for internship participation: OS: Windows 11 Pro (Intel) or macOS 15 recommended
・ Please use an OS version that is supported by the manufacturer.
・ If you are using Windows 11 Home, you will need to upgrade to Windows 11 Pro after receiving an offer and before the internship starts. We will provide financial assistance for the upgrade cost for eligible individuals.
・ ARM version Windows cannot be used as some software may not work. Please understand this in advance.
・ If you wish to use Linux or other OS, please indicate this in the application form. We may consult with you about compatibility during the selection process.
・ Network: Wireless LAN support required
・ Other: PC performance should be sufficient for participating in online meetings and using web browsers without issues
・ PC specifications capable of executing workloads that require computational power and data volume, such as training machine learning models, are not necessary.
How to Apply
※Google account login is required to access the application form. ※Personal information entered in the application form will be used for internship selection and recruitment activities.
Application Deadline
April 20, 2025 (Sun) 23:59 (Japan Time, no applications accepted after deadline)
Application Notes
・ Resume file format must be PDF only. Please submit via the application form.
・ The email address entered at the time of application will be used as your selection ID. Please use the email address from your application when submitting assignments or when any communication is needed.
Resume Notes
・ We recommend reviewing the entry form before creating your resume. The entry form asks about matters we would like you to include in your resume. If included in your resume, you may omit entries in the form.
・ Resumes are used to determine if candidates match our ideal profile. Please describe your experience and abilities in detail so that someone who knows nothing about you can evaluate them.
・ Even if you don't consider achievements particularly noteworthy in your self-assessment, they may be valuable information to evaluators. Please describe awards, research presentations, programming experience, etc. as specifically as possible.
・ You do not need to include motivation specific to your desired theme in your resume. You will enter your motivation along with your desired theme when submitting assignments later.
Selection Process
Assignment selection (coding test, theme-specific assignments) → Online interviews → Final results announcement
April 20 (Sun) 23:59: Application deadline April 25 (Fri): Selection assignments sent to applicants May 6 (Tue/Holiday): Selection assignment submission deadline Mid-May to late June: Online interviews June 30 (Mon): Final results announcement
Compensation and Working Conditions
Hourly Wage
Technical college students, university students, graduate students: 2,500 yen
Working Hours
8 hours actual work per day, 5 days per week (excluding Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays)
Work Location
Office address: 1-6-1 Otemachi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 100-0004, Otemachi Building
Hybrid work between office and home. Full remote work is not available. Depending on the course/theme, all office work may be required. Details will be announced before the internship starts. Commuting expenses will be provided for routes approved by the company from your home or accommodation.
Support for Remote Participants
We support travel and accommodation costs for internship participation.
・ Travel expenses: If travel by airplane or Shinkansen is required from your place of residence, we will subsidize one round trip.
・ Accommodation subsidy: We subsidize accommodation costs for staying within commuting distance of the Otemachi office during the internship period. The payment period includes holidays during the internship.
・ You must arrange your own accommodation. Weekly mansions in the commuting area are available for around 100,000 yen per month.
・ Please note that subsidy amounts are taxable.
10-day short development course: 6,500 yen/day
7-week research and development course: 5,500 yen/day
The above subsidies are for those whose residence at the start of the internship is not in the following areas:
Tokyo, Chiba, Kanagawa, Saitama, Ibaraki, Tochigi, Gunma
Employment Type
Fixed-term employment