Are your parents or careers advisors nagging at you to find an internship? Are you feeling the pressure as your friends around you start landing fabulous opportunities? Maybe you want to start getting experience but you’re not even sure what an internship actually is. Let us help you by breaking down the basics so you can get started!
Cover The Internship Basics
For those who don’t know, an internship is a temporary job for students. Internships are usually completed by students and grads during college or university. The goal of an internship is to give young people real-world experience that they can use when they graduate to land a permanent role.
What Is An Internship Good For?
Internships are super useful for students and grads that need to gain some experience and new skills quickly. When you’re just starting out in your career, you may not have a ton of experience that will help you land your dream role. An internship acts as a bridge between university and the world of work by easing you into company life and allowing you to develop the knowledge and skills you’ll need.
An internship is also great for networking and building a professional network so that you can gain opportunities in the future. That’s not to mention that an internship can often pay, meaning you’re able to supplement your income at uni while getting the valuable experience you might not get working a part-time student job. While networking may not land a job at the company where you do your internship, it can give you valuable recommendations down the road. If you do well as an intern, it’s actually not uncommon for employers to hire interns for full-time positions.
Types of Internships
There are loads of different types of internships you can take part in and often the details are up to your employer.
Some companies want interns to work full-time, 9-5 whereas others are looking for part-time or flexible workers. If a company is looking to hire more GenZ, you might be able to negotiate different working hours so you can study while you work. Some internships take place throughout the year, while others are specifically for summer or the holiday period like Christmas.
Another difference between internships is that some are paid while others are unpaid. Again this really depends on the company and the budget this company has for interns. Another type of internship to note is the kind that is unpaid but will cover your expenses, like lunch and travel. This way you’re not losing out on any money to gain experience.
Everything You Need To Consider
If you’re looking for an internship, there are some things to consider.
- Is the company hiring? Some companies hire interns year-round while others only do so during certain times of the year such as summertime when schools are out of session and students have more free time on their hands. Make sure that if you do apply that they’ve posted openings with them before paying any fees associated with applying (especially if it’s a paid internship).
- Are there other applicants? Many companies only accept one candidate per position so make sure your application stands out!
- Is it a remote or in-person opportunity? Will you need to travel to and from an office or will you need to buy some new technology to complete the internship if you were hired?
- Will you have the time to complete the internship? Sometimes, these opportunities require a lot of work. Even if the company are asking for a part-time intern, they will want someone who can commit during these working hours. This is something to consider if you’re already struggling with university work or juggling personal commitments.
- Financially are you able to cope? A lot of internships are unpaid and the ones that do pay, often don’t pay a lot. Will this wage be enough for you or do you need to consider a different, higher-paying opportunity?
Now you know the basics about an internship and exactly what to expect. Get out there and get searching. Make us, and your parents, proud and hopefully get paid in the process. You got this!
