Student Internships FAQ
Q. What is an internship?
A. An internship is an essential work experience that combines real-world job placement with learning. Unlike a regular job, and internship is designed to help you discover what kind of career you might want to pursue while learning important business skills.
Q. Who should look for an internship?
A. If you haven’t had a lot of professional work experience and are looking to enter a competitive field, an internship is probably the right choice for you. While most internships are geared towards undergraduate and graduate students, there are an increasing number of opportunities for mid-career changers, as well as high school students.
Q. How should I start my internship job search?
A. The best place to start an internship job search is right here! The Internet is definitely the best place to start looking to for your dream internship, and there are a number of websites devoted to helping you find the best possible internship job.
However, it is really important to look beyond the computer screen to make sure that you weigh all of your options. This can include networking through your professors, other students or current colleagues, stopping by the career services office and calling your local chamber of commerce. This will help you realize that for virtually everything we see, there is a person working behind the scenes, and therefore there is potential internship around every corner.
Q. What kinds of internship positions are there?
A. The kinds of internships that are out there are endless! Interns can work in just about any field, performing any task. Some interns get to watch TV all day and write for comedy shows, while other will learn how to read property leases and do lots of filing. Generally, internships exist in government, corporate and non-profit sectors, and range from unpaid to for-credit to paid. The kind of internship depends not only on the type on industry the placement is in, but also the size of the company that you are working for. This is where all of your research comes in; if you see something that looks good to you take the extra step to get in touch with former interns to see what kind of work to expect.
Q. Will I get paid for an internship?
A. While it is possible to find an paying internship, particularly in corporate and technical fields, many internships are non-paying or for-credit internships. Those internships that are paid will be upfront about pay, and unlike salaries, this is usually non-negotiable. in some cases, even an internship for-credit will offer some kind of compensation in the form of a stipend, which is a small amount of money, usually distributed monthly, intended to cover some daily activities like transportation and meals. Of course in rare cases, these stipends can reach thousands of dollars, and be on par with some entry-level salaries.
Q. What is an internship for credit?
A. An internship for credit is an unpaid internship that offers academic credits for you to apply to your degree. These internships will have to relate very closely to your area of study, and will also have to be coordinate with your high school or university. Internships for credit will typically count towards elective requirements, but in some cases intensive internships will supplement core classes. Most internships for credit will also require some additional essays, term papers or other school work in addition to the job itself.
Q. What is an internship program?
A. An internship program is a more structured type of internship experience, typically offered by larger companies. While every program is organized differently, most have a lengthy application progress (i.e. more than just submitting a resume and cover letter). The benefit of being a part of an internship program is that most are structured in groups or "classes," so you’ll have fellow interns to go through the process with. Internship programs with highly reputable organizations can often be the key to finding gainful employment after graduation.