What’s an Internship ?

As competition for graduate jobs increases, students need to think of new ways to set themselves apart from all of the other equally qualified and skilled candidates. Graduates who have relevant workplace experience tend to be more valued by employers, and this makes internships an attractive prospect.

An internship is an opportunity offered by an employer to potential employees, called interns, to work at a firm for a fixed period of time. Interns are usually undergraduates or students, and most internships last between a month and three months. Internships are usually part-time if offered during a university semester and full-time if offered during the vacation periods.

An internship should give you practical skills, workplace experience and greater knowledge of that industry, in exchange for the employer benefiting from your labor.

What do Interns typically do ?

The majority of interns will carry out a range of support tasks in a junior role. The specific duties of an internship will vary considerably depending on your employer, the industry and the type of internship. Unlike conventional employment, internships have an emphasis on training, rather than employment itself.

Don’t expect to be given a client account to manage, or a creative project to coordinate, in the first week of your internship. By their very nature, internships are more of a support role than anything else.

But they are a great opportunity for you to learn how the business operates, even if you are only carrying out basic (and perhaps mundane) activities. Typical duties may include processing mail, data entry, filing, sorting through documents or scheduling appointments. That’s not a given though: some interns are given greater responsibilities and can end up becoming a key member of the team, making significant contributions to the company.

Benefits @ ISPL