Internship is a system of on-the-job training for white-collar jobs, similar to an apprenticeship. Interns are usually college or university students, but they can also be high school students or post graduate adults seeking skills for a new career. They may also be as young as middle school or in some cases elementary students. Student internships provide opportunities for students to gain experience in their field, determine if they have an interest in a particular career, create a network of contacts, or gain school credit. Internships provide employers with cheap or free labor for (typically) low-level tasks. Some interns find permanent, paid employment with the companies in which they interned. Their value to the company may be increased by the fact that they need little to no training.
An internship may be paid, unpaid or partially paid (in the form of a stipend). Paid internships are most common in the medical, architecture, science, engineering, law, business (especially accounting and finance), technology and advertising fields. Internships in non-profit organizations such as charities and think tanks are often unpaid, volunteer positions. Internships may be part-time or full-time - typically they are part-time during the university year and full-time in the summer. They usually last 6–12 weeks, but can be shorter or longer, depending on the company involved. The act of job shadowing may also constitute interning.
Internship positions are available from businesses, government departments, non-profit groups and organizations. Due to strict labour laws, European internships are mostly unpaid, although they are still popular among non-Europeans in order to gain international exposure on one's résumé and for foreign language improvement.
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Internships exist in various industries and settings. The two primary types of internships that exist in the United States are:
The practice of a mid-career person taking an internship (see Returnship) is relatively new to the U.S. but becoming more common due to the current economic crisis.[1]
Some companies will find and place students in internships for a fee; such internships are mostly unpaid.[2] In some cases, companies charge to assist with a search, promising to refund their fees if no internship is found.[3] What the company includes in such paid programs can vary. The advantages are that they provide internship placements at reputable companies, provide controlled housing in a new city, mentorship and support throughout the summer, networking, weekend activities in some programs, and sometimes academic credit.[4]
Another form of paying for internships is through charity auctions, where a company with an internship will select a charity to get the proceeds of the auction. In some cases, companies have created internships simply to help charities.[2]
Fee-based programs, and charity auctions, restrict internship opportunities to students in wealthier families who can afford paying thousands of dollars while the student works for little or no wages, in exchange for improving professional work opportunities after graduation.[4] But the head of one company specializing in such internships said that "The average student comes from the middle class, and their parents "dig deep" to pay for it. His company funds scholarships and grants for low-income applicants.[2]
Beyond fee based programs, there has also been criticism against companies requiring college credit in exchange for eligibility to obtain an internship. Depending on the cost of the school, this is often seen as an unethical practice, as it requires students to exchange paid-for and often limited tuition credits in order to work an uncompensated job. Even if the school does not require credit to be received for an internship, companies often will require credit to be received so that they cannot be accused of giving the intern nothing. But in the case of most schools—though some do reserve internship credits that will not take away from your normal tuition's worth of credits—the student is taking a risk and a loss in their pursuit of possible future employment.[5][6][7]
In Canada, high school, college and university student placements are typically referred to as "Co-ops" (co-operative education) programs. University co-op programs are often highly competitive; students must apply to and compete for admission, as enrollment is limited. Partnering employers will post placement opportunities through the university. These positions typically span a four month term taking place either during summer break or during the school year.
While some internships are unpaid (particularly in media, advertising, PR and communications), many Canadian organizations do offer paid internships. Additionally, not all internships are entry-level positions; organizations may also offer internships for mid-level professionals. For example, in the province of Ontario, paid internships are available through Career Bridge, a bridging program for immigrants who have extensive experience in other countries but lack relevant Canadian experience, operated by the not-for-profit Career Edge Organization.
It is difficult to estimate the nature and scope of unpaid internships in Canada as there are no written regulations defining or pertaining to them directly. Minimum wage for labour is covered by Employment Standards legislation, which is governed at the provincial level. In Ontario, a 6-point test is applied to determine if an employee-employer relationship exists.[8] The test is similar to that used in the United States by the Department of Labour.
Internships are possible in Croatia[9]
It is not seen as appropriate to work without pay unless it is done as part of a work-trial where a person is tested by the authorities as part of plan to get the individual back into the workspace.[10] Although it is common within most of the Danish universities to place students in free work jobs. The company is then compensated and the intern gets welfare during this period, which normally lasts about three months. The Trade Unions monitor this area very thoroughly so an intern cannot result in the loss of a paid job.[11][12]
A new system of qualification for higher education imposed by the Department of Education does punish those students who take a period off to work for charity.[13]
The European Commission operates a sizeable traineeship programme.
At French universities it is also common to do an internship, in France called a “stage”, during the third or fourth year of your studies. The duration of the internships varies from 2 to 6 months, but very seldom longer than that. As of January 1st 2010, the French labor law requires that all internships of 2 months or longer be given a minimum gratification of 417,09€ per month. In France it is also becoming more popular to do an internship after one has finished studying, mostly for students who did not get the chance to do an internship during their studies, and to try to gain some working experience this way - generally with the thought of getting hired after the internship period. An internship in France is also popular for international students. The top reason to do an internship in France is to learn the language - a lot of French companies seem to be open to students from different countries. It is often a big advantage for companies to have employees who speak multiple languages.[14]
In Germany there are different kinds of internships as well. As in most other countries, most students take their internship during the fourth or fifth semester of their degree. In some fields of study it is common to write the final thesis in a company. Another type of internship has emerged, the post graduation internship. The difficult situation in the labor market in Germany during the last years has made it hard for people to find the right job, especially for people that have just graduated and lack work experience. Because of this, many offer to do an internship at their preferred place of employment while earning very little or no pay at all, in the hope of landing a job there in the future.
Most undergraduate degrees in Engineering and Business have a mandatory internship as a part of the curriculum. Internships in India are usually unpaid due to a high supply of graduates in comparison to the number of jobs available. Internships in reputable companies are always obtained through personal contacts and references. Very rarely do large companies hold internship intake programs but only outstanding students are able to obtain a place. At times, it is also common for companies to ask for a small training fee in lieu of the costs incurred by the company.
Since the Italian University System entered into the Bologna process, an internship experience (commonly referred to by the French term stage) has been made compulsory for almost all those studying for a bachelors or a master's degree (especially in technical, economic or scientific faculties). Its goal is to reduce the gap between the companies' demands and the often too theoretical learning offered by Italian universities. However, since the internship is usually made at university as well and since the few companies that accept student interns rarely offer proper training, at the end usually it is not a real work experience. Almost all the students therefore have to do a second or a third internship after they are done with their studies, hoping to receive a proper professional training, being hired afterward in the same company or in another company in a close or related business. The internship period can last up to 6 months, renewable for other 6 months, so the total period can be up to 12 months. Internships in Italy can be both paid or unpaid: students internships, especially the ones not involved with the development of a thesis, are usually not paid; almost all the graduate internships are paid, but the remuneration is usually extremely low, around 600 euros gross per month, that is about 1/4 of the gross monthly remuneration of an hired young graduate employee, and without benefits other than the lunch and a few paid days for sickness/vacation (so no 13th/14th mensilities, no parental leave etc.). This poses a big problem for fresh graduates, considering as well that some companies use graduate interns just to save money, making them work for 6 to 12 months without giving them a decent remuneration, without offering them proper training/formation, and without hiring them after the internship even if they showed to be productive,fast-learning and trustworthy. In other words, a significant percentage of Italian graduates, after one or even two years from the end of their studies (in some cases even masters studies), are still searching for a real job, that can offer stability and a decent remuneration. This, together with the long time necessary to graduate in Italy, is part of the reason why graduate Italians leave the family home very late, usually in their early 30s.
Some courses (for example: Engineering, Architecture, and such) offered in public universities of Malaysia require the student to attend an industrial training for a period of minimum ten weeks. This period however varies from ten weeks to as long as 6 months.
In the Netherlands it is also common to do an internship during college which, just like in Belgium and France, is called a stage. Most student internships last between 3 and 9 months. Companies are not obligated to pay the student, so sometimes small companies won't pay anything. The normal internship compensation rate in the Netherlands is around €300 per month, depending on education level, and how generous the company they work for is.
In New Zealand, there are a number of colleges where students can undertake an internship whilst studying - for example Queenstown Resort College [3] where students studying adventure tourism or hospitality management must complete an internship in order to complete their course studies. However most of these internships are paid by the employer.
At Spanish universities it is uncommon to do an internship during the education period. The real working experience for students starts when they are done with their study. However, Spanish companies are getting more used to having students doing an internship at their company nowadays. Mostly these are international students from other European countries. Spain is a popular country for students to go to for a short period of time to do an internship. Often, students want to learn Spanish, and this is a perfect opportunity for them to do so. Another reason to go to Spain for an internship could be the opportunity to increase their cultural awareness or to experience working in an international setting. Students found that it is hard to get in contact with most Spanish businesses. The best way to find a good company to work at will be with the help of a placement organization. The normal stage compensation rate in Spain would be around 500€/mo, retribution is regulated in many universities starting from 6€/hr. It's not uncommon to find employers taking advantage of unpaid interships in order to get free labor. .
Internships are often referred to as 'sandwich placements' in the UK and are validated work experience opportunities done as part of a degree program. University staff gives students access to vacancies and students apply direct to employers. Some universities hold fairs and exhibitions to encourage students to consider the option and to enable students to meet potential employers.(AGR report 2008) In the modern labor market graduates with work experience in the form of sandwich placements are not only deemed more desirable to employers but also research has demonstrated they attain higher level degree classifications than those graduates without such experience.
The purpose of these internships/placements is varied. Some University students see it as a way to develop their employability by utilizing the academic elements of their degree in a practical setting. International students may also seek to get understanding about how work is conducted in the English-speaking world and to experience cultural diversity. It is also becoming more mandatory that students have to do an international internship and these countries are found to be of big interest to students due to their Western business culture and language. In the UK, organisations such as the Trades Union Congress and Intern Aware have been lobbying for a change in British internships by making interns aware of the rights they have under employment law.[15][16]
Many internships in the United States are career specific. Students often choose internships based on their major at the university/college level. It is not uncommon for former interns to acquire full-time employment at an organization once they have enough necessary experience. The challenging job market has made it essential for college students to gain real world experience prior to graduation. In the US, company internships are at the center of NIGMS funded biotechnology training programs[17] for science PhD students. One example is the Biotechnology Training Program - University of Virginia.
Not all internships are paid. Nearly all interns working in the United States must be paid, and at least the minimum wage, for their work in accordance with the Fair Labor Standards Act.[18] Many internships that are unpaid involve receiving college credit, especially if an internship is correlated with a specific class. The U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division allows an employer not to pay a trainee if all of the following are true:[19]
An exception is allowed for individuals who volunteer their time, freely and without anticipation of compensation for religious, charitable, civic, or humanitarian purposes to non-profit organizations.[20] An exception is also allowed for work performed for a state or local government agency.[20]
Some states have their own laws on the subject.[18] Laws in the state of California, for example, require an employer to pay its interns working in California unless the intern receives college credit for the labor.[18]