So, you probably are looking for a job and you have seen the term internship program among vacancy lists, and then you are wondering what is an internship, anyway? Internship program can give you a valuable working experience that you won’t get elsewhere. When college or university graduates have relevant professional and working experience, they are considered more valuable by the potential employers. That’s why the internship program is often viewed more interesting and attractive.
Understanding Internship Concept
So, what is an internship? It is a professional opportunity that is offered by employers or work providers to potential and promising employees (often called as interns) to work within the company for a certain period of time. The interns themselves are generally students or undergraduates who are looking for a working experience and the exposure to the working environment. The internships have different periods – it can last to only a month, to three months, and even to 12 months. When offered to university students for semester period, it is usually part-time. While vacation periods are generally full-time although the terms and condition may vary to different companies.
The purposes of the internship are to provide you with workplace experience, better knowledge, and practical skills within the industry. It is a win-win solution for both the company (the employer) and the candidates. The candidates can improve and increase their expertise and skills while the employer can benefit from the labor. The internship program itself can be voluntary or paid. In general, though, today’s industries make use of paid internships as their way to attract potential employees.
Benefits of Internship
The internship program, definitely, offers its own benefits, such as:
- It offers the chances to develop the candidates’ skills and knowledge within a certain industry or field
- It provides insight into a business and how it works, including the challenges and common obstacles they generally meet – whether on a daily basis or the unpredictable ones
- It provides a chance to create contact network
- It explores different functions and roles – so you can learn about a specific role or field that you want to pursue
- It helps you to acquire credits for university module
- It helpsyou to get the minimum national wage, if you are involved in a paid program
- It helps you to gain precious working experience that will differentiate you from other candidates
Internship vs Apprenticeship
Now that you understand what is an internship, now, the questions is how it is different from apprenticeship program. Although most people believe that they are both the same, they give different working experiences.
An apprenticeship is a vocational program combining study and work-based training to get National Vocational Qualification (NVQ) or degree. An apprenticeship program generally has 4 days of working hours in the company and a day within the training center. In the past, apprenticeship program was for trade works, like planning and constructions although today programs are for different industries like marketing and accountancy.
If you want to apply for an internship program, read all the requirements and understand them well. Then understand the application process. It’s not enough that you understand about what is an internship but also about the proper processing standard.