Finding Internships

Internships are temporary employment positions designed to expose participants, or interns, to the day-to-day aspects of their prospective careers. Interns are commonly college students or recent graduates. Through these programs, interns familiarize themselves with a particular job field, gain new skills, and establish employment contacts and references. Interns may or may not be paid for their work, depending on the nature of the internship. Additionally, some interns earn school course credit for their internship. Cooperative education programs, or co-ops, are similar to internships but entail two or more terms of employment for a company.

Brief History

The primary goal of an internship is for an individual to get a firsthand, temporary look at a particular career or field of work. Modern internship programs bear a resemblance to apprenticeships, which became popular in the eleventh century but had largely disappeared by the twentieth. In an apprenticeship, a master craftsman or tradesman provided training to an apprentice, who was usually a male teenager or preadolescent. After learning the skills of the master’s trade, and working for a prearranged time under the master (usually several years), the apprentice could begin his career. Modern internships differ from apprenticeships in that they are much less formal in structure and are undertaken for considerably shorter periods of time.

Internship programs arose in the developed world in the middle of the twentieth century. By the early twenty-first century, internships became a widely adopted practice in many industries and fields, including journalism, technology, finance, and entertainment. Many well-known and successful people began their careers as interns. Bill Gates, founder of Microsoft, was a congressional page in the United States House of Representatives. Film director Steven Spielberg began his career as an unpaid intern for Universal Studios. Media mogul Oprah Winfrey began her career as an intern for a CBS affiliate in Nashville, Tennessee. Winfrey was later hired as an anchor, beginning her on-camera career.

A specific type of internship that gained popularity in the early twenty-first century is a cooperative education experience, or co-op. Co-ops differ from internships in that they require longer terms of employment with the same company or entity than an internship. (It should be noted, however, that there is some ambiguity surrounding the term "co-op," which is sometimes used interchangeably with the term "internship.") Co-ops are generally undertaken by college students as part of, or in addition to, their coursework. While some companies offer co-op programs, certain colleges and universities actually require their students to participate in a co-op as a prerequisite for graduating. More specifically, co-ops may be mandatory for graduation only within certain majors at certain schools. Students participating in college co-op programs will stop taking classes for the specified period of employment with their co-op.

Co-ops offer a clear-cut opportunity for advancement within the internship experience, something that benefits students and employers. The students are able to showcase their talents and skills over an extended period of time, and employers are able to get a better understanding of prospective employees’ abilities and overall competency.

Overview

Research has shown that completing an internship increases the likelihood of finding employment and positively affects job satisfaction rates. In 2014 Southwestern University in Texas conducted a study through its Office of Career Services that analyzed data pertaining to recent graduates’ employment. The study found that students who had completed internships were 13 percent more likely to find full-time jobs over those who had not. Additionally, students who had completed internships reported having a higher rate of happiness related to their jobs.

There is some controversy over paid and unpaid internships. In 2012 Robin Richards, the chief executive officer of Internships.com, stated that in the United States, approximately one-third of interns are paid for their work. Critics of unpaid internships contend that those positions are inherently biased and meant to attract wealthy young people who can afford to work for free. Further highlighting the exploitative potential of unpaid internships is the emerging trend of fee-based internships. For example, in 2011, the British company Etsio offered an online resource that matched employers with interns. Most of these interns agreed to pay a daily fee to their employers during their tenure. (The company, however, went out of business after about a year, citing issues recruiting prospective interns.) In the United Kingdom in 2011, internships at hedge funds, public relations firms, and magazines were auctioned off during a political fundraiser; however, this event generated much public controversy, as well as a government inquiry.

The debate over paid and unpaid internships involves more than immediate wage-related concerns. Research indicates that paid internships tend to involve higher-level work and an increased likelihood of a job offer. In 2012, Forbes reported on a study conducted by the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE), which polled approximately sixteen thousand college seniors. According to the study, paid interns were generally given higher-level work, including project management and analysis, while unpaid interns were more likely to handle clerical work. The study also found that interns in a paid internship program were offered a permanent position roughly 60 percent of the time. In comparison, unpaid interns were offered full-time employment approximately 37 percent of the time.

There are many resources to consider when looking for an internship, particularly if the person seeking an internship is enrolled at a college or university. College career centers will have well-informed and experienced staff to help students find, apply for, and obtain internships. Career center staff can assist with résumé and cover letter writing and offer advice on successful interviewing. Students will also have access to job and internship fairs that are held on their campuses.

Aside from resources found on the campuses of universities, colleges, and technical schools, there are many other sources for finding internships. For example, websites such as Internships.com, Idealist.org, and Experience provide access to a wide range of internship opportunities. Additionally, these websites provide helpful information to prospective interns on topics such as effective interviewing and résumé refinement.

Another key resource for finding an internship is utilizing one’s existing network of family and friends. Prospective interns should contact those already in their acquaintance, such as family members, former employers and coworkers, friends, and teachers, to mine for any internship opportunities.

Bibliography

Adams, Susan. "Odds Are Your Internship Will Get You a Job." Forbes. Forbes, 25 July 2012. Web. 26 May 2015.

Boyington, Briana. "Understand the Differences between a Co-op, Internship." US News & World Report. US News & World Report, 31 Mar. 2015. Web. 26 May 2015.

Chatterton, Brooke. "What Job Statistics Say about the Value of College Internships." Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 27 July 2014. Web. 26 May 2015.

"Fact Sheet #71: Internship Programs under the Fair Labor Standard Act." Wage and Hour Division. US Dept. of Labor, Apr. 2010. Web. 26 May 2015.

Haire, Meghan, and Kristi Oloffson. "Brief History: Interns." Time. Time, 30 July 2009. Web. 26 May 2015.

Harrison, Kate. "Why Interns Are Your New Best Friends." Forbes. Forbes, 11 July 2012. Web. 26 May 2015.

Hering, Beth Braccio. "Why Are Internships So Important?" CNN.com. Cable News Network, 14 Apr. 2010. Web. 26 May 2015.

Malik, Shiv, and Rajeev Syal. "Internships: The Scandal of Britain’s Unpaid Army." Guardian. Guardian News & Media, 4 Nov. 2011. Web. 26 May 2015.

"Position Statement: Unpaid Internships." National Association of Colleges and Employers. NACE, June 2010. Web. 26 May 2015.

Williams-Grut, Oscar. "Recruitment Firms: Saviours or Exploiters?" Independent. Independent Print, 3 Nov. 2012. Web. 26 May 2015.