An intern (also known in Quebec English as stagiaire) is one who works in a temporary position with an emphasis on on-the-job training rather than merely employment, making it similar to an apprenticeship Apprenticeship is a system of training a new generation of practitioners of a skill. Apprentices or protégés build their careers from apprenticeships. Most of their training is done on the job while working for an employer who helps the apprentices learn their trade, in exchange for their continuing labour for an agreed period after they become. 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. 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 the employers with cheap or free labor for (typically) low-level tasks (stereotypically including fetching coffee for the office), and also the prospect of interns returning to the company after completing their education and requiring little or no training.

An internship may be either paid, unpaid or partially paid (in the form of a stipend A stipend is a form of monetary payment or salary, such as for an internship or apprenticeship. It is often distinct from a wage or a salary because it does not necessarily represent payment for work performed, instead it represents a payment that enables somebody to be exempt partly or wholly from waged or salaried employment in order to). Paid internships are most common in the medical A medical intern is a term used in the United States for a physician in training who has completed medical school. An intern has a medical degree, but does not have a full license to practice medicine unsupervised. In other countries medical education generally ends with a period of practical training similar to internship, but the way the overall, architecture science Science refers to any systematic knowledge-base or prescriptive practice that is capable of resulting in a prediction or predictable type of outcome. In this sense, science may refer to a highly skilled technique or practice, engineering Engineering is the discipline, art and profession of acquiring and applying technical, scientific and mathematical knowledge to design and implement materials, structures, machines, devices, systems, and processes that safely realize a desired objective or inventions. The American Engineers' Council for Professional Development has defined, law A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person licensed to practice law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain stability, and deliver justice. Working as a lawyer involves the, business (especially accounting Accountancy or accounting is the art of communicating financial information about a business entity to users such as shareholders and managers. The communication is generally in the form of financial statements that show in money terms the economic resources under the control of management and finance Finance is the science of funds management. The general areas of finance are business finance, personal finance, and public finance. Finance includes saving money and often includes lending money. The field of finance deals with the concepts of time, money and risk and how they are interrelated. It also deals with how money is spent and budgeted), technology Technology is a broad concept that deals with an animal species' usage and knowledge of tools and crafts, and how it affects an animal species' ability to control and adapt to its environment. Technology is a term with origins in the Greek "technologia", "τεχνολογία" — "techne", "τέχνη" and & and advertising Advertising is a form of communication that typically attempts to persuade potential customers to purchase or to consume more of a particular brand of product or service. Modern advertising developed with the rise of mass production in the late 19th and early 20th centuries fields. Internships in non-profit organization A nonprofit organization is an organization that does not distribute its surplus funds to owners or shareholders, but instead uses them to help pursue its goals. Examples of NPOs include charities (i.e. charitable organizations) , trade unions, and public arts organizations. Most governments and government agencies meet this definition, but in such as charities and think tanks A think tank is an organization, institute, corporation, or group that conducts research and engages in advocacy in areas such as social policy, political strategy, economy, science or technology issues, industrial or business policies, or military advice. Many think tanks are non-profit organizations, which some countries such as the United 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, and they typically last 6-12 weeks, but can be shorter or longer. The act of job shadowing Job Shadow, in its most traditional sense, is a program for high school students to find out what it is like to be in a specific profession. This helps the student to choose the college program and subsequently the profession that they would like to choose. However, the act of job shadowing is also utilized by college students, sometimes within may also constitute as interning.

Internship positions are available from businesses, government departments, non-profit groups and organizations. Due to strict labor laws, European internships are mostly unpaid, although they are still popular among non-Europeans in order to gain international exposure on one's résumé A résumé is a document that contains a summary or listing of relevant job experience and education. The résumé or CV is typically the first item that a potential employer encounters regarding the job seeker and is typically used to screen applicants, often followed by an interview, when seeking employment and for foreign language improvement.

Types of internships

An intern type means doing internship in an organization or in specific subject of study. Internships exist in various industries and settings. Here are two primary types of internships that exist in the United States.

1. Work experience internship: Most often this will be in the second or third year of the school period. The placement can be from 2 months to sometimes even one full school year. During this period the student is supposed to use the things he/she has learned in school and put it in practice. This way the student gets work experience in their field of study. The gained experience will be helpful to finish up the last year of the study.
2. Research internship (graduation) or dissertation internship: This is mostly done by students who are in their last year. With this kind of internship a student does research for a particular company. The company can have something that they feel like they need to improve, or the student can choose a topic within the company themselves. The results of the research study will be put in a report and often will have to be presented.

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]

Paying for an internship

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 is included in such paid programs varies by company. Overall, 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. He said that his company had begun, in 2008, to fund scholarships and grants for low-income applicants. ^[2]

Student internships in the United States

A lot of internships in the United States are very career specific. Students choose the internship based on their major at the university/college level. Students are looking forward to intern for companies that they would like to work for after they have the necessary experience. The challenging job market has made it essential for college students to gain real world experience prior to graduation. ^[5] Jeff Gunhus, CEO for one of the largest internship programs in the U.S. said, "Undergraduates face different challenges than the average person looking for a career." ^[6] In the US, company internships are at the center of NIGMS funded biotechnology training programs^[7] for science PhD students. One example is the Biotechnology Training Program - University of Virginia The Biotechnology Training Program at the University of Virginia (UVa) is an National Institutes of Health (NIH) sponsored PhD level research program founded in 2000. The BTP is open to all UVa PhD students in any science or engineering department at UVa . It is one of nineteen NIH BTP's nationwide and the only one in Virginia.

International student internships

Many students do internships in a different country to get international experience and learn an extra language. The meaning of an internship can be different around the globe.

Ireland

Ireland is fast becoming a highly sought after destination for internships. Participants come from all over the world to experience some of the best resources available in Europe. Students of all ages can experience all aspects of the culture Ireland has to offer while completing their internships. A combination of accommodation is available, from host families to hostels to sharing in apartments with other nationalities. Students come to Ireland anytime from 4 weeks up to a year. Student preferences are adhered to - usually getting their first choice in their chosen field, media, hotel reception, cooking, marketing, business etc. To get a full support system while they are here it is highly recommended that students make a reservation through a reliable company that specializes in placing participants in a host company that best matches their needs. In this way if there is a problem with the host company or the accommodation they can get help in acquiring another company or alternative accommodation straight away without delay. Most internships in Ireland are unpaid but the host company may provide a full travel card for the duration of the internship. Chefs normally get free accommodation if working for a hotel. A reasonable comprehension of English is essential when seeking internships in Ireland, some agencies will organize an intensive English language course from one to three weeks depending on the length of stay before the intern joins a host company.

Spain

At Spanish Spain /ˈspeɪn/ (Spanish: España, pronounced [esˈpaɲa] ( listen)), or the Kingdom of Spain (Spanish: Reino de España), is a country located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula.[note 6] Its mainland is bordered to the south and east by the Mediterranean Sea except for a small land boundary with Gibraltar; to the north by France, universities it is uncommon to do an internship during the education period. The real working experiment for them 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. A lot of times students want to learn Spanish Spanish , sometimes called Castilian (castellano), is a Romance language that originated in northern Spain, and gradually spread in the Kingdom of Castile and evolved into the principal language of government and trade. It was taken most notably to the Americas, and also to Africa and Asia Pacific with the expansion of the Spanish Empire between, 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 is around €500.^{[citation needed]}

Italy

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 bachelor's or a master's degree (especially in technical, economic or scientific faculties). Its goal should be reducing the gap between the companies' demands and the 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 don't offer a proper training, 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, this time in a company, hoping to receive a proper professional training, being hired afterwards 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 and not paid: students internships, expecially the ones not involved with the development of a thesis, are usually not paid; almost all the graduate internships, instead, are paid, but the remuneration is extremely low, around 500 euros gross per month, about 1/4 of the gross monthly remuneration of an hired young graduate employee, and without benefits other than the lunch (so no housing, no 13th/14th mensilities, no paid holidays, no parental leave)^{[citation needed]}. This poses an huge problem for fresh graduates, considering as well that many 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 a proper training/formation, and without hiring them after the internship even if they showed to be productive,fast-learner and trustworthy workers. In other words, almost all the Italian graduates, after one or even two years from the end of their studies (in some cases even master's 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 (Italian universities are very difficult), is part of the reason why Italians leave the family home very late, usually in their early 30s.

UK, Canada and Australia

Internships are often referred to as 'sandwich placements' in the UK and are validated work experienced opportunity as part of a degree program. University staff give 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. In the modern labour 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.

In these countries they have split the types of internship in unpaid or paid. The unpaid internship are mostly the ones that are chosen by students who are either still in school and doing an internship as part of the requirements of school or who have just left school. The purpose of these internships are to get understanding about how work is conducted in the English-speaking world and to improve one's English. Another plus is to learn about work ethic and to experience cultural diversity. The paid internship is mostly for people that want to come to these countries to improve their English. The job for them is not something that they are specialized in, but see it as something that will give them enough money to support their living in these countries.

Germany

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 high unemployment 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, in the hope of landing a job there in the future.^{[citation needed]}

France

At the French universities it is also most common to do an internship, in France France (pronounced /ˈfræns/ or /ˈfrɑːns/; French: [fʁɑ̃s]), officially the French Republic (French: République française, pronounced: [ʁepyblik fʁɑ̃sɛz]), is a country located in Western Europe, with several overseas islands and territories located on other continents. Metropolitan France extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the called 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. In France it is also becoming more popular to do an internship after one has finished studying. Mostly for students that did not get the chance to do an internship during their study career, and try to gain some working experience this way. Most times with the thought of getting hired after the internship period. An internship in France is also popular for international students. The number one 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 a big plus for companies to have employees who speak multiple languages.^{[citation needed]}

Netherlands

In the Netherlands it is also common to do an internship during college. Just like in France it is called stage. Students will go intern for approximately 5 months. Companies are not obligated to pay the student, so sometimes small companies won't pay anything. The normal stage compensation rate in the Netherlands is around €300 ^[8].

Denmark

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.^{[citation needed]} 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.^{[citation needed]}

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 A charitable organization is a type of non-profit organization . The term is relatively general and can technically refer to a public charity (also called "charitable foundation," "public foundation" or simply "foundation") or a private foundation. It differs from other types of NPOs in that its focus is centered ^[9].

India

India too has become an important destination for international internship from several western developed countries since early 2000.Some organisations also organize an intensive Indian language, culture, ayurveda and yoga courses from few weeks to several months depending on the length of stay before the intern joins associate host organisations.^{[citation needed]}

'InStep' of Infosys Infosys Technologies Limited is a multinational information technology services company headquartered in Bangalore, India. It is one of India's largest IT companies with 104,850 professionals (including subsidiaries) as of Mar 31, 2009. It has offices in 22 countries and development centers in India, China, Australia, UK, Canada and Japan is an example of quality international internship programs in India in the corporate sector for international students and youth. ^[10], ^[11]

European Union

The European Commission The European Commission is the executive branch of the European Union. The body is responsible for proposing legislation, implementing decisions, upholding the Union's treaties and the general day-to-day running of the Union operates a sizeable traineeship programme

See also

• Apprentice Apprenticeship is a system of training a new generation of practitioners of a skill. Apprentices or protégés build their careers from apprenticeships. Most of their training is done on the job while working for an employer who helps the apprentices learn their trade, in exchange for their continuing labour for an agreed period after they become
• Curricular Practical Training Curricular Practical Training is temporary employment authorization for non-immigrant students in the United States while enrolled in a college-level degree program (for international students)
• Cooperative education Cooperative education is a structured method of combining classroom-based education with practical work experience. A cooperative education experience, commonly known as a "co-op", provides academic credit for structured job experience. Cooperative education is taking on new importance in helping young people to make the school-to-work
• Experiential education Experiential education is a philosophy of education that focuses on the transactive process between teacher and student involved in direct experience with the learning environment and content. The term is mistakenly used interchangeably with experiential learning. The Association for Experiential Education regards experiential education "as a
• Externship Externships are experiential learning opportunities, similar to internships, offered by educational institutions to give students short practical experiences in their field of study. In medicine it may refer to a visiting physician who is not part of the regular staff. It is derived from Latin externus and from Old English scipe
• Medicine
  • Internship (medicine) A medical intern is a term used in the United States for a physician in training who has completed medical school. An intern has a medical degree, but does not have a full license to practice medicine unsupervised. In other countries medical education generally ends with a period of practical training similar to internship, but the way the overall
  • Sub-internship
• Mentoring Mentorship refers to a developmental relationship in which a more experienced person helps a less experienced person, referred to as a protégé, apprentice, mentoree, or being mentored, develop in a specified capacity
• Practicum A practicum is a college course, often in a specialized field of study, that is designed to give students supervised practical application of a previously studied theory. Practicums are common for education and social work majors
• Postdoctoral researcher A postdoctoral researcher is an academic or scholarly research position held by a person who has completed his or her doctoral studies. Postdoctoral research commonly last for periods ranging between six months and five years, in form of a position with a salary or an appointment with a stipend or sponsorship award
• Service-learning Service-learning is a method of teaching, learning and reflecting that combines academic classroom curriculum with meaningful service, frequently youth service, throughout the community. As a teaching methodology, it falls under the philosophy of experiential education. More specifically, it integrates meaningful community service with instruction

References

1. ^ Laid-off workers should try internships first
2. ^ ^{a b c} Sue Shellenbarger (January 28, 2009). "Do You Want An Internship? It'll Cost You". The Wall Street Journal. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123310699999022549.html.
3. ^ Timothy Noah (January 28, 2009). "Opportunity for Sale; Psst! Wanna buy an internship?". http://www.slate.com/id/2209985/.
4. ^ ^{a b} "Unpaid internships face legal, ethical scrutiny", The Bowdoin Orient, Bowdoin College, April 30, 2004
5. ^ http://www.collegeworks.com/students/mngmt/
6. ^ http://media.www.thetowerlight.com/media/storage/paper957/news/2001/04/23/Arts/Jeff-Gunhus.Book.Helps.Graduates.Jump.Into.Real.World-2194190.shtml
7. ^ "National Institute of General Medical Sciences: Biotechnology Predoctoral Research Training Program Institutions". http://www.nigms.nih.gov/Training/InstPredoc/PredocInst-Biotechnology.htm. Retrieved on 2 July 2009.
8. ^ Nationaal studentenonderzoek 2008, by L. Geenen and S. Lotze, Stageplaza, December 2008 (Dutch)
9. ^ Nyt kvote 2 system fjerner motivation fra unge frivillige (New system removes motivation from youth volunteers), by Morten Münster, Metroxpress, May 13 2008
10. ^ www.infosys.com/InStepWeb/about-internship/default.asp
11. ^ http://www.expressindia.com/news/fullstory.php?newsid=65429

External links

• The Seven Habits of Highly Effective Interns, Examiner.com

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