Anyone who follows the news cannot have failed to notice the current debate about the value and legitimacy of internships. Obviously this is a subject we at Inspiring Interns feel quite strongly about, and felt it was time to chip in with our thoughts on the subject. One of the main concerns we are seeing is that many young people are unable to afford to carry out an internship. Unfortunately, there are actually funding options to help such individuals, but these tend to be poorly advertised. We at Inspiring Interns are able to advise you on the available options so feel free to get in touch with any questions. I asked Royal Holloway lecturer Nigel Saul to give an opinion on the matter, having spent years guiding students into careers upon graduating. Nigel tells me that he believes, ‘As completion for graduate-level jobs increases, so it becomes all the more important for applicants to show that they’ve got some experience of the workplace. These days, the process of gaining such experience begins at school, when pupils do a week’s work experience in a setting of their choice. The idea of internships builds on that and helps to bridge the gap between the process of thinking and studying at university and the business of working on graduation. Internships help both the graduating student and the employer. They help the employer by proving them with better trained, more experienced and mature graduate applicants. They help the graduate by providing them with experience – and perhaps to assist in helping them decide which career path to ultimately pursue.’ This is just the opinion of one individual; however we are finding that across the board, the happy endings earned through internships are far outnumbering the horror-stories the media often pounces upon in order to generate a social panic! This is just our belief however, please feel free to comment with your own experiences on internships, good and bad so that we can continue to tailor the services we offer to best suit our clients.
I find talking to friends that many people see Internships, as effectively a waste of time. They see the advantage of doing an internship to gain experience, but when it comes down to apply for jobs or applying for internships, then they will always chose the job option. I feel this is a shame, as often an intership will lead to a job, it is a way for a candidate to see how the company works, meet their colleagues and become part of the company before they take on responsibility.
A possible solution to this problem, would be for employers to be more open about job prospects when candidates apply for interships, if candidates know at the end of the process their is the possibility of a job, then they can justify the period of little or no pay, which will in the long run pay off (literally!!!). Yet if the employer knows there won't be jobs offered, being open about it will cut the dropout rate as candidates feel to some extent betrayed as well as meaning candidates can focus on getting a whole range of expereince that the intership can offer.
I think internships are a great opportunity to see what is it really like to work in your chosen field. For me I can say that it was very usefull in understanding what the area I fokused on during my studies was like to work in. It is shoking to see how big the gap between theory and practice can be. So it is easier to get that before you start on your real carrer. Additionaly I feel that many job descriptions are not very clear about what you would do ervery day. By doing internships in different fields you get a great inside view, are able to base your job choice on practical experiences and learn how to read job decriptions to be sure you apply for the right position. Sure I understand that it is frustrating to graduate and then having to work for little money but just take the positon of an employer for one sec and think about what you would do with a candidate without any job relevant work experience. I think everyone has to decide for himself if it is worth the effort.