Summary: For the intern, the main purpose of an internship is to learn about an industry they may wish to enter.
Intern
An intern is a person who undertakes a limited period of work experience with an organization called an internship. Interns are typically students who are either still in high school or post-secondary study programs. Some interns may also be college graduates, often taking on internships soon after graduating.
Interns might not be paid for their work as they receive work experience and on-the-job training instead of wages. Other interns are partially paid and given a daily stipend or are fully paid, though often at a low rate.
Some employers even charge interns a fee for the opportunity to work with and learn from them. Internships may be privately arranged or part of post-secondary courses, in which case they are often called work experience placements. Interns can work for companies, governmental institutions, and organizations like associations or charities.
What are the roles and responsibilities of an intern?
For the intern, the main purpose of an internship is to learn about an industry they may wish to enter. For that reason, interns are often involved in a wide array of activities that help them learn how their employer’s company functions. These responsibilities often include:
- Shadowing: Interns are often assigned to shadow one or a series of staff members during their internships. By job shadowing, they learn what those staff members do on a daily basis and about the complexities of their jobs.
- Clerical support: Interns are often invited to meetings, where they can learn about a company’s processes and take notes or formal minutes. Interns may also prepare and distribute documents for other staff.
- Learning technical skills: In some industries, interns are given on-the-job training in specific technical skills. They receive training and then apply these skills to different tasks within the organization.
- Supervised independent tasks: Once trained, interns may be given independent tasks to perform regularly. These tasks are necessarily closely monitored by a supervisor and may support the work of other staff or contribute directly to the organization’s overall productivity.
What are the pros and cons of having an intern on your team?
Hiring interns can be an interesting alternative to hiring full- or part-time staff. However, it’s important to understand that there are both advantages and disadvantages to providing internships for students and recent graduates. These pros and cons include:
- Pros
Lower cost
Most internships that are paid or partly paid offer lower than average wages to the intern than those paid to full or part-time workers. Generally, short-time internships also don’t include benefits. All told, this means that hiring interns can represent big cost savings for employers.
Motivation and energy
Youthful workers being given an opportunity to learn about an industry and gain relevant work experience can be extremely motivated. Their energy and work ethic can often make them highly productive workers and positive additions to any team.
Checking fit
A short internship allows both the intern and the employer the opportunity to try out a relationship before making a formal commitment. Many employers find that they hire interns after their internships if they fit in well with their company culture.
Developing talent
Internships give employers the opportunity to train and develop interns into highly valuable staff. Once they’ve gained practical training, these people often possess the skills that the employer wants and haven’t picked up bad habits working elsewhere.
Perspective
Because most interns are still students or very recent graduates, their youth could be advantageous to an employer. They may be able to provide perspectives on younger cohorts of customers that the business is otherwise lacking.
- Cons
Time and training
Employers must invest time and effort into training their interns rather than hiring fully qualified employees. This can take valuable time away from other staff, making them less productive overall.
Supervision
Interns generally require closer supervision than other workers as they’re relatively young and inexperienced.
How can you recruit interns?
Any organization can offer an internship. However, finding quality interns requires effort and knowing how to recruit them effectively. Most organizations use these techniques:
- Contacting campuses: Organizations looking for interns can reach out to campus employment offices and counselors to find appropriate people. Educational institutions may require students to take on internships and partner with organizations that provide relevant work experience.
- Advertising on job boards: Well-written postings on online job boards can attract internship applicants.
- Using social media: Effective branding and advertising of internships on social media can draw in applicants.
Authors:
Marcel is an experienced journalist and Public Relations expert with an honours degree in Journalism and bylines with a range of major brands.
