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Career Advice

Everything you need to know about internships

Think being an intern is all about making coffee, doing endless photocopying and being a general dogsbody? Time to think again...

Victoria S Williams
by Victoria S Williams
Last Updated:
27 Feb 2024

Internships and being an intern has a bad rep, thanks mostly to Hollywood movies. But they are often so much more than spending your time making other people coffee or other menial tasks. They can in fact be an exciting way of getting a taste of a potential career so that you can see if it's the right fit for you.

If you don't really know much about internships (besides what you've seen in the movies) then read on, as we've got all the detials...

What are internships?


If you’re currently in sixth form or college, you might well have been on a work experience placement before most schools offer students the chance to spend a week or two learning the ropes in a local company before you sit your GCSEs.

Internships are similar to work experience placements in that you’ll gain practical experience in the workplace, but while work experience mainly involves learning how things are done by watching other people work, on an internship you’ll have your own job to do, even if it’s only helping out around the office. 

Internships are also usually longer than work experience placements, and can range from a few weeks to a few months, or even a whole year.

Should you do an internship?


If you’re thinking about applying to uni, doing an internship during your holidays is a great way to make yourself stand out from other applicants and can help you win that all important place on a competitive course, especially if your internship is related to the subject you wish to study. 

If you're already at university, getting some practical experience in your free time can help you get to grips with your course if it’s quite technical or career orientated, but even if its not, an internship will look great on your CV and could help you land your dream job. They can also offer you the chance to build a professional network great for when you graduate.

Internships are also a way of finding out what you want to do after you graduate. Doing a few different internships while you’re at college or uni allows you to try out different careers, and see which one is the best fit for you.

Should you be paid for an internship?


Unpaid internships are very popular with students, partially because many think that because they are young or inexperienced, working for free is just something they have to put up with, but this isn’t true – in most cases, unpaid internships are actually illegal. 

Under the terms of the National Minimum Wage Act 1998, if you can be defined as a worker, and you are not being paid at least the minimum wage, your employer is breaking the law.  You can check your rights as an intern here.

Some companies may try to bend the rules by calling interns volunteers, but if you have set working hours and a job to do, no matter how junior the position, you are classed as worker and should be paid for your efforts. 

In some cases, doing an unpaid internship may still be worthwhile for example, if it is necessary for your course at college or uni, or if you think you can’t get experience any other way but you should still be aware of your rights. 

How do you make the most of an internship?


If you decide you’d like to do an internship, whether it’s paid or not, make sure you make the most of it. Take the opportunity to ask your colleagues about their jobs, which aspects they like most, which they don’t like, and how they got their first job in the industry. Their advice could prove invaluable in helping you decide what you want to do after you graduate. 

And who knows... if you manage to impress during an internship, it might even lead to a permanent job at the company once you’ve finished your degree.  

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