Organisations sign up to take students as interns for a variety of reasons. Some want to trial potential employees, others believe students can bring skills to their organisation that their employees may not have, and some simply want to ‘give back’ to young people.

Depending on the organisation, interns can be welcomed and treated as if they are valued employees, while other interns discover that they are considered nothing more than an annoyance.

Learning how to “read” the organisation and make the most of the opportunity being offered is important. This is particularly relevant in international internships where there may not be a long history of interns, and supervisors may not be sure exactly what to do with you.

 

Photo credit: Schill via Visual Hunt / CC BY-NC