Many people, regardless of the university or industry, often confuse internships and work placements. However, the two are actually pretty different and understanding the difference between these two types of contracts can help you excel in any of the careers you’re interested in.
It is not always easy to understand the difference between these two types of work-linked training. The main differences are in the nature and duration of the contract, the age and the pay of the beneficiary. Here is all the information you need to help you make your choice.
Internships and Work Placements: What is the Difference?
Many trades can be learned through being an intern or working in a work placement.
It is easy to get confused between these two, but don’t leave it up to your perspective employers to clarify it for you. These two contracts are different ways that you can gain experience in a particular industry. Students spend part of their time in school and the other part in a company learning a trade.
However, there are a few differences that make it possible to differentiate between the two work-linked training contracts and thus choose the one that is best suited to one's profile. While the internship contract is for initial training and is completed over a couple of months, the work placements are usually part of a university degree and are completed for academic credit.
Understanding the Contracts of Work Placements
The work placement contract is offered to university students as part of their degree. Typically, this type of work is organised by the university for the student.
This is done so that the student can get hands-on, industry experience as part of their degree and understand what will be required of them should they choose any of the careers that are linked to the degrees they’re working towards.
It is very common that this work placement is arranged for you by your uni. This means that you won’t usually have to spend your own time trying to apply to placements with employers directly.
There are a couple of rules that you should be aware of if you are an international student holding a student visa. While your Biometric Residence Permit may state that you are not allowed to work, holding a student visa means that you will be allowed to partake in a work placement as long as it meets the guidelines.
- The course you’re studying in uni must result in an approved qualification
- The placement needs to be assessed just as a regular course in your degree programme
- The contract cannot exceed the length of one-third of the total course length
It’s important to look out for any degree programme that states that the work experience is “integral” to your studies. Meaning, although it involves working in an industry, it is a part of your studies. This is especially important for international students, who cannot partake in careers while on a student visa if it’s not part of their studies.
Understanding the Internship contract
Unlike a work placement contract, an internship contract is intended for students who want to apply the knowledge from their degree and start to form their careers. These students follow a training course after having already put a foot in the working life or after having stopped their studies. This allows students to improve their skills or even retrain for a new career.
Contracts typically take the form of a fixed-term contract. In the case of fixed-term contracts, the minimum duration is usually between 6 and 12 months. It can be extended in exceptional cases.
In the framework of an intern’s contract, the intern usually is working full time, which means at least 45 hours a week, and is allocated typical worker’s benefits.
Work-linked Training: Can the Student Choose the Type of Contract?
It is not usually the student who chooses the type of work course. The student is usually left to choose depending on their uni degree and what point in time they are in their life.
Placements as part of university degrees are usually super important for careers that will involve work in the public domain. This doesn’t necessarily just mean solicitors but also careers in the medical industry or in the government.
On the other hand, internships can be very important as a stepping stone either during university or right after graduating. They can help you get a foot in the door and launch your career.
While the placement contract allows students to obtain a degree and to continue their studies if they so wish, the internship contract is above all a means of accessing training leading to a job in order to quickly enter professional life.
Choosing a work-linked training contract, therefore, depends on your objectives, the degree you are considering, the school and the company. It is necessary to find out about the training you want in order to know what type of work-linked training is offered.
How Long are Internships vs. Work Placements
If you are not sure whether to choose one contract over the other, you should think carefully about what this means in practice. Typically, what will help is understanding what the career you want to be in demands of its employees.
In the case of the internship contract, the student must be operational at the end of the training. Intern integration is very important and the majority of companies prefer to hire someone who they’ve already trained rather than someone completely new to the company and career.
With a work-linked contract, students sometimes spend more time in the company than at school.
In internships, the rhythm is more regular between school and company. Sometimes students spend two weeks in the company and two weeks at school!
What is the Difference Between Internship and Work Placement Wages?
In a placement contract, the student employee spends more time in the company than at school for an extended period of time. With that said, because this work experience is part of a degree, these types of work experiences typically go unpaid.
It is very unlikely that your programme will have to arrange a paid contract for you, especially if it is short-term work. The longer the arrangement, the more likely you are to be compensated with at least something.
Be sure to always discuss what type of compensation you will be receiving with your uni and the company you’re working for well in advance.
The salary of an intern is therefore often a lot higher. An employee of a company that is working with an internship contract is entitled to the minimum wage depending on their age.
When looking for an internship, you are entitled to the National Minimum Wage if you are a worker. In order to get the National Minimum Wage, they must be at least school leaving age.
However, if you are 23 or older, you are entitled to the National Living Wage.
Therefore, the salary of an internship often depends on the age of the student. However, it also depends on the industry that the person wants to partake in.
According to Indeed, the average intern’s salary in the UK, based on 595 reported salaries, is around 22,400 pounds per year. However, keep in mind that internships usually last less than one year.
In addition to these factors, it is also the choice of company and sector that determines the students' studies. Of course, just because you do your work experience in a specific sector does not mean that you will have to work in that sector all your life. However, it does give you an ideal experience to start your working life.
There are several criteria to consider when choosing your ideal company:
- The size of the company: large companies have the advantage of being able to show work experience students many different jobs and how a company like this works. Smaller companies have the advantage of allowing the student to get to know all the jobs and employees and sometimes to feel more at ease.
- Geographical location: a work-linked training course is not just an internship. You will spend anywhere from 6 months to two years there. It is essential to choose a company that is not too far from your home to avoid commute-related issues.
- The sector of the industry: it is not always easy to find the sector of the industry or to find a company in general. It is not always easy to find a job in the sector you want to work in. You have to be open to all opportunities to learn the job you want.
All you have to do is submit your CV and write your cover letter. Are you ready?
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