Internships are a type of work experience which consists of a student or a recent graduate applying the theoretical education they received in school to some professional training in a company or other professional structure. Usually undertaken by people from 16 to 29 years of age, internships offer many advantages to those who take them.
Please keep in mind, however, that we are discussing paid internships. According to the Guardian, graduates coming from disadvantaged backgrounds were actually 6 percentage points less likely to get a job when they take an unpaid internship compared to those who just find a paid job straight away.
Discover all the advantages of this type of contract now!
Internships Offer a Look into How a Job will Treat You
Being an intern provides an opportunity to test trade in real conditions, not just at school.
This work experience is a way for every student to gain practical experience in their field of study. Students do not remain confined to the lessons given by teachers at uni, but test and put their learning into practice in a company.
Choosing an internship allows you to experience the reality of the working world. There are instructions, expectations and sometimes stress. Working in a company is then an opportunity to discover the professional sector in order to better understand what the trade being tested consists of.
Economists, communications specialists, and customer service specialists, the expectations and ideas that students have of the job are sometimes far from reality. Students who have not had an internship or work experience during their studies may be disappointed by the profession once they enter the job market.
Internships can help new graduates avoid this and best prepare students for their future professions.
Internship Can Help You Discover Different Careers
Interns are also offered an opportunity to discover several job sectors. Indeed, it happens that some students do two internships in two different companies and two different careers. This is an opportunity for these students to choose two sectors, both in terms of the company and in terms of the subject.
In this case, students discover different ways of working and different tools. It also helps them to choose the path they want to follow afterwards, depending on the experiences they have enjoyed or not.
As a student, you should therefore not hesitate to multiply your experiences!
Internships Don’t Come with Tuition Fees
One of the biggest benefits of internships is that students do not have to pay tuition fees. For the company, taking on an intern is an investment in the future or saves them money on having to pay someone at full salary for perhaps smaller, less impactful tasks. It trains a student who can potentially work for the company after completing their studies.
The company is responsible for paying the intern, but sometimes also receives support from the government. This aid is used to encourage companies to recruit students through internships.
On the student's side, he or she will not have to pay any tuition fees to be able to take part in the internship. This means that the intern will be able to take advantage of the real-world learning environment that is their job without having to worry about paying any extra fees.
Internships Can Help You Learn Money While Studying
Needless to say, internships come with a wage – which means that interns earn a salary. This depends on the amount of the minimum wage and varies according to the age of the intern.
Throughout their studies, students can therefore benefit from their courses, but also from a salary that allows them to find accommodation and pay their daily expenses. This is a great advantage for students without parental financial support, and for all students in general.
Student life is often financially complicated. Choosing an internship is therefore a way to continue your studies while earning a salary.
Please be aware that paid internships should be the standard. If your potential employer does not want to pay you as an intern or hesitates to call you an employee, try to avoid them and find other opportunities.
Taking unpaid internships can do more harm than good. The Guardian reported that while unpaid internships are illegal in the UK, 40% of interns went unpaid.
Using Internships to Build a Professional Network
In some professional sectors, building a network is a key point of professional integration. Although not always necessary, professional networking can help many future workers to find the job they want.
However, building a professional network by staying in school is sometimes a bit limited. Students are in contact with teachers and other students but lack professional contacts.
The internship experience provides people with an opportunity to open up to other professionals and to build up a fuller address book. Students can then use this network to advertise their job search either now or in the future. Word of mouth works very well and sometimes facilitates access to employment.
Internships Offer Diverse Studying Opportunities
Traditional courses can sometimes be monotonous and lack interest for some students. Apart from the financial aspect, which attracts many students, the fact that they can do something other than sit in a chair is a huge advantage for many.
Interns can then benefit from more dynamic training that alternates between theoretical concepts, practical courses and periods in companies. The pace is fast but students are not likely to get bored.
Internships Can Help You Better Understanding Theoretical Courses
The internship route can be a real plus for improving your grades in class. Indeed, by practising the theory seen in class, students understand better and faster what the teachers want to teach them. Some students really need this practice to get the hang of the lessons and chapters of the school year's curriculum.
Interns’ grades can improve and sometimes difficult classes can go better for some students compared to just sticking to the more traditional route.
Finding a Job more Easily with Internships
Employers often value the application of a person who has completed an internship. This means that the candidate already has professional experience and can be operational immediately.
In addition, the candidate is familiar with some of the tools needed for the job and this shortens the training and integration period in the company.
Sometimes students can also become employed in the company where they completed their internship. Finding a work experience with a good promise of a contract afterwards can definitely be a bonus.
Internships are Becoming an Expected Step
While internships have historically long been devalued and neglected by students and their parents, this type of work-linked training is increasingly in demand and is becoming the industry standard.
Parents see it as a way of relieving the financial burden of studying, students appreciate the experience in a company and employers value this type of profile in recruitment.
The internship route has become a significant option in the choice of careers, particularly for young people wishing to return to school after a break, as it allows them to retain a salary.
Interns can Gain Academic and Professional Maturity
Between working hours, deadlines, and hierarchy, being an intern allows one to gain a certain maturity.
Through work experience, students gain experience, but they also gain maturity. Interns have responsibilities in the company. They have to respect deadlines, hierarchies, working hours, etc.
Just like a classic first work experience, an internship allows you to experience the reality of the job world and to gain maturity by trial and error.
The students come out of the experience better prepared to face the labour market with one or two years of work experience. Students also have to manage their salary and therefore learn to manage their budget.
Student Interns Can Take Advantage of Dual Status
As a student, interns can take advantage of all the benefits associated with this status. Having a student card, such as ISIC, can lead to many different benefits.
This card allows you to benefit from advantageous rates in museums, certain restaurants, at the cinema, etc.
Interns are also employees. As such, they are entitled to paid holidays, part of their travel expenses, pension contributions and sometimes works council benefits.
Interns can Take Advantage of a Dynamic Learning Pace
Beyond simply varying teaching techniques, the rhythm of the internship allows dynamic students to never be bored. One week in the company, one week at school, or whatever the rhythm, it allows everyone to be active throughout the year.
The rhythm may also change during the year. Some periods are reserved for classroom work to revise or prepare for the diploma, while other periods are more intense in the company, especially outside school periods.
Financial Support for Interns
Depending on the region in which the intern is located, he or she can apply for financial support from the regional council. The latter can then issue grants for transport, catering, the purchase of books and even accommodation.
Each region offers different types of support. You should therefore contact the relevant department of the regional council directly.
This is a real boost that makes it possible to stop hesitating to choose an internship!
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