Internship:
Definition, Types, Benefits & Comparison

An internship is a period of work experience offered by an organization for a limited period of time, providing students and graduates with meaningful, practical work related to their field of study or career interest. It is a form of experiential learning that integrates knowledge and theory learned in the classroom with practical application and skills development in a professional workplace setting across in-person, remote, or hybrid modalities.

Internships typically consist of an exchange of services for experience between the intern and the organization. They are used to determine whether the intern still has an interest in that field after the real-life experience and can be used to build a professional network that assists with letters of recommendation or leads to future employment opportunities.

Related terms: cooperative education (co-op), experiential learning, work experience, apprenticeship

Internships exist in 8 distinct types based on their structure, compensation, and setting:

• Paid internships: Common in professional fields including medicine, architecture, science, engineering, law, business (especially accounting and finance), technology, and advertising
• Unpaid internships: Typically offered through non-profit charities and think tanks which often have unpaid or volunteer positions
• Partially-paid internships: Students are paid in the form of a stipend, typically a fixed amount of money paid out on a regular basis
• Virtual internships: Done remotely via email, phone, and web communication, offering flexibility as physical presence is not required
• International internships: Completed in a country other than the country of residence, either in person or remotely
• Returnships: Designed for experienced workers returning to the workforce after taking time away to care for parents or children
• Work experience internships: Usually occur during the second or third year of schooling to expand an intern's knowledge both in their school studies and at the company
• Academic internships: Provide all the benefits of a regular internship while allowing students to earn academic credit towards their degree

According to NACE (National Association of Colleges and Employers), a quality internship should include 6 core elements:

1. A learning experience with a real-world opportunity to apply the knowledge gained in the classroom (it must not be simply to advance the operations of the employer or replace the work that a regular employee would routinely perform)
2. Learned skills and knowledge that are transferable to other employment settings
3. A defined beginning and end that is mutually agreed upon and consistent with institutional sponsor guidelines and schedules
4. A position description with clear responsibilities and required/desired qualifications
5. Clearly defined learning objectives/goals supportive of the student's academic program goals and institutional requirements
6. Direct supervision by a professional with relevant expertise and educational and/or professional experience who provides productive feedback, guidance, and the resources and equipment necessary to successfully complete the assignment

A quality internship consists of a part-time or full-time work schedule that includes no more than 25% clerical or administrative duties, orients the student to the organization, its culture and proposed work assignments, and offers regular feedback to the student intern.

Internships provide 5 key benefits for career development and personal growth:

• Real-world experience: Internships provide a valuable opportunity to apply what you've learned in the classroom to a real work setting
• Skill development: Besides advancing skills specific to your chosen career field, internships strengthen your ability to work independently, your decision-making and problem-solving, plus your communication, organizational and interpersonal skills
• Career exploration: Internships help students discover their dream job, connect with an organization they want to stay with after graduation, or learn what they don't want to do for a living before they graduate
• Networking with professionals: The connections made at an internship can be just as valuable as the work experience, as professionals can be valuable resources in the future as employers, references and mentors
• Potential job offers: Successful internships can lead to a permanent, full-time position, freelance work or advanced internship offers

According to NACE research, paid interns averaged 1.61 job offers compared to 0.94 offers for unpaid interns and 0.77 offers for non-interns. Paid interns earned a median starting salary of $62,500 compared to unpaid interns who reported earning a median starting salary of $42,500.

Internships serve as a significant recruiting mechanism for employers, providing them with the opportunity to guide and evaluate potential candidates. According to a NACE quick poll, eight out of ten responding employers said that internships provided the best return on investment as a recruiting strategy compared to career fairs, on-campus visits, on-campus panels, or other activities.

Employers benefit from 9 key advantages when hiring interns:

• Ease workload of regular employees
• Enable employees to focus on higher level tasks
• Meet short-term staffing needs
• Complete "Priority C" tasks and projects
• Utilize a cost effective employment strategy
• Develop a pipeline of future employees
• Prepare tomorrow's workforce
• Inject enthusiasm and fresh ideas into the organization
• Take advantage of students' tech and social media savvy

Employers often recruit employees from their best interns who have known capabilities, thus saving time and money in the long run. Interns who become employees are retained at higher rates than other hires: 75.5% are still with the organization after their first year on the job compared to 51.5% of non-intern employees.

A typical internship lasts between one and four months, but can be shorter or longer depending on the organization involved. Internships require a minimum of 120 hours, typically at least 10 hours per week during the fall and spring and either part-time or full-time during the summer.

Internships usually last 12-16 weeks or a full semester and take place 8-12 hours per week. They may be part-time or full-time and are usually flexible with students' schedules. Summer internships are popular among high school and college students as most students have more free time during the summer.

Co-ops (cooperative education) are usually full-time positions that take place over a semester and are often built into the curriculum as a graduation requirement. Co-op students are paid for their work and typically don't take classes during their co-op semesters. Students in the co-op program usually work at least 35 hours per week for a full academic semester.

Co-ops are more rigorous than internships and are designed to help students apply their classroom learning to real-world projects. Co-ops provide students with multiple periods of work in which the work is related to the student's major or career goal. The typical program plan is for students to alternate terms of full-time classroom study with terms of full-time, discipline-related employment.

Internships may also be full time, but generally require fewer hours of work and may occur while the student is still taking other classes. Internships usually last 12-16 weeks or a full semester and take place 8-12 hours per week. Virtually all co-op positions are paid, and the vast majority involve some form of academic credit.

Yes, currently unpaid internships are legal in certain situations. Based on a test developed by a federal court, the U.S. Department of Labor has released a fact sheet that outlines the Primary Beneficiary Test (PBT), which should be used to determine who benefits primarily from the internship.

In general, if the student or intern is the primary beneficiary, then the unpaid internship is legal. If the for-profit company is the primary beneficiary, the intern must be paid. Not-for-profit organizations and government agencies are exempt from this regulation and can legally offer unpaid internships according to the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).

State law and state enforcement agencies may impose requirements on unpaid internship programs under Minimum Wage Act. A program must meet criteria to be properly classified as an unpaid internship, including proving that the intern is the primary beneficiary of the relationship. Unpaid interns perform work that is not routine and work that the company doesn't depend upon.

Student interns are expected to gain real work experience and provide meaningful assistance to the company. They are not expected to be "gophers" performing only menial tasks. An important element that distinguishes internships from short-term jobs is the intentional learning agenda structured into each experience.

Students have specific learning objectives and supervisors serve as mentors, providing opportunities to meet the objectives as part of or in addition to the specific duties of the internship. Interns may work on special projects, assist with daily tasks, or provide support during times of higher demand. The work experience internship model expects the intern to bring ideas and knowledge from school into the company.

Interns should expect to have a mentor who provides guidance, feedback, receptiveness and models professionalism. They gain experience and skills in a particular field, develop professional contacts, gain exposure to upper management, and receive an orientation to the company that introduces them to the company's mission, goals, rules, regulations and procedures.

Yes, many students earn academic credit for completing internships. Academic internships provide all of the benefits of a regular internship while allowing students to earn academic credit towards their degree and create a record of their experience on their academic transcript.

To earn credit for an internship, students must work with the internship coordinator in their academic department before starting the internship. Each department has different requirements to complete in order to get credit for the work. Students need to register for the internship course within their department to receive academic credit.

Credits may be counted in different ways depending on the department. Some count the internship credits towards major credits (including required research or practicum work), while others may count it as elective credit. Some departments at universities have policies that prohibit students from getting paid for the experience if they are earning academic credit.

NACE takes the position that academic credit alone is insufficient as compensation and should not be used to justify an unpaid internship. Being compensated should not preclude students from earning academic credit, as there is no reason why a student cannot earn credit and monetary compensation for the labor they contribute.

An internship is often compared to 3 related experiential learning concepts:

Internship vs. Cooperative Education (Co-op)

Internship vs. Apprenticeship

Internship vs. Externship