What is Internships: Definition and 90 Discussions

An internship is a period of work experience offered by an organization for a limited period of time. Once confined to medical graduates, internship is used for a wide range of placements in businesses, non-profit organizations and government agencies. They are typically undertaken by students and graduates looking to gain relevant skills and experience in a particular field. Employers benefit from these placements because they often recruit employees from their best interns, who have known capabilities, thus saving time and money in the long run. Internships are usually arranged by third-party organizations that recruit interns on behalf of industry groups. Rules vary from country to country about when interns should be regarded as employees. The system can be open to exploitation by unscrupulous employers.
Internships for professional careers are similar in some ways. Similar to internships, apprenticeships transition students from vocational school into the workforce. The lack of standardization and oversight leaves the term "internship" open to broad interpretation. Interns may be high school students, college and university students, or post-graduate adults. These positions may be paid or unpaid and are temporary. Many large corporations, particularly investment banks, have "insights" programs that serve as a pre-internship event numbering a day to a week, either in person or virtually.
Typically, an internship consists of an exchange of services for experience between the intern and the organization. Internships are used to determine whether the intern still has an interest in that field after the real-life experience. In addition, an internship can be used to build a professional network that can assist with letters of recommendation or lead to future employment opportunities. The benefit of bringing an intern into full-time employment is that they are already familiar with the company, therefore needing little to no training. Internships provide current college students with the ability to participate in a field of their choice to receive hands-on learning about a particular future career, preparing them for full-time work following graduation.

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  1. S

    Internships in statistics/biostatistics for graduate students

    I would like to strengthen my resume/CV, so I am searching for summer internships for graduate students in applied math/statistics/biostatics (preferably the latter two). Another option that I'm considering is participating in an REU as a graduate teaching assistant. The internships that I...
  2. Ascendant78

    Where to find physics internships?

    I am currently in a community college that just turned state this year. They have absolutely no physics research for me to observe or participate in, but I want to start getting experience asap. I'd rather not wait until I finish my AA to do so, but I just cannot find anything in my area. I...
  3. A

    Engineering Are Engineering Internships Frequently Only for Current Students?

    I just graduated, but as most jobs want more experience than I have, it seems like my only realistic option is to get an internship. However, upon searching for internships I'm finding that the majority of them appear as if they are only accepting applicants who are still in school. Under the...
  4. AnTiFreeze3

    Schools High School Internships: Chances, Worth, and College Admissions

    Anything that you know of about the chances of getting a high school internship, their worth, whether or not you do anything actually beneficial, whether or not an undergraduate program would like to see that on an application or not, I want to hear. So far, an hour of googling has led me...
  5. C

    Paid Internships for High School Students

    I am currently a junior in high school and am wondering if there are any good paying internships or research opportunities for high school students. Thanks!
  6. D

    Possible summer research internships (not REU's)? And REU acceptance/rejections?

    Hi all, I've applied to quite a few REU's for this summer, but I'm not too confident I'm actually going to get into one because my professor keeps telling me they are quite competitive, and that it's not unusual for people to get rejected from all of them. I've applied to: UChicago...
  7. W

    Admissions Questions about applying to chem REU summer internships?

    I have a few questions about applying to REU programs. I've heard that some schools are a lot more selective than others...but how would you know which ones are the hardest/easiest to get into? I mean...I want to apply a some safeties (even getting into these will probably be difficult for me)...
  8. B

    Schools Pre-College Physics Internships

    Hi, I'm going to be attending college in fall, majoring in physics. I was looking for physics-related internship opportunities over the summer. If anybody knows any good programs out there, or can give me some advice on this topic I would greatly appreciate it. Thank you!
  9. Z

    What are the top universities for Physics internships in Canada?

    Hi, I was wondering which universities' physics departments in Canada offers the best chances of getting a summer internship with for 2011 (usually funded by NSERC). I have already applied to a bunch, but my marks are not that good. So the physics departments with the least applicant per...
  10. A

    International Nuclear Engineering Internships

    Hey everyone, I will be graduating from the Nuclear Engineering program at the University of Michigan in a few months, and will be starting a PhD here next year. This summer, I would like to kill 3 birds with one stone: to travel, to gain experience in the field, and to get paid at least...
  11. T

    Industry Internships for Chemical Physics Majors: Tom's Search

    Hi all, I'm a junior undergrad majoring in chemical physics, and starting to think about plans for next summer. My assumption for a while has been that I'll stay at school and do research towards my thesis, but lately I've been considering other options. My school doesn't require a thesis...
  12. S

    Internships for Applied Physics Majors in CT?

    My school has a neat internship program where they will pay a stipend for the summer if you can find an "internship" somewhere related to your career goals. The nice thing is that it doesn't even have to be a real internship--all that you need is some place willing to let you work for them...
  13. R

    On the metaphysics of internships

    Hello, I am quite new to all this world of internships so I have some questions to the forum. (I have been in several CTYs, but I am afraid that these programs are way different from an internship.) The thing is that I have been searching for internships in the US/Canada, but so far I...
  14. S

    Question about math internships

    Question about "math internships"... Some time in the near future I'm expected to register for a course titled "Math Internship". The course description says "Internships in math related disciplines" -- not exactly helpful.. My question is does this mean student teaching? Tutoring for the...
  15. C

    When To Do Internships During Nuclear Engineering Education

    Hello, I will be beginning the Nuclear Engineering program at Oregon State University in the next couple of years and I have a question about internships. Most of the classes in the program are offered only one term per year so it seams I will be stuck with just doing summer internships or...
  16. N

    Co-op vs Internship for ChemE: NASA or Space Program Feasibility?

    I'm going to be in chemical engineering and am debating between the two. I want to go to grad school (probably just Master's). If I did Co-op, I'd likely take 5 years to graduate, where as if I did summer internships I would take 4. (I'm an entering freshman). I REALLY want to get a co-op or...
  17. C

    Anyone ever do 2 internships during summer?

    I already finished my undergrad and got accepted into a MSME program beginning with the fall 2010 term. I will most likely accept the offer. Anyways, a week and a half ago I also got an offer for an internship, which would last 90 days, where I can basically start as early as this week, since...
  18. A

    Schools College location, networking, internships and finding a job

    One thing besides the importance of education that I've always had drilled into my head is that I need to leave Ohio after college. My parents would probably kill me if I settled down here. That said, I'm currently stuck choosing between Case Western Reserve and Purdue. I like Case better...
  19. ZapperZ

    Science Undergraduate Laboratory Internships

    In case there are people who might be interested in this but didn't realize either its existence or deadline, the deadline for SULI application is coming up fast - Feb. 1. http://www.scied.science.doe.gov/SciEd/erulf/about.html Zz.
  20. P

    Planning for MIT: Internships & MS in IT

    hii i am currently studying in India .i am in IT branch and later want to do MS in MIT,,i am currently in first year..what shoul;d be my plan of action for going to MIT for internships and later MS?
  21. Q

    Undergraduate Reaearch Internships

    Hey guys; I am in my second semester as a freshman physics major, and I have a 3.8 GPA. I am REALLY interested in doing one of those REU as soon as I can. How many people here have done one of these? How hard is it to get selected? What can I do to better my chances of getting on on one...
  22. J

    Internships as a Quantitative Analyst

    Hello, I'm currently a 3rd semester Physics Student. I am not really sure in whit direction I want to go, I am tending towards theoretical physics rather than experimental, but I am also interested in ecomonics, so maybe becoming a "quants guy" might be a good idea, but compared with the...
  23. P

    Summer Internships for Physics | UK & Europe

    Hello, I am looking for summer internships at the moment in the UK or Europe in Physics. Does anyone have any suggestions or advice for placements? So far I have applied for the CERN summer internship program, and enquired at GCHQ. Many thanks, Pete
  24. J

    Internships in US for Int'l Students '09

    hey all i m a first year undergrad engineering student in India , m very interested in getting an internship in the US this summer , 2009. cn ne body guide me abt any possible organizations n universities where international students are allowed for internships?
  25. S

    Admissions Applying for internships and REUs

    Hi, A little background first: At the end of this school year I will have completed the first two physics courses (mechanics, and E&M), calc 1-3, linear algebra, 2 years of computer science, and astronomy 1 and 2. This summer I would really like to do an internship somewhere with something...
  26. J

    Summer Internships for Math/Physics Double Major

    Are there any summer internships available this late in the year for summer 2008?I am a math/ physics double major in sophomore year.
  27. U

    Where can I apply for Texas Instruments internships for summer 08?

    Does anyone know where to apply for the Texas Instruments internships for the summer of 08? I can't find any of the postings on their website. I figure they would have it posted by now...
  28. U

    AMD Summer 2008 Internships: Dates and Availability

    Anyone know when they post their Summer 2008 internship positions? I don't see hardly any at all. Intel has a ton posted on their career site. I figured AMD would too, since they are a powerhouse company, as well.
  29. D

    Advice on UG Courses for EE Major & Internships

    Hi all -- I'm currently going to be a junior this fall majoring in Electrical Engineering. I will graduate in 2009. I have a question regarding my future career path, maybe some of you know some answers: 1) Should I take some business courses during my undergraduate years? How essential is...
  30. C

    Industry internships for physics undergrads?

    Hello, I am currently working in the nuclear physics group at my university. I am thinking that next summer I would like to work in industry at some sort of corporation, probably in the San Francisco Bay Area or near Sacramento in California. I am wondering if I am deluded and only...
  31. D

    Sophomore Year Internships: What to Do?

    Hi, I just finished my sophomore year in EE and I had a quick question: how many students get internships after their sophomore year? Currently, I have a overall 3.2 GPA overall, and a 3.7 GPA in my EE & CS classes (about 5 of them so far). I applied to a lot of internships, got a few calls...
  32. A

    Internships and volunteer work

    I'll be applying for university this year, so I need to do some internship and some volunteer work. I'm definitely going to the science field (I don't know which but not medical), and I need to ask what type of internships should I do. What type of volunteer work should I do, and how much...
  33. F

    Recommendation Letters and Internships

    I am an EE undergraduate currently going into my junior year. I transferred from the Computer Science department after completing freshman and sophomore CS courses with a poor GPA. I transferred to EE because I hated CS, and was basically taking the classes because I thought it would be a road...
  34. P

    Internships and study abroad

    I was wondering if there is anybody who had a great experience in an undergraduate summer internship or a study abroad program that had to do with the field of physics? I'm starting my first year of college this year, so I will have a couple years to think about it before I do either of the two...
  35. A

    Internships in physics for summer?

    Hello! I'm a student from Kiev Polytechnic Institute, Ukraine. This summer I'm coming to the US for Work and Travel Cultural Exchange Program. Can anyone tell me if it is possible to find any kind of an internship or a temporary job related to physics, if so where can I apply for such a...
  36. N

    Schools Internships during college or after college?

    I'm working on a double degree which would require me to take 19 credits every semester during sophmore, junior and senior years to finish on time. I am in junior year and I'm on to track to finish in 4 years. Is it better to take internship during college years and delay this degree or take up...
  37. S

    Resources for Math Undergrads: REUs, Internships, etc

    I am a sophomore physics and math major and am interested in doing research this summer, preferably in some sort of theoretical physics or math, but realistically in any sort of physics, as there seem to be few opportunities to do theoretical physics in an REU, and as I have regretably not taken...
  38. E

    Finding Internships at Science Labs for San Diego HS Student

    I'm not really sure if anyone would be able to help me here... but I really want to try to get an internship working at some type of science lab. Ok.. so basically I'm a high school student in San Diego. Now, I know you maybe wondering why a HS student want an "internship" at a lab.. what...
  39. K

    Since we are on the subject of internships

    I need a few opinions on what to do this spring and summer. I currently have a decent, part time job fixing computers and networks. The job does not pay well, but I'm able to meet my needs of food, shelter, and some meager entertainment. It's also important to me that I don't hate going to...
  40. D

    WELL-PAYING physics summer internships?

    hey all, I'm writing to see if anybody knows of any lucrative summer internships in physics. i'd say I'm a pretty employable and interviewable guy, and I'm looking to score a well-paying internship while I've still got the grades. right now I'm a sophomore double-major in physics and math at...
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