What are internships?
Internships provide you with the opportunity to gain valuable work experience, insights and skills over a set period of time. This ranges from 1 to 3 months over the summer for students, and up to a year for graduates. The aims and expectations as an intern vary depending on the company and role you are interested in.
Internship or placement?
Internships and placements are relatively similar. You are working while studying as a student, gaining valuable experiences that will influence the rest of your degree and shape your future career. They both allow you to develop transferable skills while putting your theory into practice in a supportive environment. The main difference is the duration. As a student, internships are shorter and are usually over the summer vacation, with no disruption to when you finish your degree. A placement year is embedded into your degree, between your second and third year. Upon successful completion, it will be added to your degree title.
Benefits of doing an internship
Build and develop transferable skills: As an intern, you are in a professional environment being supported by fellow colleagues. Naturally, the work and tasks given to you will allow you to develop skills needed for your future career. From communication to problem solving, working collaboratively and using initiative, transferable skills are used constantly in the workplace and are developed through experience. You will see how other professionals deal with day-to-day tasks and more complex challenges as they arise, allowing you to reflect on, and be supported in, refining these necessary skills in your own way.
Put theory into practice: A lot of internships are targeted at second and third year students, with companies knowing that you are still studying towards your degree. They hire interns because they know the value and knowledge that you can bring from your degree (regardless of what you are studying). An internship allows for the theory and knowledge you learn at university, to be put into practice within the work environment, bridging the gap between academic learning and professional working.
Industry, sector and company insights: An internship usually covers a substantial amount of hours, allowing you to gain insights into different areas of the professional environment you are in. This does mean that there is a vast difference in the experiences, as the company-s culture, values and vision will be different, depending on whether you are working in a small, medium or larger organisation, and the amount of teams you will collaborate and work with while there. However, all of this gives you an insight into the realities of working for that company.
Connections and networking: While on your internship, you-ll be working alongside experienced professionals, usually those who have a key role within the organisation. It can provide you with powerful contacts to utilise as references or recommendations to other companies when looking for your graduate job. If you are able to collaborate across various teams while on your internship, you will help to build connections and networks with future employers.
Pay: The vast majority of internships are paid opportunities. At York St John, because of the work involved, we expect our students to be paid for being an employee with the company. If the internship is paid, this will be minimum wage, but as internships become more competitive, so do the wages you can expect. In addition to pay, you may also receive other benefits while you are an employee with a company.
Graduate opportunities and a competitive edge: The Institute of Student Employers revealed that 60% of former interns are offered a full-time role when they graduate. A lot of larger organisations will use these schemes to spot future talent and potential candidates, but here at York St John we see the same with small, local organisations too. Working as an intern, and gaining both experience and insight, can give you a competitive edge over fellow applicants when you come to apply for graduate roles.
Being an intern
What you can expect as an intern
Contract, job description and responsibilities: You should receive a contract which will outline details of your pay as a member of staff within the company. It should also indicate working hours and a duration of the internship, with clear start and end dates. You should also be provided with an overview of the job role and the responsibilities you will have while you are an employee. These may be generic, or could be specific to a project outcome - it depends on the work you will be involved in.
Induction: As with most jobs, you will be given an induction when you start. This usually involves a walk around the space you will be working in and the facilities you can access, meeting relevant staff members that you may work with and shown resources that will help with your role. There may also be mandatory training, such as completing Health & Safety Awareness.
Support: You should be assigned a supervisor or a mentor while completing your internship. As a member of staff, you should expect the same level of support when needed and requested. Your supervisor or team leader are aware that you are a student completing an internship and so extra support should be on offer as necessary.
Making the most of your internship
Take it seriously: Many students apply for internships and are not successful. RateMyPlacement found that the average internship has 83 applicants! If you have secured an opportunity, be sure to make the most of it and don-t take it for granted. Listen, learn and absorb what you can through your experience. Simple actions, such as:
not scrolling through social media at your desk
taking notes during meetings, and
asking for advice and feedback
show that you are dedicated and appreciate the opportunity.
Be professional: Being professional doesn't mean you can't be yourself, it means having an awareness of acceptable behaviours and habits that work in a multi-generational setting. Remember that you are surrounded by work colleagues, not friends. The first few days will be full of information, but take time to observe how the majority of your colleagues act, as this will inform you of what is acceptable. Ensure that you are also dressed appropriately, are punctual and prepared for the day.
Be confident and positive: Taking on smaller tasks to start with allows you to build your confidence to take on more responsibilities and be involved in different projects. If you know that you have a specific skill that will be of benefit, let your supervisor or team leader know. Speak up and ask questions, provide relevant opinions and get involved in discussions, it can be daunting, but it will eventually become second nature.
Set yourself goals: Having goals provides motivation. Setting a variety over the course of your internship ensures that you are constantly learning and developing. Smaller, more achievable targets that will develop your transferable skills - such setting a weekly goal of speaking at least once in each meeting - are great goals to start with. As you settle into your internship, you can set larger goals, such as completing a specific project.
Keep a log of what you do: Internships can be intense and fast-paced. If you are working full-time, they can be exhausting and, despite a longer duration, the end soon approaches quicker than expected. It is a good habit to reflect on your internship as you progress through it so that you are able to reflect on it more effectively. Find an approach that suits you, such as:
making a list of the tasks you completed, and
reflecting on the day with a sentence or a picture.
Keeping a log will enable you to remember smaller details that you can then use in future applications and in interviews.
Ask for advice and feedback: Ask questions and gain as much knowledge and information as possible. The organisation you are working for will know that you are an intern, a student and willing to learn. Asking thoughtful and relevant questions shows that you are interested in the company and the work they do. Speaking to different colleagues about their role and career history opens the conversation and provides an insight into the different opportunities you may want to explore. Ask them for advice in how to find and secure relevant skills and experiences. When working on a task, ask for support or an insight into how they would complete the task. During and afterwards, ask for feedback to ensure that you are truly gaining as much information as possible and learning from your experience.
Be open-minded: Taking on tasks and getting involved in work that you have no experience in will provide you with the opportunity to learn new skills and reflect. Try new things and explore a variety of opportunities - you will not know if you enjoy it unless you try!
Be a proactive colleague: All employers appreciate staff who are eager and willing to get involved, especially those who have new ideas and valid contributions to make. Start small, by taking on smaller challenges or working as part of a team on a project, even if it is out of your comfort zone. It shows that you are willing to learn and will get you noticed for when the next opportunity presents itself. In these situations, it might be that the team leader says no. If so, accept this in the moment, but be open to asking for feedback in a 1-to-1 setting. If you do get turned down for opportunities, do not take it personally. Remember that the company has goals and outcomes to achieve as a priority. Put yourself forward again the next time an opportunity presents itself.
The balance of quality and quantity: As a student and an intern, it is easy to feel that you need to prove yourself and create exemplary pieces of work. Or the opposite, and try to complete as many tasks as possible. There is a fine balance that you need to take, to ensure that the work is completed in a timely manner, but also to a good standard. Pay attention to detail by following instructions and asking questions for clarity. Do not be afraid to ask for support from your supervisor, team leader or colleagues - it shows initiative and your commitment to the work you have been given.
Who can I do an internship with?
Internships are constantly changing to meet the needs and demands of the labour market, but they are becoming more popular and more readily available. Larger organisations tend to have earlier and longer application processes on a yearly basis. Smaller and medium sized organisations may recruit for a specific project. There is no guarantee as to what will be on offer and with who, so you do need to be proactive.
YSJ Internships: Our internship programmes are ever growing and developing to meet your needs. Over the academic year, we offer a range of internships to students and graduates. We work with Academic and Professional Services within York St John, and with local employers and organisations, for you to gain real work-based learning opportunities.
On-campus: Our on-campus internships tend to run during the academic year and are facilitated by Academics and Professional Services within York St John. Some regular internship opportunities we have include working with:
the Institute for Social Justice
the Communities Centre, and
the Haxby Road Sports Park.
They are open to all of our current students. As the internship is internal, your supervisor will be aware of term dates, assignment deadlines and working around your studies.
Summer: Our summer internship programme is our biggest programme which involves regular organisations who come back to us every year. These tend to be part-time, from 120 to 180 hours, over the summer vacation months. We tend to work with local employers, but have also had opportunities in North and West Yorkshire.
Graduates: Our graduate internship programme is exclusively for recent graduates who want to gain more skills and experiences before finding a full-time graduate role. It may be that you are looking for a slight career change from the degree you studied, or want a smoother transition from study to work. Recently, we have worked with our graduates providing further training in identifying and understanding the transition from student to professional.
External internships: As internships become more popular with employers, the amount and variety of organisations engaging with them is changing. There are large organisations that have internships in branches across the UK, so you can choose a location that suits you. Likewise, there may be smaller organisations closer to your home address that you may be interested in, providing experiences outside of York.
How do I apply for, and secure, an internship?
Like any job or opportunity, the application process varies from the amount of input requested, to the timelines of when this happens. We have tried to include an overview of the different aspects that will help you find an internship that suits you, and what you might be asked to do when applying.
Decide:
Location: There are internship opportunities across the UK, but the location will largely depend on where you will be based over the summer vacation. Since the pandemic, jobs have become more flexible in nature, with remote and hybrid opportunities available. This may influence who and where you do your internship too.
Role: There are various internship opportunities across a variety of roles, the most common being in finance, marketing and data analysis. Despite similarities in the name of the internship, what you will be asked to do could be incredibly different. For example, an internship in a marketing role could be working on a specific project and campaign, or it could be working as part of the team, supporting with regular work requests. Be sure to read through each job role and description to gain an understanding of what you might be doing during the internship to make sure it is the right opportunity for you.
Search:
Handshake: Handshake is used by companies and universities across the UK and so you will find a lot of opportunities on the platform. All of the organisations that you see as a student on Handshake have been approved by us. We have ensured that they are appropriate opportunities for you to engage in, and that all due diligence has been done.
RateMyPlacement: Despite the name, RateMyPlacement provides information and advertises relevant roles to students across different types of opportunities. RateMyPlacement has articles to provide insights into internships, and also provides reviews on employers from students who have engaged with them.
Prospects: Like RateMyPlacement, Prospects covers a range of opportunities, but the main difference is that the information and guidance on the website is provided by current careers advisers from universities across the UK. They also advertise internship opportunities.
Apply:
It is important to know that some internship applications open months in advance of the opportunity. For example, you may have to put in an initial application in January or February for an internship that starts in June or July. The key skills that employers are looking for across different point of the application process include:
adaptability
analytical thinking
commercial awareness
communication
creativity
decision-making
leadership
negotiation
organisation
persuasion
planning
teamwork, and
time management.
CV and cover letter:
While most applications are moving away from CV and cover letter requests, they are a useful tool to support you in the rest of your application process. Your CV keeps all of your skills, experiences and qualifications including training, in one place, making it easy to access this information, regardless of how you then need to process it for each application. Learning how to write both your CV and cover letter will support you in ensuring that you are using the correct language and terminology within your applications. The organisations who advertise and recruit interns know that you do not have lots of experience, so focussing on the skills and knowledge that you have, and are gaining through your degree, is fine.
Assessment centres:
Usually used by larger organisations, you may be asked to attend an assessment centre day, or to complete online assessments. These may be simple numeracy and literacy tasks, but can also span into psychometric tests and problem-solving tasks. The intention behind these is to look at your skills and knowledge in action, and ensure they are at a minimum level required for you to be successful within the role.
Be assertive, confident and contribute throughout the day, ask questions so that you know what is being asked of you, and gain relevant information as needed. Be aware that seemingly innocent activities, such as having lunch with other staff, may not be as innocent as it appears! Make sure you are being polite, enthusiastic and friendly as much as possible.
Interview:
It is highly likely that you will be asked to attend an interview as part of the application process. This gives the employer an opportunity to get to know you better and ask further questions about the internship. Based on your answers, employers will be able to decide if you are a suitable fit for what they are looking for in an intern. Likewise, you will have an opportunity to meet the employer and decide if they are the right fit for you! Although daunting, try not to put too much pressure on yourself and let your personality show - remember that they liked something in your application to ask you to interview, so keep that going.
Secure:
Seek advice: Use the support that the York St John Careers team offers. From CV support to interview advice, they can coach you through different aspects of the application process to ensure you are showcasing yourself in the best possible manner.
Prepare: Ensure that you are putting time and effort into each stage of the process by
practicing generic interview responses,
researching the company and relevant news about the sector, and
reviewing the answers you may have put in the initial application.
Simple actions such as planning your outfit and the journey you may need to take can calm additional anxieties you may have about assessment or interview days.