What are the types of Internships available?
When referring to types of internships, the following can be considered:
- Time of year or Project specific. These internships only run for a set duration during the year, such as over a summer or winter break or they may be project specific to a department or position internships.
- Industry. Internship programs are also classified by industry; this usually corresponds with the interns' career interest. While there are obviously hundreds of possibilities, some of the most common include marketing internships, advertising internships, finance internships, entertainment industry internships, legal internships, technology internships, fashion internships, PR internships, and publishing internships.
- Paid versus unpaid internships. Paid internships and unpaid internships are another method of classification. Unpaid Internships can also be part of an individual's extracurricular plan to gain experience.
- Curriculum-related internships. This may be for-credit internships and not-for-credit internships and are not always in exchange for college or university credit. These internships may be paid or unpaid depending on the employer and what is required of the participant for the position. These internships can be part of academic coursework required by the institution. When an internship is performed in exchange for college credit, the assigning of credit is strictly between the student and his or her school.
While there are various types of internships, all share one common denominator: The intern strives to meet certain learning objectives. Such objectives are often formally reflected upon and evaluated by both the intern and the internship supervisor.