What is an internship?

An internship is a unique opportunity offered by employers that gives you an insight into how their company works, their culture and the work you’d do if you had a job there.

In this guide, we’ll tell you more about what a job internship is and provide practical tips for securing one.

We’ll cover:

• What is an internship?
• What is an intern?
• What do you do as an intern?
• What are the benefits of internships?
• What are the different types of internships?
• Internship, apprenticeship or industrial placement?
  • Differences between internships and apprenticeships
  • Differences between internships and industrial placements
• How long does an internship last?
• Are internships paid?
• How to get an internship
• What you need to apply for an internship
• How to make the most of your internship
• Key takeaways

A job internship is a temporary period of work that gives students and graduates the chance to develop new skills and experiences in a professional environment. Internships are a great way to improve existing skills and learn new ones.

As some internships require a degree, they tend to give you more responsibility than other work experience opportunities.

Feeling keen? You’re able to apply for internships as early as your first year of university.

An intern is the job title given to a person undertaking an internship. So, if you take on an internship then that’ll be you!

What you’ll do as an intern will depend on the sector, your role and the company. Some internships involve work shadowing, while others let you take on tasks or projects.

The work will vary but employers will typically set you projects to complete and targets to reach by the end of your role. Plus, you’ll usually receive training for your specific industry or job. Employers use internships to assess if you’d be a good fit to work there, so they’ll want to push you to see your capabilities.

As an intern, you’ll have a manager that you’ll report to and who’ll support you.

Remember to be proactive – use your initiative and go beyond tasks that you’ve been set when appropriate. Perhaps you’ve got ideas for the company’s social media even if that’s outside your role? Employers love to see invested workers.

Being an intern is a fantastic way to pick up skills that will propel you forward when you start full-time work. There’ll often be opportunities to attend training or networking events. If you throw yourself into every opportunity, you’ll be on your way to kick-starting your career.

Internships have a wide range of benefits for your professional and personal development including:

• Learning about a sector or role
• Gaining skills, whether industry-specific abilities or transferable soft skills (eg. how to prioritise your time, set agendas for meetings and talk to colleagues and clients)
• Giving you the chance to put theory from school or uni into practice
• Strengthening your CV and cover letters
• Providing you with examples of professional experience to speak about in interviews
• Helping you decide what you’d like to do for work
• Meeting useful industry contacts who’ll expand your working network
• Giving you a supervisor who’ll act as a referee for future job applications, or maybe even a mentor
• Providing you payment and sometimes subsidised travel and meals
• Having the potential to lead to a permanent job role

Ultimately, an internship is a way to see whether you’d enjoy the role and work out if it’s a career path you’d like to follow. It’s a chance to experiment and get a flavour of what you fancy.

It’s completely fine to not enjoy the work you’re doing. Sometimes that’s a good thing. Learning what you don’t like is just as important as discovering what you do. But, if you do love it, then that’s perfect! Treat your internship as a job interview if you’re looking to convert it to a full-time role. Some interns who impress employers become permanent employees, so keep this in mind!

There are many types of internships.

We’ll run through the most common ones:

As the name suggests, full-time internships are internships where you’ll work full-time hours (which is usually between 35 to 45 hours per week).

Because of the number of hours, you can’t be a full-time intern while studying. Full-time internships take place during uni holidays or after graduation.

Just like full-time jobs, some internships will be in person while others will give you options for remote or hybrid working.

Part-time internships help you gain skills and experience alongside other commitments, like studying.

As a part-time intern, you’ll work anywhere between one and 30 hours a week. Like full-time internships, some part-time internships give you the option of remote or hybrid working so that you’ll have more freedom and flexibility.

Off-cycle internships are generally between three and six months long and take place throughout the academic year. They’re called off-cycle because they avoid the summer period when most internships happen.

Off-cycle internships are usually less competitive than those during the holidays as the timings don’t align with most students’ academic years.

Summer internships are an opportunity to gain work experience in the summer holidays, giving you the chance to work between your university’s academic years. Alternatively, some graduates complete a summer internship after finishing uni.

Because they’re convenient for current students and graduates, summer internships are very competitive. Applications often open early in September or October. Missed the window? Don’t fret. Some application windows are later (around January and February), depending on the organisation.

Summer internships often lead to more similar opportunities or graduate roles. Explore how to make the most of your summer internship.

Virtual internships take place online, so you’ll work from your home. They look great on your CV and give you valuable work experience to talk about when applying for future roles.

Like the sound of learning remotely? We’ve got a virtual internship here at Bright Network, Internship Experience UK.

While they’re all valuable work experience options, internships, apprenticeships and industrial placements are not the same. We’ll outline the differences to help you decide which one will be the best option for you.

Internships and apprenticeships are different types of work experience.

An apprenticeship involves vocational training from the apprenticeship provider, your college or your university and involves you working towards a qualification. You’ll achieve the qualification through a mixture of theoretical learning, work shadowing and coursework. In an apprenticeship, you must spend a minimum of 20% of the time working towards the qualification. An apprenticeship usually involves a longer-term agreement where you’ll commit to a permanent role with the company. Apprenticeships are ideal for industries addressing skills shortages, but they’re a bigger commitment than an internship.

In comparison, in an internship, you receive training from your employer and don’t typically gain any qualifications – although you’ll still leave with new skills.

Internships very rarely last longer than a year and are often a lot shorter, while apprenticeships last anywhere between one and five years. Another difference is that employers advertise internships at students and recent graduates, while young people take apprenticeships in place of A-levels or a degree.

It's a common misconception that industrial placements are the same as internships. While both are types of work experience and employers use the terms interchangeably, some crucial differences separate them.

An industrial placement is part of a degree programme and is usually considered a module, whereas internships are mostly organised externally to your university. Because of this, you’ll only receive academic credits for an industrial placement.

As industrial placements take place throughout the term time, they last anywhere between nine and 12 months. Internships, on the other hand, typically last between a week and a year and generally take place during university holidays (or after graduation).

An internship lasts anywhere between one week and a year depending on the company and the role. Sometimes it’ll be a fixed-term contract (ie. you’ll know the length of the internship before you start), but others are more flexible. So, some will extend if you’re doing well. In some cases, an employer will extend an internship to a permanent job role.

Summer internships last the length of your university summer holiday. But some allow you to confirm a role at the company later, even if you’ve got to go back to uni. For example, if you’re an intern before your final year, it’s possible you’ll secure a job there for when you graduate.

Internship salaries vary depending on the sector, the role and your contracted hours. Legally, any internship where you work for the company for a set period must pay at least the National Minimum Wage (for those at school leaving age) or the National Living Wage (for those aged 21 or over).

As of April 2024, the National Minimum Wage is £6.40 for under 18s and £8.60 for 18–20-year-olds. The National Living Wage is £11.44 for anyone aged 21 or over.

For more information, visit GOV.UK’s guide to the National Minimum Wage and Living Wage.

Want to see what’s out there right now? View and track current internships in our job listings and explore our list of internship deadlines. Deadlines for internship applications vary depending on when the internship will take place, so check back regularly so that you don’t miss anything.

Some businesses fill their internships on a rolling basis, so employers will interview and hire as applications come in. If you like the look of one of these internships, don’t get complacent. Employers will close applications once they’ve received enough interest, so submit a high-quality application as early as possible.

While it’s great to keep an eye out on job listings like ours, sometimes you’ll find opportunities for internships that aren’t advertised – for example, through your network. Expanding your network as early on as possible is a great way to ensure you’ll know about more opportunities. If you’re eager to develop your networking skills, take a look at our networking advice.

Some universities also have connections to certain internship programmes so have a chat with your uni’s career service.

The application process for internships is sometimes as competitive as it is for a grad job. After the initial application, employers will often ask you for an interview which will be either in-person or online. Sometimes, they’ll ask you to go to an assessment centre.

To apply for an internship and secure the best chances of being offered one, the first thing you usually need to do is submit an CV and cover letter. A strong CV and cover letter will give you the best chance of getting to the interview stage. Ready to write your CV? Read our graduate CV advice guide (with templates).

The next step is the cover letter. One top tip is to tailor your cover letter to the job and the company. You also need to use clear examples to show why you’d be a good fit. Want more advice? Explore how to write a good cover letter.

Before you submit any application, ask your tutor, university career advisor or a friend or family member to check over your CV and cover letter. Don’t let a typo get in the way of your dream internship!

Your internship experience is a valuable chance to take away key learnings and prove how valuable you’d be as a long-term employee. Even if there’s no possibility of permanent employment, the more you get out of the internship, the more you’ll benefit from it.

To make the most out of your internship, follow our tips:

Try to adapt to the company’s culture during your time there – even if it’ll only be a short while.

For example, if your colleagues go into the office most days and dress in smart business attire, do so too. Likewise, if most people come in occasionally and work from home the rest of the time and dress more casually, feel free to copy this.

Networking is one of the biggest benefits of an internship. To make the most of this, be friendly with everyone and work on forming strong bonds that will continue after you leave. You never know when the connection will be valuable. Don’t be afraid to ask questions and get involved with social activities. Check out our guide for networking and follow our top tips.

Throughout your internship, ask for feedback from your manager and other colleagues. You want to be sure you’re doing your best work. Receiving feedback – and taking it on – helps you grow. By knowing your strengths and weaknesses, you’re better placed to continue the things that benefit your work and ditch your bad habits. It’s also a good opportunity to learn about new skills and processes to adopt that’ll improve your work.

You’ll have fantastic exposure within a business, so make every opportunity count. It’s a terrific time to meet your colleagues from across all departments. So, if there’s another team you’re interested in, ask questions, go for coffee and find out more. Stay open to any learning opportunities and volunteer for different tasks, even if you’re not sure they’re what you’re looking for. Sometimes, you’ll be surprised by what you enjoy. Your internship will be over before you know it so squeeze everything out of it while you can.

Use this guide to think about whether an internship is going to be the best experience for you and use the advice to submit the strongest application. Refer to this article for application advice and tips to make the most of the experience once you’re offered an internship.

If you apply for internships and don’t get one, don’t worry! There are plenty of other ways to gain industry experience. View our guide on what to do if you can't get an internship. Other options include volunteering, short courses and personal projects. Whatever you do, good luck!