Monica Ranjit
Internship is a system of on-the-job training for white-collar jobs, similar to an apprenticeship. Interns are usually college or university students, but they can also be high school students or post graduate adults seeking skills for a new career.

Internships provide opportunities for the students to gain experience in the field of their interest. Interns also have the added bonus of networking and meeting many contacts. Many companies are enthusiastic to offer a fair pay to their interns, so some lucky interns can also make money while learning. The possibilities are endless for interns to learn valuable new skills and discover their true talents. With an internship, one can really get a feel for the chosen field. One of the benefits to an internship is also that it carries the possibility of a full time position with the company once the internship is completed.

Each year, many profit and even non-profit organisations receive a large number of interns, who learn various aspects of the professional skills, the organisations and their activities. Some organisations which offer internships focus on multi cultural experiences. Internships provide employers with cheap or free labour for low-level tasks because many companies take the young interns as ‘free labour force’. Some interns find permanent, paid employment with the companies in which they interned.

One of the most popular types of internship includes human services such as healthcare, education and social issues. An internship may be paid, unpaid or partially paid in the form of a stipend. But due to strict labour laws, European internships are mostly unpaid, although they are still popular among non-Europeans in order to gain international exposure. Internship placement can be from short period to years. During this period the student is expected to use the things he/she has learned in schools into practice. This way the students gain work experience in their field of study.

In Nepal, internships have seemingly become an unavoidable professional ritual. Internships can be incredibly benefitting to interns. The young interns take on routine tasks of other employees. Although the direct move from university to the workplace can often be tough, as one will have to face different unfamiliar and sometimes challenging situations,, internships offer a great way to get a taste of working life. An internship also acts as a bridge between university and professional life.

During my internship, I noticed how my knowledge on international relations helped me. Nevertheless, working within a well known organisation entailed similar tasks to all organisations. The tasks did not differ from similar office work-writing email, drafting proposals and researching- and thus gave me a clear view into what work is about. The internships gave me an excellent opportunity to assess the working environment.

More specially, an internship teaches one to understand the inner working of the respective company or organisation involved. The evaluation of the level of dynamism, the atmosphere among employees and the amount of work involved are crucial and will influence the opinion of the intern. The crucial actor is the intern who needs to be aware of the benefits of the internship, as well as actively seeking to expand his or her perspectives.

Although an internship is only a short work experience, it can turn a great opportunity in one’s career and can open many doors which were previously closed. Thus, it can be said as a key of perspective.

source: RisingNepal,23 March 2012