What's an Internship? A Guide for Students

How do they work?

Internships typically last between one and four months and happen during the summer holidays where you’ll work full-time for a company. Most students apply in their second year of university, but there are internships open to first and even final-year students.

Interns aren’t stuck making the coffee. You’ll get a proper insight into different areas of the professional environment, including:

• Company culture, values and vision

• Operating high-tech software and equipment

• Working for a small, medium-sized or large organisation

• Collaborating across different teams

• Working on real-life projects

• Completing tasks and taking on work as needed.

Internships are real jobs, and you are considered a real employee during your time as an intern. You'll also be paid pro-rata for your time (we’ll talk about how much a little later).

Your day-to-day depends on the industry you’re in. Ever wanted to know what a marketing intern gets up to? Meet Amelie:

For employers, internships are also an opportunity to scope out future graduate talent. Do well during your internship and it could lead to a graduate scheme, full-time job offer or other opportunities after uni.

What are the benefits of doing an internship?

While you might have to give up some of your summer holidays, there is so much to love about internships. Here are some benefits:

Stand out from the crowd

With around 140 applicants per graduate job, the competition is tough once you leave university! An internship can be the extra boost your CV needs to get noticed, especially if it's with a relevant employer or industry. In fact, many interns return as graduates at the same company; it's a proven way in.

Try before you buy

Think of an internship as a test drive for your future career. It’s your chance to explore a profession before fully committing. If you're lucky, you may get multiple internships throughout your time at university, meaning that you can be really sure about your future career. At the same time, you'll be filling your CV with valuable experience.

Put theory into practice

University is full of theory, but internships let you apply it in the real world. That’s why employers love graduates with internship experience.

Make valuable connections

You'll meet experienced professionals who could become key contacts and help with your future graduate job search, especially for references. Plus, there’s plenty of time to make friends with other interns and join in on the social side of work.

What are students saying?

We have thousands of honest reviews from interns who’ve shared their experiences. Here’s what some of them had to say about their internships.

Other types of internships

Off-Cycle Internships

Some industries offer internships 'off-cycle'. Which basically means they happen outside of the regular summer period. They’re common in the finance industry and some small-to-medium sized companies.

They still last for between one and four months, so off-cycle internships tend to work better for graduates or master’s students as there’s time to do them. If you’re still in your undergrad, it’s worth speaking to your course leaders if you’ve found one you’d like to do.

Spring Week Internships

Spring Week Internships, or insight weeks, run for one to two weeks during the Easter holidays.  They’re usually run in finance and are aimed at first or second-year students. Spring Weeks are a great way of getting on an employer’s radar early and can lead to getting on the shortlist for a longer internship, placement year or a graduate scheme with a top bank.

What's the difference between an internship and placement?

Placements are another form of work experience you may have heard of. Let’s break down the differences between placements and internships:

While many internships are paid, it’s worth remembering that unpaid internships crop up. We believe in paying interns for their work at Higherin, so we’ll never advertise an unpaid role.

Want to learn more about placements? Read our guide to placements by clicking below.

Do interns get paid?

Interns should absolutely get paid, and we’ll only ever show you paid roles. A lot of employers are offering more competitive salaries than ever before with lots of perks included. 

Using the reviews submitted by thousands of interns on Higherin, we worked out that the average salary for an internship is currently £22,400 a year (pro rata).

Internships in London or other major cities tend to pay more than similar schemes in other parts of the UK because the cost of living is higher.

Want to find out who pays the most?

When should I apply?

Most of the companies we work with at Higherin open their internship vacancies in September and many hire on a first-come, first-served basis. So it’s worth getting on your applications early.

Some companies close their vacancies before the deadline, which usually happens with the most popular schemes. Some larger companies in the UK, such as the Big Four accounting firms, advertise their work experience programmes throughout the year.

We’ve put together a placement and internship timeline so you don’t miss any important dates.

It’s worth setting up an account with us if you don’t already have one. You’ll be able to:

• Save the jobs you’re interested in

• Use our application tracker and get deadline reminders

• Be one of the first to apply by registering your interest in roles that haven’t gone live yet. We’ll drop an email to let you know once they are.

How to land an internship

Start searching

You can start here on Higherin.com! You'll be able to filter internships by area, employer, or industry. If you don’t already have an account, sign up and use your dashboard and application tracker to save jobs you find and keep an eye on deadlines.

Polish your CV

Don’t worry about tons of experience; that’s the whole reason why you’re applying for an internship. Focus on showcasing your skills, instead. Are you part of a society? Sports team? Do you have a side hustle or have a really cool side project to show off? These are all amazing ways of showing off your skills.

Use your network

Get in touch with people on LinkedIn or people you’re already connected with. You never know where a tip or connection might lead!