1 What is an internship?
An internship is, basically, work experience, i.e. a period of time spent working for a particular company or organisation on a temporary basis. Internships are typically taken up by people wanting to gain the relevant skills and experience to start a new career.

Before you start to explore work experience and internships in more detail, take a moment to define your current understanding.
Activity 1 How would I define an internship?
Use the box below to write a short sentence or paragraph explaining your current understanding of what an internship is and why you would benefit from doing one.
Discussion
Most of us understand that an internship is a period of work experience that develops the skills, confidence and networks that can add value to future job applications, but did you know that there are other ways to gain experience that will impress future employers? If you are currently researching your career options, you may already have come across the word ‘internship’ several times, and it can be easy to assume that you must complete one otherwise employers will never be interested in you. Read on to find out why that is not the case.