An internship is a period during which a student or new graduate gets practical experience in a job. An internship is a professional learning experience that offers meaningful, practical work related to a student's field of study or career interest. For more information visit https://www.hrhelpboard.com/contract-letters/internship-letter.htm

1. What is an Internship?
An internship is a short-term learning experience or qualification a
trainee or a student gathers/earns by working in an organization.

2. Internship Meaning
According to Oxford Dictionary, an Internship is – “a period during
which a student or new graduate gets practical experience in a job,
for example during the summer holiday.”

3. Internship vs apprenticeship
Often, internships are confused with apprenticeships, but
internships can be quite diversified, unlike apprenticeships. The
apprentices are usually bound to a particular field and function with
a guide. For internships, it is rather exploring the unknown world
with little knowledge of the professional setup. There’s no one to
support you, but a bunch of professionals who would help you to
solve a coding problem or help you out with your research work as
per their convenience and availability.

4.  Internship definition
An internship is precisely an opportunity to integrate a career-
enhancing skillset into institute-based education by taking part in a
supervised and planned schedule of work. These internships can
involve working part-time, full-time, or freelance. Interns can get a
stipend or may have to do it for free.

5. Internship definition by
eminent authors/experts
The only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t
found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle. As with all matters of the
heart, you’ll know when you find it.
-Steve Jobs

6. Importance of Internship
 An internship can give you knowledge and experience
 Get experienced and knowledgeable people to guide you and help you out!
 Gather knowledge beyond your institutional learning.
 You can learn to work as and in a team.
 Get connected with influential people to accentuate your career.
 Add the experience to your resume.

7. Benefits of doing an internship
Internships can benefit an organization or employer, and the
trainee in various ways, and an internship is always a profitable
deal for any employer or intern.
While an intern has his/her own requitements, an organisation or
an employer too wants to

8. Benefits for the trainees or
interns :
 Amplifies the career of the students, trainees, and interns
 Makes them aware of the available opportunities
 Provides an opportunity to take up a job-role in a professional environment
 Interns or trainees can evaluate their field of career
 They can get a stipend (in some cases)
 They can get connected with people (networking)
 They can learn to deal with the clients
 Can discover talents and bring forth their self-confidence

9. Benefit for the organization or the
employer:
 Can identify and evaluate the potential of the intern
 Can get new talents in the organization who can be the future employees
 An employer can gather new ideas from the interns/trainees.
 Interns are easily available, so can be utilized as resources based on
requirements
 Employers do not have to pay the interns full salary with other employee
benefits (PF, Gratuity, etc.)

10. Types of Internship
 Internship types depend on various factors, like field specialization, type of
qualification the intern has and his/her skillsets. Before you wish to get into an
internship opportunity, make sure to know the internship types.

11. Paid internships
Usually, several reputable organizations and institutes pay a certain fixed
amount to the trainees and interns, which is not at par with the employee
salaries, but not very less. It may cover the cost of commuting and lunch of the
intern during his/her internship term.

12. Unpaid internships and
volunteering
Non-profit organizations and certain other companies offer a non-paid internship
that helps the students, trainees, and interns accentuate their learning
experience and often acquiring a new skillet. An unpaid internship should never
be underestimated as it gives you ample opportunities to prove yourself during
your term.

13. Insight programs
Investment banks often offer these internships termed as insight programs. It
can be a weekly program or a month-long involvement, and though it is not
termed as internship, it has similar features like that of an internship.

14. Research work
This is essentially a part of any course that involves research about a particular
organization or a related topic. This research work or dissertation is usually a
part of the curriculum and every student in his/her final year of graduate or post-
graduate course has to take up a topic and apply for internship in an
organisation.

15. Summer internships
These internships are provided to the students who have got summer break and
want to utilize their summer break’s time. The summer internships are ideal for
the students who are still pursuing their education and have got long summer
breaks to utilize. Summer internships can be paid or unpaid.

16. Internship fee program
Many internships providing organizations charge you a certain amount of fee to
provide you an internship opportunity in your preferred location. This may also
depend on your skills, course of study, qualification, and base. Many
organizations would ask you to volunteer, and some may (or may not) provide
commuting and lunch allowance as a stipend. Do not expect a salary and
benefits like an employee!

17. Value of an internship
certificate
An internship certificate is a valuable asset, as it can be used as an added
qualification for a fresher. If the intern has done his/her internship in a core
company and has earned an internship certificate, it would ensure his/her
smooth entry into the corporate world.

18. How to obtain internship
certificate?
Step-by-step process to earn an internship certificate :
1. Evaluate your core competencies
2. send applications for the internship programs suitable for you
3. complete the internship program
4. Ask your employer or the responsible person to issue your internship
certificate
5. Make sure to check the certificate well for any error
6. Make sure the certificate is duly signed and stamped

19.  How to write an internship
certificate letter?
Tips to write internship completion acknowledgment letter :
1. Make sure to use the business letter writing style
2. Use proper salutation and choose words carefully
3. Put your name and designation at the end of the letter
4. Do not put contact information at the start
5. Choose words carefully
6. Highlight and mention core competencies of the intern
7.Mention the project s/he was working on
8. Do mention your best intentions while writing the letter
9. Take help from various resources available online
10. Thoroughly proofread the letter- a typo can ruin your organization's image!

20. Final words of advice!
If you are looking for an internship, make sure to evaluate your skillset and decide the
requirements for the internship you want to search. The first step to find an internship is to
prepare a strong resume, highlighting your core competencies and precisely mentioning
your relevant qualifications. Search for internships in job sites and professional
networking forums like Indeed and Linkedin. Make sure to search online for the best
internships available in the job market. There are many sites designed for interns and
short-term job seekers.