An internship is a professional learning/working experience that offers undergraduate students meaningful exposure to work in their field of studies. An internship provides you with the opportunity for career exploration and for development of new skills.

The concept of an internship

You need the experience to get hands-on knowledge in your career field. In today’s labour market, employers rely heavily on resumes that demonstrate relevant work history, whether it is from actual job experience, volunteer work, or interning at a company.

An internship is an official program offered by organisations to help train and provide work experience to students and recent graduates. The concept of working as an intern began a long time ago but has drastically evolved over the years. Internships first started as a labourer who would take on young individuals and teach them their art or trade. In exchange for being taught a skill, the trainee would agree to work for the labourer for a specific time. Even then, the purpose of an internship or rather an apprenticeship was to gain new skills to be able to obtain future work.

In modern interning, an intern or trainee can work for an organisation for a specific amount of time. Interns can work for 1-12 months or longer, depending on the company and the industry. Internships are popular amongst graduate and undergraduate students who need to gain research or valuable work experience. Almost every sector and type of company, from a large multinational corporation to a small startup, now offers internships. Additionally, there has been a rise in remote/virtual internships – which is the ability to intern virtually for global companies. The vast number of internship opportunities available indicates the importance of an internship in today’s world.

How valuable is job experience?

Getting work experience is an essential aspect of starting your career as a young graduate. The earlier you start gaining experience for your CV, the better. Job experience is not just restricted to an office job with a large organisation. You can get an internship at a small company or get experience by freelancing. Any experience where you use skills that you can transfer to your future career is an excellent addition to your CV. It can help you demonstrate your commitment and capabilities to an employer while highlighting the skills that are both appropriate and transferable to the post you are applying for. An internship is one of the best ways to gain that all-important job experience.

Internships in Cyprus

Cyprus offers many opportunities for internships in many different sectors. Students have the opportunity to join a working environment in real working conditions. Through their participation in the internship, students can assess whether the working environment is relevant to their studies and prepare themselves appropriately for joining the workforce after their studies.