Types of Intern

Many fields offer internships. Some of these are medical and health care, government, charitable organizations, the arts, journalism, private business, education. Federal government internships are often handled through agencies, and state and and local governments are also a possibility for internship.

Requirements

Internship requirements vary widely from job to job. Some examples are having a suitable college major in the field on is applying for in an internship in, a high enough grade point average, remember, getting an internship is very competitive and good grades are important, you must be legally able to work in the United States, and also possibly business related conditions related to your field of internship.

Educational Requirements

Again, this varies field by field, but for example, a teaching internship is a typical part of your college education. The last semester of your college career if typically your internship and you will have had to have met certain course requirements by then. These requirements also vary college by college.

Exam Preparation

Study, study, study. Requirements and exams vary field by field and you should familiarize yourself with the exam requirements for internship in your particular major or field of interest. Talk to your guidance counselor or advisor about this and make sure you take advantage of any and all free resources available to you to help you prepare for the exam(s) as well as possibly taking some paid courses or hiring a private tutor if you can afford it.

Salary

This varies widely field by field. For example, a first year surgical resident makes about $35K, whereas fashion interns are usually unpaid. An orthodontic intern makes between $ 11 and $20 an hour where as pharmaceutical interns earn from to $20  an hour.

Getting Started

Talk to your student counselor or advisor, also there are job days and fairs at many colleges where companies will have representatives and booths or tables where you can talk to a company representative and perhaps discuss your desire to intern with them. They may even have applications on hand right there.

If you are looking for a governmental internship, write a letter to your local congressperson or senator’s office including your desire to intern, your college history and Grade Point Average and why you want to be an intern.

There are also online websites in the .gov realm that offer help on interning that can be helpful and you could look into these. Not to coddle to anyone but it might help a bit if you are registered to the political party of the elected representative you are applying for an internship with. One story we heard about a congressional intern indicated that aside from the cover letter, an original one thousand word essay was required along with a grade transcript as well as letters of recommendation from college faculty and/or guidance counselor or advisor.