What do students look for in internship?

Updated on: Tuesday, February 21, 2012

For close to 80 per cent of students, the work experience they gained during internship made all the difference. Mentoring, work culture and the stipend paid came only secondary.

An online survey conducted by www.internshala.com, a portal set up by alumni of IIT-Madras and IIT-Mumbai, has revealed that the students expect to contribute at the place of work they intern.

While the internship culture in India is still at a nascent stage, given most institutions in India do not require their students to complete internships during their course, the study was an attempt at understanding the requirements and satisfaction levels among students post-internship.

The survey revealed that for about 70 per cent students, the mentorship and guidance provided at the place they were trained in added value to the programme.

The work culture came next, with 65 per cent students saying that the work environment at the place they interned at made a difference to their learning experience. Stipend was of least importance to most students, as only less than 12 per cent students believed that financial rewards mattered at the time of internship.

In another survey, the respondents were quizzed about the satisfaction levels among students, after their internship stint.

The responses with respect to most factors including quality of work, mentorship, work culture and brand were similar. Close to 30 per cent or more students said they were unsatisfied after they were trained in an organisation. And 30 per cent students seemed happy with the stipend they were paid.

A total of 507 students took part in the survey. While 78 per cent of the surveyed were from engineering background, 18 per cent were from MBA and the rest four per cent had Social Science background. Around 42 per cent of the respondents were from premier engineering and MBA (IITs, NITs, IIMs, FMS, etc.) institutes.

What do students look for in internship?

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