Summer internships for undergrads?

[grubbyneez]

DS has just started uni and would be interested in doing a summer internship in 2023. The first few companies he's looked at seem to only offer them in the summer before the final year. Is that standard practice, or has he just been unlucky so far?

Most summer before final year but my DCs engineering friends all did early internships starting summer after 1st year (2nd year Scotland). DD did a finance internship before uni and an early McKinsey one (online in summer 2020) which was open to anyone not in their penultimate year. Found them useful for crossing careers off the list.

DD applying for one at the moment. Process is time consuming (5 stages). She's at Stage 4. Another opens on Monday which is only 3 stages . After this one, I think she will call it time on the applications this term and try again next term . She has a fallback option in her academic department.

At Warwick offer holder day for the course my son is doing they said they do a mini internship in summer of 1st year. Spring break I think they said, but it’s around a week. But the main internships are in the 2nd year; and they can then offer a job upon graduation. My son is hopeful his uncle can get him some work experience next summer as he works for a major global company. Worth sending some emails off to companies they are interested in, see what comes of it, doesn’t hurt to ask

I’m in pharma in Ireland and we do them after 1st year of university.

Yes, it's pretty standard to do them in the summer before final year in the UK, so even if he applies after first year he will be up against people in that position, so will be at a disadvantage.

That doesn’t mean he cannot ask at local firms. What area of work is he looking at? My DH worked for a local government department every summer. Lots offer placements these days. He didn’t end up working for them but the cv looked good!

Warwick, I doubt, arrange the internships. It’s still down to personal effort. The university just highlighted when time is available. However every summer is available to enhance the cv and a few more weeks as well.

STEM academic here. In my field the standard internships go to students who have completed Y2.

As PPs have indicated, very occasionally Y1 students find something, but it tends to be in an ad hoc manner.

He will find something if he looks hard enough. What industry is he looking at?

My uni they start straight away. Tell him to go to the careers team and see what is available. Most companies start looking earlier to get the best grads. Good luck

Yes internships are summer before final year as meant to trial run you and lead to possible job offer post graduation.

He needs to be looking for summer or part time jobs, not internships. Depends on industry which works better.

After one year of uni you don't really know enough to be useful yet. It's better to get a non-internship job for the first summer to prove that you are reliable, will turn up every day and work hard, even if it's just factory work or telesales. Then you are a more attractive candidate in the 2nd summer.

I agree. Doing something is always better than nothing. Where DC don’t know any family members to circumvent the competition it’s hard. But you get nothing without some effort. I think work ethic, reliability, working in a team, solving problems etc can all be enhanced with “ad hoc” work. However narrow focus when you can.

Sorry - badly worded. You won’t get anything without some effort. Several grads I know who didn’t bother have taken a year to get a job!

Thanks all. He's doing Statistics & Economics, but doesn't yet know what he wants to do afterwards. Banking is a possibility, or data science or econometrics, so a wide range of companies might have something of interest.

@grubbyneez
Witb that degree he really could look locally and be flexible. He might not want the local coffee shop but any office setting might be good. Even learning about how a small business works is useful! Also ask about work shadowing, DH used to have grads with him for a few days. Not your DS’s field but knowledge in a wider sense is always useful.