What is an Internship?
An internship is a type of on-the-job training offered by an employer to provide you with practical work experience. Internships are generally offered to recent graduates of a degree or diploma program as an opportunity to gain real-life experience in their field. There are also special internship programs that can help newcomers gain experience working in Canada.
Internships are normally for a set period of time, often a 3 to 6 month contract. They can be either part-time or full-time hours. While they may not pay as highly as other positions in the same field, internships can be a great way of bridging the gap between what you learned at school or in your home country, and getting the practical, hands-on work experience you need for your resume.
Occasionally internships will be advertised as unpaid experience for school credit. This type of experience is actually classified as a practicum in British Columbia.
Internships and practicums are different. A practicum is part of your formal studies at college or university, and is not considered to be “work”. Depending on your educational program, a practicum may be optional or it may be mandatory for graduation. In either case, no wages are paid for this type of work experience; instead you get academic credit for successfully completing the practicum.
A co-op, or co-operative education program, is another type of work experience that is sometimes available to students at post-secondary institutions. Like practicums, they are done during the course of your studies, prior to your graduation. In all other respects though, they are more like internships – they are paid positions that provide on-the-job training and a chance to gain practical work experience. While you won’t receive course credit for taking a co-op placement, your completion of the co-op will be noted on your academic record or transcript.
