Economics and management

What exactly is an internship?

An internship is a period of work experience offered by an employer to give students exposure to the workplace, usually related to their field of study, where they can gain valuable insight into the profession, the interpersonal relationships and all organizational aspects. From a content standpoint, being employed in the company as a trainee presents a valuable opportunity for professional and personal growth that enables the student to boost his/her CV, so much so that the internship is considered not as an optional but as integrated with the learning process in lectures and in individual study By entering into a given organizational structure the interns learn to respect the rules, practices and conventions of the company and to adhere to the principles of corporate confidentiality. An internship is not, therefore, merely a chance to familiarise oneself with an overall view of an economic organization (companies, institutions or others) rather it should enable the student to build upon on the theory learned at university and to apply it hands-on within the scope of the individual organizations bearing in mind to adapt to the characteristics of each company. Essentially an internship creates close cooperation between economic organizations, universities and, of course, the students.

As a rule, internships are less useful for students who wish to enrol in a specialist degree, while they may represent an interesting opportunity for those who do not intend to continue their education beyond an ungraduate degree.

On many of the various degree courses available at the Faculty of Economics the student may select an educational module which is assigned 8 credits. These credits can be used for curricular internships.