A school internship can ease the painless transition from a fresh graduate to an official employee. However, there is another type of on-the-job learning opportunity that not many students have ever heard of: externships. What is an externship? Do not ignore this program if you do not want to miss the chance with your dreaming job!
Equally important, keep yourself up to date and make a better career choice through other career advice: Career Advice
Read more: A Concise Guide on Job Outlook
Table of Contents
What Is An Externship?
In general, an externship is a short-term job shadowing. It is the training program from the collaboration between educational institutions and businesses. Answering the question “What is an externship?”, we define its purpose as providing students with hands-on experience in their major.
Difference Between Internship And Externship – Do You Get Paid For An Externship?
By and large, a common feature of internships and externships is its undeniable benefit, including networking, establishing, and strengthening career connections. Moreover, the experience in internships and externships may be an advantage in your resume or CV.
Yet, there is still a difference between internship and externship. Look at the following table, we will distinguish these two programs of training.
| What is an internship? | What is an externship? | |
| Average duration | 10 to 12 weeks, or an academic semester (6 months) | Much shorter: From a few weeks to a month |
| Purpose | A bridge from student life to working life: Gain real-world experience. Expose to the workplace environment. Put what they have learned at school into practice to fulfill assigned tasks related to their major of interest. | A preview of a typical job, in other words, a method to discover student’s interest and curiosity: Explore a career field and its regular missions and day-to-day chores. Evaluate the suitability for a particular position or firm. |
| Salary payment | May or may not get paid: An unpaid internship is a kind of academic credit. In this case, a faculty member at your university will work with employers to ensure the necessary learning continues. Besides, paid interns can earn college credit as well. | Usually unpaid (However, the answer for the question “Do you get paid for an externship?” is not one hundred percent true in all cases. |
Additional Benefits Of Externships
Thanks to its short duration, you can complete the externships during vacations or even during the school semester.
Generally, externships seem to be a form of job shadowing as externs receive thorough supervision from professionals who agree to help lead them through the firm’s daily activities. This invaluable sharing allows students to apply what they acquired at school into practice, hence gaining hands-on experiences.
Equally important, through externships, students have higher chances of receiving job opportunities once they graduate. This program can support pre-graduates in landing promising career positions or increasing their chances of gaining highly competitive internship possibilities. In more detail, externships are a source to create a professional network, not to mention that getting familiar with a field is such a plus on your resume/ CV.
Another key point is that externships are not only for the extern’s benefit but also for the advantage of the company. The company can recruit potential employees for the future, as this is a cost and time-saving approach. Accordingly, externships that go well may lead to a higher chance of appropriate employment.
How To Get An Externship?
Through College Or University
As mentioned at the beginning of this article, externships come from the partnership between the college or university and the organization offering the externship opportunity. Therefore, if you are searching for an externship, do not hesitate to talk to your homeroom teacher or academic advisor. In case you do not know who your consultant is, contact the educational institution’s career services office. Next, they will give you a list or a directory of potential externships in the field you are interested in.
Personal Network
Indeed, you can opt to hunt for externships based on your networking relationships. Seek help from your parents or relatives if necessary. Bear in mind that “Networking is the No. 1 unwritten rule of success in business”. Networking is key to success, so do not overlook it.
Keep in mind developing your professional connections when attending a business networking event (even when you are a student). In addition, you can increase your career connections by contacting existing firms, attending conferences, or joining academic clubs where you meet peers interested in the same profession. Or even connections on Linkedin can extend your network.
Subsequently, you can ask for externship referrals as soon as you have developed a network.
Furthermore, social media can be a helpful tool to get an externship when many businesses post externship positions for their company or professionals on business websites. Besides, recruitment websites are such a great bridge between companies or professionals and students. Let’s complete your profile on these websites right now and your externship.
Conclusion
Hopefully, you have had the answer to the question “What is an externship?” and can point out the difference between internship and externship after reading this article. Consider applying for an externship for your future career choice’s benefit as soon as your spare time allows! And good luck with your career decision!
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