Internships and placements are two ways you can build your knowledge, skills and experience, but a lot of people get them mixed up. Let’s look at the difference between internships and placements.
What is an internship?
An internship is an opportunity that can last from a few weeks to a few months, or even up to a year. It gives you an opportunity to gain some experience and relevant skills, and is long enough to give you a small taste of what it’s like to work in a certain industry or role.
Many employers use the short time of internships to assess your capability, and will use the opportunity to recruit new employees from their interns.
You may have heard of it being referred to as a ‘summer internship’ because they usually happen over the summer, during the school holidays.
The benefits of an internship:
- Provides a transition from education to work
- Increase your knowledge and skills
- Gain an understanding of specific jobs and industries you might like to work in
- Learn how an organisation operates
- Networking opportunities / build your contacts
- Explore roles you might not have thought of before
- You can use your experience as real-world examples in interviews, and it looks great on your CV too
- Training opportunities
- Provides the opportunity to try something new
What is a placement?
A placement is a work experience opportunity that usually lasts an entire year, and you take it as part of your degree at university. You will take a year out of your studies (usually between the penultimate and final year of university) to work as a full-time employee.
A placement year may be optional, or it might even be compulsory depending on which course you take. You will complete a module and receive academic credit for your degree.
You might also know a placement as:
- A placement year
- An industrial placement
- A year in industry
The benefits of a placement:
- Apply your knowledge and skills from your degree in a real work setting
- Build the practical AND soft skills that employers want to see from you
- Learn how organisations operate in a specific industry
- Gain a better understanding of a specific job/industry
- Networking opportunities / build your contacts
- Company provided training opportunities
- Learn from industry professionals
So what’s the difference?
Placements are a part of your university degree, yet you might not be given the option to do one. Internships are done outside of (and are independent to) school or university.
Key differences:
Duration: placements usually last for a year – it is a longer and bigger commitment. Internships can vary across roles and industries but will usually last for a few weeks to a few months.
Who can do it: placements are usually taken by 2nd or 3rd year university students during their degree. Internships can be done by anyone (but are usually done by students or undergraduates).
