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Many budding professionals begin their career as an intern. But what exactly is an internship? Do you get paid? Are internships easy to get? In this article we answer all those questions and more.

What exactly is an Internship?

Internships enable people to gain valuable training and experience in a particular field which can often lead to a full time position. They can be a valuable tool towards getting one’s foot in the door. Even if the company you are interning for is not where you ultimately see yourself working, the letters of recommendation and references you gain there will likely prove extremely valuable when it comes time to apply for the right job for you.

How long does a typical internship last?

Internships normally last for between 6 and 12 weeks, however the duration can be different from that, depending on the field and company involved.

How much does and Intern get paid?

In some cases they may be unpaid, however they could be partly paid or fully paid.

Paid internships are more commonly found in professional fields, like science, law, engineering, business, architecture,medical, advertising and technology.

Unpaid internships are more likely to be found in non-profit organizations and the likes of think tanks.

Are Internships easy to get?

Anything can be purchased for a price, and in recent times unfortunately internships in America have become somewhat of a commodity.

At first I didn’t think that this would be the case, but as I researched more and more I realized that the effects of a sad economy reach further than I ever could have imagined.

Increasing the division between the haves and havenots, it seems that not only do you now need to put your child through an expensive school, and then college, just to get a foot in the door it is becoming more and more normal to be forced to buy your kid an internship. That’s unless they want to lose themselves in a 10 dollar an hour manual job.