An internship offers an introduction to the working world and, for the lucky few, a foot in the door of your dream company. So why does interning have such a bad rap? Are the myths about nightmare internships true? Former and current interns weigh in on what’s real, what’s not.
Myth #1: Interns are glorified personal assistants
The myth is that interns are made to run errands for their bosses.
Muhammad Shariel, Aerospace Engineering student at ITE College Central, Intern at JHP Technology
“I haven’t had to fetch anyone coffee yet! (laughs) On my first day, I was assigned to a supervisor who guided and taught us the knowhow on operating the equipment, and since then, I have been handling machinery under his supervision. These were tasks that the staff do on a regular basis and we interns were given the opportunity to learn the ropes. This helped me in my understanding of my role in an engineering team and related well to my learning in school.”
Myth #2: Interns are assigned what their team hates to do
The myth is that interns are given menial or admin tasks unrelated to their course of study.
Trisha Sng, Bachelor of Communication graduate from Nanyang Technological University and interning at QED Consulting
“I am actually really enjoying my internship; it can be tough at times with multiple projects to handle at once and deadlines to juggle, but I would say it’s up my alley so far. I’m surprised myself how much it aligns to what I’ve learnt in school. I have not been given work that others don’t want to do, and I feel that my contributions count in all the projects I’ve been a part of.”
Myth #3: The work is boring and repetitive
The myth is that interns are stuck with a one-note gig that is put on repeat.
Lynn Loo, Social Science student at Singapore Management University, Intern at Wisma Geylang Serai
“The team that I worked with in my internship emphasised exposure and learning by doing. They actively tried to push me further and get me to try things beyond the original job scope. So, I got to try out more than what the initial job description laid out and learned a lot just observing the leadership of the marcom team. The people make the difference. In a way, the intern themselves can make the difference too if they have the willingness and support to do so.
