You are here: Career Services > Ways to get career-related experience during college > For students seeking internships

Internships are ONE WAY to get experience during college. Keep all the ways in your consideration, and seek multiple experiences.

 

Internship basics:

• Usually one-term experiences, sometimes multiple.
• Often in the summer, though not always, per employer.
• Full-time or part-time; as determined by employer.
• May be paid or unpaid; as determined by employer, and in accordance with U.S. Department of Labor Fact Sheet #71 Internship Programs Under the Fair Labor Standards Act.
• Academic-level determined by employer:
  Whether open to freshmen, sophomores, juniors, seniors, graduate students.
• Sometimes for academic credit:
  Academic credit can only be granted by an academic department, and involves paying tuition. You should absolutely make yourself aware of opportunities and requirements in your academic department!
• These factors vary by career field, by employer, and by practices in academic departments.
• Undergrads who find an internships that is at least 32 hours per week and requires you be enrolled in your university: you might be eligible for the Undergraduate Cooperative Education & Internship Program (Undergraduate CEIP). You do not earn academic credit, but you do not pay full tuition; you do pay $50 in lieu of tuition, and you do maintain your student status.

MORE:

• Terminology: what's a co-op and what's an internship?

• Benefits of doing a co-op or internship / Is one better than the other?

• Frequently Asked Questions about internships and co-ops

• Guidelines on whether interns should be paid:

U.S. Department of Labor Fact Sheet #71 Internship Programs Under the Fair Labor Standards Act. (April 2010)

• Job & internship search guide
   Skills: resumes, letters, interviewing | where to find internships, more...

• Where to find internship and co-op jobs

Includes:

• Internships.com for VT students

• Internship web sites

• Career-field focused web sites

• Job & career fairs 12-15 fairs on campus each year, plus off-campus fairs.

• About the Undergraduate Cooperative Education & Internship Program (CEIP)

For full-time (32 or more hours/week) positions; not for academic credit, do maintain student status with proper procedures.

• Virtual internships

According to an employer survey by NACE [National Association of Colleges and Employers], 12.5 of employers hired college students for virtual internships in 2011, and 8.6% anticipate doing so in 2012. Respondents to this survey were 281 employers (30% of NACE employer membership). NACE: more details.

Virtual internships can be found on many internship web sites and career-field focused web sites. Terms like freelance, telecommuting and bid-for-work also may indicate virtual work.

• Orientation to CEIP | covers how to find internships

• Housing resources if leaving Blacksburg

• Work and learn in the Career Services office: part-time, unpaid internship program
   We want employers to offer internships to students, so we do too!