The Internship Dilemma

 

  An internship or working experience is an arrangement with an organization outside the universities that enables experiential learning in an area related to students’ study and career goals. The terms „placement‟ and „internship‟ are often used interchangeably. Most of the students at The Hague University are usually required to do internships during their final years in order to gain proficient skills and knowledge. However, the problem comes when they start looking for a placement because most of them lack sufficient previous experience in the fields that they are interested in.

  “I stared applying for an internship at the begging of last summer. It took me almost four months to find an appropriate internship… because I received numerous rejections due to the lack of previous internships”, shares Elena, a Bulgarian student enrolled in the International and European Law program at THU. She is one of the hundreds students who face this problem every year. Most of the international companies in The Netherlands are open to interns and offer numerous positions in different fields but they normally require and prioritize students who already did internships before. “People usually think that you are not experienced enough if you have never worked before. That is why, I had to literally negotiate with them and explain that my program is really practically oriented and I know what I have to do”, continues Elena. Despite of the fact that the HBO universities in the Netherlands such as The Hague University provide more practical courses, students are still rejected and most of them “are not given a try”. According to Elena, it was a “matter of luck” to be given a chance to join the defense team of Mr. RADOVAN  KARADŽIĆ in the International Criminal Tribunal for Former Yugoslavia (ICTY) in The Hague.

  Even if a student is accepted to do an internship in a certain company, it might also be problematic due to his or her different expectations. “I personally wanted to do my internship in a big international corporation and I was focused on applying in such. However, I was rejected because I was not experienced enough at that time.”, claims Margarita, an international student from the ICM program in THU. On the other hand, a funny thing often happens when someone starts working at their ideal position, and they realize that it is not so ideal at all. That is why, the placement that a student undertakes might not be the best one but at least it gives an insight in what he or she does not want to do in the future. Despite of the company’s size, the most important advantage remains the practice that one gains while doing a placement. “. At least I had a chance to find two communications related internships even in a start-up companies like 123 Scoop and donnadonella. I acquired much more relevant experience than I would be able to acquire in a big company because when you are working for a small or in my case start-up company, then your obligations are more and the expectations are higher”, shares Margarita.

 In spite all the dilemmas connected to the internship, students are always advised to not give up because there is a chance for everyone behind the right corner. “There is always an opportunity and a place for everyone in this word. It is hard but it is not impossible and the motivation is the most important ingredient to success”, states Elena. Moreover, it is of utmost importance to start looking on time because usually it takes longer than the students expect. Neliya, a fourth year IBMS student in THU advises future interns “to take, as many extra classes and activities as possible, and to learn foreign languages because they might put them in their CVs and this is what the companies are looking at”. She is confident enough and really proud of her internship in Bentley Systems, an international corporation with offices in more than 50 countries. “I do believe that experience is not sufficient without imagination and charisma. I was aware of the fact that there were people who had more experience than me and who were applying for the same positions as me, but I was confident enough and I knew that I have something interesting to show”, shares the young intern Neliya.

  Therefore, future interns from THU, never stop looking and never underestimate a position because you cannot be sure that it not the ideal one before starting. You may not personally see a difference in yourself, but definitely will leave a bit wiser, more mature, more confident, and a better candidate for the next internship or full-time job. Good luck!