Internship vs apprenticeship: how the two routes after studies differ
Both give young people practical experience, but they differ in purpose, field, duration and pay, and suit different career paths.
The biggest question before young people once their studies end is what to do next. Stepping out of textbook learning into the world of work calls for practical experience, and internships and apprenticeships are two good routes to it.
People often assume the two options are the same. In fact, their purpose, way of working and benefits are quite different. Many people starting out in their careers are caught in this confusion, so here is a simple look at how they differ.
Internships are usually linked to fields such as corporate work, desk jobs, media, marketing or software. Their aim is to let interns try out in a corporate setting the theory they learnt during their studies.
Apprenticeships are linked to technical, manufacturing, trade and skilled jobs. Their aim is to make the trainee fully proficient in one particular trade.
On duration, an internship is usually short, from a few weeks to six months. An apprenticeship, by contrast, runs from one to three years or even longer, and is under a fixed contract.
Pay also differs. Internships often carry no payment or a small stipend. An apprenticeship, however, is a training scheme bound by law, in which a stipend fixed under government rules must be paid.
Which is right depends on the person. Those who want to go into desk jobs, management, creative fields or software development will find an internship a good option.
On the other hand, those from a technical field, an ITI, a diploma or an engineering background, who want to learn a skill and move straight into a permanent job or employment, will find an apprenticeship more beneficial.
