The 24/7 Internship: Options for Interning During the Academic Year
Clubs, concerts, and volunteering. All nighters for studying. All nighters for parties. 100 pages to read by tomorrow. 100 pages to read by … yesterday. It can often feel impossible to add anything else to your plate as a college student. After all, you’re barely sleeping as it is. But hear us out: a school-year internship could be just the ticket to make the most of your college experience and prepare you for postgraduate life.
Recently, we explored the case for getting a spring or fall internship (check out our findings here!) in lieu of a traditional (uber competitive) summer one. If you’ve decided to take this lesser-walked route, you might be wondering where the opportunities lie and how you’ll balance your academics and extracurriculars with an internship. Let’s explore your options:
Part-time internships
For starters, there’s a veritable smorgasbord of part-time internships out there. In fact, about half of internship postings on internships.com are for part-time roles. Some of these require just a few hours a week, allowing you to easily squeeze in that real-world experience between classes. And for those willing to go the unpaid route, you’ll face even less competition. Spend 20 hours a week as an editorial intern for an independent publisher, or just five hours a week as a part-time office assistant—it’s totally up to you and how much time you can (or want to) commit!
Short-term internships
If you prefer a less long-term commitment, you might want to consider a one-month internship. More and more, companies are willing to accommodate students’ scheduling needs in exchange for a dedicated, driven intern. And if you don’t see a ton of short-term internships on your search, it never hurts to ask! Many organizations assume students are only seeking semester-long positions, so it’s up to you to let them know otherwise. If even a month sounds too long for you, check out the Smithsonian Institution National Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C., which offers one-week internships. Talk about low commitment!
Remote internships
As remote jobs gain popularity, so do remote internships. A virtual internship can be completed from the comfort of your desk, and there’s no need to buy an all-new business-casual wardrobe. If you’re self-motivated and have strong communication skills, getting a virtual internship will allow you to work where you want, mitigating many of the stresses of a typical school-year internship. We’ve seen virtual internships in IT, marketing, entertainment, finance … honestly, as long as you’re not an aspiring doctor, cake decorator, or electrician, you can probably find a remote internship!
Chegg Internships allows you to filter your results to search for any of these features. So whether you’re seeking a virtual, five-hour-a-week fine arts position for the next year, or an intensive, full-time engineering role for the next two weeks, we’ve got you covered.
