What is an Internship?

Ah, the million-dollar word - internship. Internships are super important for some jobs. The experience allows you to put something on your resume and employers seem to really like knowing you've had experience in your chosen field.

An internship takes place in a professional setting and is usuallly an individual's first experience in that profession. They're great starting places for college students, but can also be used for professional workers who are looking for advancement.

Many people joke that the only thing interns are good for is for fetching coffee, but it's unlikely that's what you'll actually be doing. While you may not make any life-changing decisions in your internship, you definitely will learn some valuable information.

What Does an Internship Do

There are certain skills that many interns have in order to accomplish their responsibilities. By taking a look through resumes, we were able to narrow down the most common skills for a person in this position. We discovered that a lot of resumes listed customer-service skills, detail oriented and organizational skills.

Learn more about what an Internship does

How To Become an Internship

If you're interested in becoming an internship, one of the first things to consider is how much education you need. We've determined that 67.9% of interns have a bachelor's degree. In terms of higher education levels, we found that 8.0% of interns have master's degrees. Even though most interns have a college degree, it's possible to become one with only a high school degree or GED.

Learn More About How To Become an Internship

Internship Job Description

Internships are programs that students or fresh graduates undergo to gain valuable experience in their chosen career path. They may be assigned small tasks and are exposed to various activities in the workplace so that they learn the basics of the job and workplace.

Learn more about Internship Job Description
Top Internship Jobs Near You

Internship Career Paths

In addition to switching up your job search, it might prove helpful to look at a career path for your specific job. Now, what's a career path you ask? Well, it's practically a map that shows how you might advance from one job title to another. Our career paths are especially detailed with salary changes. So, for example, if you started out with the role of consultant you might progress to a role such as manager eventually. Later on in your career, you could end up with the title director of sales.

Internship

Average Salary for an Internship

Interns in America make an average salary of $35,254 per year or $17 per hour. The top 10 percent makes over $49,000 per year, while the bottom 10 percent under $24,000 per year.
Average Internship Salary
$35,254 Yearly
$16.95 hourly
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What Am I Worth?

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Roles and Types of Internship

The role of an internship includes a wide range of responsibilities. These responsibilities can vary based on an individual's specific job, company, or industry.Here are some general internship responsibilities:

  • Follows documented processes and procedures to design actionable solutions for implementation. Translates the most basic
  • Ships samples and or submits same day, next day, or using other shipping means tracks the inventory of samples
  • Retrieve and analyze specific customer and/or category data using customer-specific systems to provide a presentation on brand

There are several types of internship, including:

Office Administrator

Role:

As office administrator, you've got to lay down the law for your team. Sure, no one likes a tough boss, but they need to know what goals they're aiming for, and that's where you come in. You'll need to divide and conquer on some tasks, so the team doesn't feel overwhelmed.

The biggest, and probably toughest, part of your job is making sure your team is consistantly performing. You have to find a nice balance for employees so they don't get burned out on work, while also making sure they're not playing Solitaire on their computer.

Office administrators typically work somewhere between 35-40 hours a week. Generally, they won't work more than that. This means you might get to go home a little early some days. Our fingers are crossed that you get off a little early on Friday, so you can kickstart your weekend on a high note.

  • Average Salary: $37,423
  • Degree: Bachelor's Degree

Office Clerk

Role:

An Office Clerk works in an office and carries out administrative tasks. Working under the supervision of secretaries or executive assistants, office clerks prepare documents and sort mail, file and update company records, schedule meetings, answer phones, greet clients and make sure office supplies are in stock at all times.

You might be asked to make travel arrangements or book venues, take minutes at meetings, and maybe even do some basic bookkeeping tasks. Using photocopy machines and printers and being familiar with basic computer software, such as word processors or spreadsheets, will also be required.

If you want to be an efficient office clerk, you need to be diligent, reliable, and hard-working. You must be perceptive and easy to talk to, and experience with office equipment and procedures is always helpful.

  • Average Salary: $30,927
  • Degree: Bachelor's Degree

Office Worker

Role:

Every office, business, or industry hires highly qualified expert staff who spend hours and days making policies and strategies. But what if none of the data they produce is preserved for references and later analysis? Of course, their efforts will go in vain. To avoid that situation, all organizations, whether big or small, have office workers. They are the administrative staff responsible for holding all official records intact.

Being an office worker is all about documentation, filling, and organizing data in a manageable manner. For which you require at least a high school graduation certificate. As an office worker, you will be asked to do documentation, filling, organize data, and data entry tasks. Therefore, you also need to learn the necessary computer and editing skills.

You can start serving as an office worker with a salary of $18.25 per hour. But chances of progress in this field are great so that you can earn much more than that based on your expertise and skills.

  • Average Salary: $41,003
  • Degree: Bachelor's Degree
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States With The Most Internship Jobs

Mouse over a state to see the number of active internship jobs in each state. The darker areas on the map show where interns earn the highest salaries across all 50 states.

Average Salary: Job Openings:

Number Of Internship Jobs By State

RankStateNumber of JobsAverage Salary
1California7,139$41,870
2Texas3,796$33,570
3New York3,111$38,599
4Florida3,018$31,385
5Illinois2,919$34,839
6Michigan2,648$34,919
7Massachusetts2,501$39,441
8Pennsylvania2,370$35,873
9Virginia2,083$34,636
10Georgia1,992$34,939
11North Carolina1,948$32,101
12Maryland1,816$35,534
13New Jersey1,774$35,397
14Washington1,685$42,583
15Ohio1,653$34,273
16Colorado1,586$39,080
17Minnesota1,563$36,739
18Wisconsin1,536$36,925
19Arizona1,472$35,855
20Indiana1,465$32,486
21Connecticut1,340$42,560
22Oregon1,257$38,556
23Tennessee1,222$31,914
24Iowa1,220$32,963
25Missouri1,161$33,182
26Kentucky1,107$32,001
27Utah1,072$32,927
28Alabama1,038$27,864
29Idaho1,007$34,250
30Arkansas975$31,500
31Kansas962$30,656
32South Carolina850$28,391
33Maine847$34,598
34Nebraska844$33,719
35Oklahoma844$31,190
36Louisiana837$27,142
37Mississippi791$29,297
38Delaware786$31,773
39New Hampshire750$37,368
40Vermont661$37,631
41New Mexico616$27,349
42Rhode Island613$39,577
43Montana595$35,784
44West Virginia591$30,721
45South Dakota589$31,204
46Nevada530$39,649
47Wyoming521$37,686
48North Dakota512$39,028
49Alaska494$44,084
50Hawaii463$35,038

Internship Education

Internship Majors

Business
13.2 %
Psychology
12.3 %
Criminal Justice
8.2 %

Internship Degrees

Bachelors

67.9 %

Associate

12.4 %

Masters

8.0 %

Top Colleges for Internships

1. Western Carolina University

Cullowhee, NC • Private

In-State Tuition

$3,926

Enrollment

9,835

2. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

In-State Tuition

$51,354

Enrollment

7,083

3. Ball State University

Muncie, IN • Private

In-State Tuition

$9,896

Enrollment

15,529

4. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-State Tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

5. Bowling Green State University

Bowling Green, OH • Private

In-State Tuition

$11,105

Enrollment

13,729

6. Cedar Crest College

Allentown, PA • Private

In-State Tuition

$39,216

Enrollment

1,303

7. Morgan State University

Baltimore, MD • Private

In-State Tuition

$7,900

Enrollment

6,404

8. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-State Tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

9. Siena Heights University

Adrian, MI • Private

In-State Tuition

$27,124

Enrollment

2,035

10. University of Akron

Akron, OH • Private

In-State Tuition

$11,463

Enrollment

13,676

Top Skills For an Internship

The skills section on your resume can be almost as important as the experience section, so you want it to be an accurate portrayal of what you can do. Luckily, we've found all of the skills you'll need so even if you don't have these skills yet, you know what you need to work on. Out of all the resumes we looked through, 10.5% of interns listed powerpoint on their resume, but soft skills such as customer-service skills and detail oriented are important as well.

  • PowerPoint, 10.5%
  • Financial Statements, 5.5%
  • C++, 5.3%
  • Mental Health, 4.8%
  • Data Analysis, 4.2%
  • Other Skills, 69.7%

Choose From 10+ Customizable Internship Resume templates

Zippia allows you to choose from different easy-to-use Internship templates, and provides you with expert advice. Using the templates, you can rest assured that the structure and format of your Internship resume is top notch. Choose a template with the colors, fonts & text sizes that are appropriate for your industry.

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Internship diversity

Internship Gender Distribution

Female
Female
58%
Male
Male
42%

After extensive research and analysis, Zippia's data science team found that:

  • Among interns, 58.0% of them are women, while 42.0% are men.

  • The most common race/ethnicity among interns is White, which makes up 56.1% of all interns.

  • The most common foreign language among interns is Spanish at 45.3%.

Online Courses For Internship That You May Like

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Best States For an Internship

Some places are better than others when it comes to starting a career as an internship. The best states for people in this position are Alaska, Washington, Connecticut, and California. Interns make the most in Alaska with an average salary of $44,084. Whereas in Washington and Connecticut, they would average $42,583 and $42,560, respectively. While interns would only make an average of $41,870 in California, you would still make more there than in the rest of the country. We determined these as the best states based on job availability and pay. By finding the median salary, cost of living, and using the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Location Quotient, we narrowed down our list of states to these four.

1. Alaska

Total Internship Jobs: 494
Highest 10% Earn:
$52,000
Location Quotient:
2.29

$44,084

Avg. Salary

View 494 Internship Jobs In AK

2. Connecticut

Total Internship Jobs: 1,340
Highest 10% Earn:
$62,000
Location Quotient:
1.57

$42,560

Avg. Salary

View 1,340 Internship Jobs In CT

3. North Dakota

Total Internship Jobs: 512
Highest 10% Earn:
$50,000
Location Quotient:
2.13

$39,028

Avg. Salary

View 512 Internship Jobs In ND
Full List Of Best States For Interns

How Do Interns Rate Their Jobs?

Working as an Internship? Share your experience anonymously.
Overall Rating*
Career Growth
Work/Life balance
Pay/Salary

Top Internship Employers

Most Common Employers For Internship

RankCompanyAverage SalaryHourly RateJob Openings
1IBM$74,274$35.71357
2Merrill Lynch$51,421$24.72978
3Northwestern Mutual$42,784$20.57560
4U.S. Department of State$37,724$18.14481
5Morgan Stanley$37,119$17.85704
6CVS Health$34,768$16.72544
7UBS$34,599$16.63496
8The Walt Disney Company$34,079$16.381,164
9Citi$34,014$16.35368
10NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration$33,678$16.19454
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Internship Videos

Internship Search - How do I find an internship?

Becoming an Internship FAQs

How Long Does It Take To Become An Intern?

It typically does not take long to become an intern. Internships are designed to be short term opportunities and are often offered during the summer when a student's academic schedule has cleared. Internships are typically set up for students to gain experience in a specific field or industry of interest.

How Old Do You Have To Be To Get An Internship?

In most cases, you have to be 18 years old to get an internship; however, some organizations will allow interns as young as 14 years old. Every organization that hires interns has its own set of guidelines for the age of interns. If you are interested in a particular organization, check out their FAQs or internship pages for specific info.

How To Cold Email For An Internship?

You cold email for an internship by researching the company, crafting a meaningful introduction, tailoring your email per company, includIng a call to action, and by being persistent. When it comes to writing your cold email, think of it as a shortened version of a personalized cover letter.

How To Decline An Internship Offer?

You decline an internship offer in a timely manner and with grace, gratitude, and honestly. Rejecting an internship offer can be awkward and embarrassing after you vigorously pursue the opportunity. This is where having a carefully crafted email that approaches the situation with candor and professionalism can make all of the difference.

Is An Internship A Degree?

An internship is not a degree. However, some internships can provide college credits. To receive credit for an internship, it is usually arranged before you start your internship. Make sure you find out the steps needed to assure you receive credit for your work. This may include filling out extra paperwork ahead of time.

Is It Hard To Get An Internship?

Yes, it can be hard to get an internship. The reason internships can be hard to get is because they are designed to benefit the intern with extra mentorship, valuable, relevant experience and networking opportunities.

What Do You Hope To Gain From This Internship?

You hope to gain from this internship valuable work experience, a path towards future career, new skills and connections, as well as industry experience and confidence. An internship is an opportunity to test drive a career without making any serious commitments.

Why Are You Interested In This Internship?

You are interested in this internship because of what you can gain, how it can help your career, the workplace environment, and because you are an excellent fit for this position. An employer might ask about why you're interested in an internship position to learn more about your motivations and your career goals. Often, interviewers want to get to know who you are and what you can gain from an opportunity with them to understand how you can benefit each other.

Have more questions? See all answers to common office and administrative questions.

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Updated April 6, 2023