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WHAT SHOULD I DO IF I WANT TO
APPLY FOR AN INTERNSHIP?
Step 1: Start with your V.I.P.S
[values, interests, passion, strengths]
Look at the first page of your ECG Portfolio and focus on what you have captured under your the Values, Interests, Personality and Skills sections.
Use those as the starting point for thinking about what kind of internship experience you would enjoy and benefit from.
Some questions to ask yourself might be:
1) Is there a particular skill area you want to nurture?
2) Is there a particular field you want to pursue at university/as a career?
3) How much time, commitment and resources do you want to devote to the internship?
Step 2: Research
Start researching different industries to find the type of company where you would like to intern. This can depend on your reason for seeking the internship. If you're preparing for a future career or trying to gain experience in a particular industry, look for opportunities that fulfil those specific needs.
You can also ask your parents, relatives or family acquaintances for internship opportunities. You might even consider walking around your housing estate and looking at possible businesses/organisations that you might want to intern with.
Research companies to see if they have an established process for internship applications or a specific time of year they look to hire new interns.
If you don't have an existing contact, you may send cold emails to the company to ask about their opportunities. When deciding who to send your email to, you can browse their website to find the company's general email. Sometimes websites list employee's contact information as well, and you can browse their directory to find the person best suited to receive your request for more information.
Step 3: Desired Outcomes
Once you have decided on the industry you want to work in, evaluate your priorities to decide what you need from an internship. This can help you narrow down your choices and approach companies with firm expectations of what you're seeking.
For example, consider evaluating your current financial situation to determine if you can afford to take an unpaid opportunity. If you are pursuing an internship to get requisite experience for a future position or gain credits for a course, make sure the internship meets all your requirements.
It is also important to consider factors like corporate culture, personal interest and commitment. Make sure the opportunities you find align with your goals.
Refer to your ECG Portfolio and use the Purpose, Process and Impact framework to help you plan what desired outcomes you want from your internship.
Step 4: Contact the company
After you have narrowed down your company selections, contact the company and request more information on their internship availability.
Email can be a good way to make initial contact and learn more about the application process. In your communications with the company, do your best to make a good impression by checking your written communications for grammatical or spelling errors. Always show your draft emails to a teacher/approach the ECG team teachers for help to vet your emails.
Apply for internship/s making sure to follow the company's instructions for submitting your application. They might have a pre-existing form you can fill out, or they may ask you for a resume. If you are not sure how to put together a resume, approach Ms Joleen Lim or any member of the ECG team for help.
Consider including a cover letter in your application, telling the company you're really excited about the possibility of working as an intern at their organisation. Once again, be sure that all of your communications are free from spelling and grammatical errors. Use your official students.edu.sg email for all internship request emails.
Step 5: Follow up
Once you have submitted your application, give the company time to review your request. If a week has passed and you have not received additional information [remember to check both your inbox and spam/junk folders as their replies may have been channeled to these folders], consider contacting the company again to ask if there are any updates on your application. Keep your tone friendly and polite and reiterate how excited you'd be to join their organisation.
The company might want to interview you either via zoom or in a face-to-face meeting. Please make sure you comply with their requests to enhance your chances of getting your internship. During the interview, do not ask inappropriate questions for e.g. do not immediately ask how to ask for leave or what kind of allowances you can have. For help on how to prepare for internship interviews, make an appointment with Ms Joleen or any member of the ECG team.
Once you are selected, do report for duty and comply with the rules set by the organisation. Keep detailed notes of everything you do during your internship so that you can have good quality reflections in your ECG Portfolios.
SAMPLE EMAIL YOU CAN USE TO SOURCE FOR INTERNSHIPS
To help you in this process, please use the sample email here. Remember to add in the relevant details. If you need more help on how to customise this sample email for your specific internship application, please approach Ms Joleen or any of the ECG Team teachers for help.
SAMPLE EMAIL
Dear [insert Mr/Ms/Dr name of manager or contact person],
My name is [insert your full name] and I am emailing you to ask about a potential interning opportunity at your company / organisation.
I am currently a [insert the level you are in e.g. Sec 4/JC1/JC2] student at River Valley High School (RVHS). I am currently pursuing subjects such as [insert some of the subjects you are studying] and I am also actively involved in co-curricular activities such [insert some of your key CCA and involvement levels e.g. Captain/Treasurer].
Your company's / organisation's work in [highlight the key work and key areas the company is focused on] is of great interest to me as [insert reason for wanting the internship e.g. subject area appeals to you/specific skill development etc]. I would appreciate any information you can provide on how I could get involved with your company / organisation. Please let me know if you have any internships or other opportunities available in your company / organisation.
You can reach me via my contact details below.
Thank you so much for your time. I look forward to hearing from you.
Best/warm regards,
[Full name]
[phone number]
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
WHAT CAN YOU EXPECT FROM THE ORGANISATION AT WHICH YOU ARE INTERNING?
The setting of clear goals with student interns at the start of the internship. This could be done by a team leader / supervisor who would have the most interaction with the student/s. Areas such as role/s, dress codes, reporting times, and submission deadlines would usually be covered.
The clear communication of the expectations of the company and the importance of appropriate values and work attitudes.
The clear communication of working hours.
The provision of feedback on work performance e.g. areas of strength and areas for improvement.
WHAT ARE SOME SUGGESTED AREAS OF WORK YOU MIGHT DO AS AN INTERN?
Observe / sit in on meetings, take minutes of meetings
Assigned specific project duties for e.g., work with a team on a publicity project / data entry, assist with putting together presentations, write copy, accompany team on a field visit etc.
Shadow client interactions
Observe specific job roles
Understand company policies & procedures
WILL YOU BE PAID DURING YOUR INTERNSHIP?
As the SIP is an educational experience, students will not be paid during internships / job shadowing / attachments. As such, the school's stand is that you cannot ask for any payments/allowances during your internship.
If the organisation should choose to make any payment, the school would recommend that it take the form of a minimal allowance that would cover basic meals or transport. Such payments will be given directly to the students during their time with the organisation.
WILL THE SCHOOL SOURCE INTERNSHIPS FOR ALL STUDENTS?
The school is not able to source internships for every single student. We will provide as many internships as we can source from our partnerships and advertise them on this page. All signups will be on a first come first served basis.
We strongly encourage you to source for internships on your own. If you need any help with turning your ECG portfolio into a resume for internship applications, please make an appointment with Ms. Joleen.
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