With the increasingly competitive labor market, employers are demanding more from graduates. Therefore, having a university degree and an excellent GPA is no longer the only guarantee of successful entry into the job market. Other than a great GPA, employers expect graduates who show initiative, who bring some experience and knowledge to the company.

Thus, getting some relevant job experience before or during your study is a great way to stand out in the crowded labor market, and that is why you must purpose to intern or extern at an organization.

Internship refers to a voluntary or paid work experience in a respected organization that spans over several months. Most internship programs can take anything from three months to a year. In most cases, the internship is a structured program initiated and highly regulated by an employer.

On the other hand, an externship is an unpaid training or apprenticeship program that lasts for a short duration, a few days to two weeks.

Due to the short period involved, the externships are mostly unpaid, and the student has more control over the program. An extern will observe the daily duties, which an intern gets involved in the day-to-day operations of a department or organization.

Also, the timing of these programs is significantly different. Since they are short, most students do externships over winter or spring break, while most students do internships over summer break.

Difference between internship and externship

1. Program duration

In most professions, externships are longer than internships. In most cases, externships’ duration ranges from a few days to 2 weeks, while internships last longer than six months in some courses.

When the internship is a requirement to graduate, like in the teaching and medical field, the internship can last for a semester which is 3 to four months.

The externships are shorter concentrated programs designed to allow you to experiment with several aspects of a business, department, or sector.

Thus, rather than getting intensive training over six months in the accounting department, a Bachelor of Commerce Student can spend a week in different departments in different organizations.

For instance, you can work with the accounting department for one week in company A, the human resources for another week in company B, and the third week in the finance department in company C.

2. Payment/compensation

The debate between whether interns should be paid or not is one of the most extended ongoing debates. However, an internship is a paid program in most cases, with some top tech companies offering highly competitive internships. However, externships are unpaid programs.

One reason explaining why externships are unpaid is the duration. How can you compensate a student for two days’ work? Even if the externship lasts for a month, the lack of a proper externship structure explains why they tend to be unpaid.

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3. Program design

The externships program, in most cases, is unstructured. Thus, the extern is required to fit in the schedule of the supervisor. Therefore, externs get more learning opportunities sine they can bring opportunities for job shadow, attend conferences, undertake group learning, do small compiler projects, or help the supervisor.

However, an internship is highly structured, and the intern is expected to follow a specific pre-determined schedule. Thus, although interns might perform tasks outside their scope, like office cleaning, their program is structured with one significant learning outcome.

4. Depth of the programs

Internships are intensive programs spanning over several months, while externships are short programs. Due to the short duration, an extern might not learn the details of a job or ranks.

Further, externships are treated as prospecting; hence, companies will not train students who might change their minds about the field. In most cases, interns have decided to pursue a specific area; thus, conducting intensive training for such a student makes sense.

5. College credits

In many situations, when the university organizes the internship, you may get credits from it. Externships, in general, do not give credits for your graduation.

Wrapping Up

Thus, whether you choose to do an internship or externship depends on your motivation, program purpose, and availability. For example, if you have a few months, you can choose to apply for an internship.

However, if you would rather spend your summer traveling, you are better off applying for an externship. Also, if you already know and are deciding about your chosen career, an internship is the best way to earn practical intensive work experience.

Suppose you are still unsure about your career choices. In that case, an externship can allow you to experiment in different sectors before deciding the best sector which serves your life purpose.