Externship vs. Internship: Unlocking Your Career Potential

Before landing a job, many professionals complete an externship or internship. Both internships and externships provide valuable professional experience, but they are distinct experiences with different benefits. These opportunities are often suggested as a means of gaining experience prior to seeking employment in a certain industry. So, what’s the difference between an externship and an internship, and which should you choose to reach your career goals? This article will explore the nuances of externships and internships to help you make the best decision for your professional development.

What Is an Externship?

An externship is a short-term professional learning experience that provides a behind-the-scenes look at an industry or field. It can last only a few days or weeks. During an externship, you’ll shadow an experienced professional to learn more about their job. Externships are often offered to students as part of a course study, so they get exposed to the working environment and learn about the responsibilities of any specific job they want to pursue. Through externships, students can gain hands-on experience and put into practice the theory they’ve learned in their classes, but it doesn’t involve specific tasks or objectives.

Benefits of an Externship

Externships offer many benefits. An externship can help current college students, prospective students, and professionals considering a career change. One of the most significant benefits of externships is that they allow you to catch a glimpse of working life before you choose a career. During an externship, you’ll gain a new perspective on your career options. For instance, business majors choosing between accounting and finance careers can do an externship in each field. An externship can also help build your resume.

Externs can also make important connections in their future fields. Completing an externship early in your career journey often provides valuable information about where to pursue internships. You don’t have to choose between an externship and an internship - you can do both.

What Is an Internship?

Similar to externships, internships are short-term work experiences that provide students opportunities to learn practical work in their relevant field. An internship is often provided to college or university students who want to obtain a degree in a particular field of expertise. With an internship, you’ll complete tasks, report to a supervisor, and sometimes, you’ll be paid. As interns, students develop the hard and soft skills they might use in the future when seeking a full-time job. In addition, internships can benefit both the employer and students because the low cost of training students can still provide the learner with theory and skills to excel in their professional practice.

Read also: Your Guide to Nursing Internships

Benefits of an Internship

Internships offer hands-on work experience. They allow you to see what you learn in class in action, develop new skills, expose you to new work environments, provide networking opportunities, and aid in career exploration. College students who complete an internship tend to receive more job offers after graduation.

Externship vs. Internship: What Are the Differences?

Externships and internships offer different benefits and experiences. While there are many similarities between the two experiential learning opportunities, externships and internships are slightly different. Even though the words sound similar, there are some subtle differences between what you’ll do in internships vs. externships. As you’ve come to learn, externships and internships differ in what they offer students. Before looking for externship or internship opportunities, make sure you know what you’ll get from these experiences. Interns take on professional responsibilities and gain hands-on experience. In contrast, externs typically shadow a professional without completing job-related tasks. Unlike an internship, which functions more like an entry-level job, an externship can be as short as one day.

Here’s a breakdown of the key differences between externships and internships:

1. Payment

The first difference with these programs is that externships are not paid, so they involve only training, while internships can be paid or unpaid. Externships are often unpaid, although some might offer stipends or other compensation, depending on the industry and location. In 2023, around 69% of internships were paid opportunities. An internship can be considered part-time employment depending on whether it’s paid or not.

2. Program Design

Another difference between externships and internships is the program design since the students have different roles and responsibilities. Externships also have specific learning objectives, so they’re considered a required ‘classroom’ experience. Externships function more like informational experiences, in which externs shadow professionals to learn more about their responsibilities and field.

3. College Credit

Internships are often eligible for college credit, particularly if they are part of a formal program or are related to your major. Externships, on the other hand, are less likely to be eligible for college credit.

4. Duration

Most people are familiar with internships because they’re more extended and common. An internship can last several weeks, up to 4 months, or longer, depending on the industry. Since they’re shorter, you can take another externship once you’re finished with your previous one, but it’s optional. An externship is a short-term professional experience and can last only a few days or weeks. While an internship can last several months or even a year, externships usually last for much shorter periods - often a few days or weeks.

5. Employment

Perhaps the best thing about completing an internship or externship program is that they offer employment opportunities. If you complete an internship and you have several months of work experience, you’re more likely to have a position on the way. According to the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) 2023 Internship & Co-op Survey Report, 57.6% of eligible interns converted to full-time employees.

How Can You Get an Externship?

Once you have found an externship that matches your field of study, check the requirements and see if you meet them. Ensure your resume is updated and you have a recent transcript of your grades and classes. When you get your externship, try to be professional, be on time and observe as much as possible.

Externship opportunities can also be challenging to find if you don’t know where to look. Here are some tips to help you get an externship:

Leverage your university's career services. As with internships, they often have resources, job boards, and connections to help you find externships as well.
Network with professionals. Just like above, attend career fairs and alumni events to make connections and learn about potential externship placements.
Reach out to companies directly. The worst thing that happens is someone says no.
Ask professors, mentors, family, and friends.

How Can You Get an Internship?

Getting an internship is slightly different from getting an externship. First, you need to consider your degree and interests as you can’t apply to every position you see. You must know where to look, and you can do this by visiting job sites, using your college’s career resources, contacting the companies directly, or networking. No matter where you apply, you need materials, such as a resume, cover letter, and online portfolio. Once you get to the interviewing part, ensure you know about the company’s product or services. You could use this to your advantage by asking a few questions about the company.

The 2021 NSCI report found that 71.3% of students didn't take an internship because they didn't know how to find one. Here are some tips to help you get an internship:

Leverage your university's career services. They often have resources, job boards, and connections to help you find internships.
Network with professionals. Attend career fairs and alumni events to make connections and learn about internship opportunities.
Use online job boards and professional networking sites. They may be able to provide valuable advice, recommend opportunities, and even serve as references.

The Bottom Line

Whether you opt for an internship or externship is up to you, but you can’t go wrong. Both programs offer experience, insight into the working environment, and career opportunities. You don’t have to pick one over the other because you can always alternate and find out where your interests are. Both opportunities can provide you with valuable experience that will help you better understand the concepts you learn in the classroom - and that you can apply as you step into your career.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Are externships paid or unpaid?

Externships are generally unpaid opportunities. Externships are often unpaid, as the primary focus is on learning rather than contributing to work tasks or projects.

What types of tasks do you typically do in an externship versus an internship?

Externships often focus on observation and learning. Internships involve more active tasks. Interns take on professional responsibilities and gain hands-on experience, while externs typically shadow a professional without completing job-related tasks.

Which one is better for gaining experience-an externship or an internship?

Internships typically provide a deeper and more comprehensive learning experience than externships. So, internships are more likely to help you develop more valuable job skills (including “soft skills” like communication and resilience) that are highly sought after by potential employers.

Can you earn college credit for an externship or an internship?

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