Looking for an internship in Pakistan but don’t know where to start? This guide will help you understand why you need an internship, what type of internship you should do and how to get one.

What is an internship

An internship is a period of work experience, usually availed by students or those seeking employment. The students or trainees who remain associated with the internship are known as interns. Internships could be paid or unpaid, depending on what the organization is offering. Interns gain valuable work experience and exposure through internships, which comes in handy while seeking professional jobs.

Importance of internship

Internships are quite important and extremely valuable. As mentioned earlier, internships provide experience and exposure which would prove beneficial in the long-term.

What exactly makes internships important?

To begin with, Internships enable the interns to gain knowledge, skills, and experience in a relevant field which they may decide to pursue later on.

This provides them with an opportunity to spearhead into their desired fields and since they’d already be acquainted with the field, their chances of finding suitable jobs are higher. Employers prefer candidates who have interned in the past due to the skills and experience that they would be bringing in.

Secondly, Internships also provide an opportunity for beginners to network amongst organizations and establish important connections, which can prove to be extremely important and beneficial later on during their careers.

Interns get an opportunity to communicate with professionals, which would help them learn how to communicate in professional environments.

Internships are also valuable in learning how to manage time efficiently, which certainly in an extremely important factor in the contemporary era.

Lastly, if you can manage to find a paid internship, those extra bucks that you make while interning would definitely come in handy.

How to get an internship in Pakistan?

With an inflow of thousands of students every year, finding an internship could be somewhat troublesome for some. It’s important to know how you can get an internship in Pakistan especially in the three big cities: Karachi, Lahore, and Islamabad.

• 

For graduating university students, university counseling services or any similar department could be a great option. Organizations throughout the country enter into agreements with various universities and as part of those deals, universities can get students recruited into organizations for internships. Otherwise, they are other options for finding internships as well.

Newspaper listings as another effective way to get an internship in Pakistan. Anyone seeking an Internship in Pakistan must regularly keep an eye out for the newspapers for internship opportunities.

Find Internship Opportunities Online

Perhaps the most effective way to find internships in Pakistan is the internet. There are hundreds of credible websites where internship opportunities are listed.

Not only is it easier and way more convenient to look for internships in your relevant field over the internet, but it’s also easier to get all the information including requirements and application process from the web.

Apart from websites, one can also scroll through social media to find relevant internships. Organizations, ranging from small-scale to large-scale multi-nationals, post about internship programs on social media, in order to reach large audiences.

How to Prepare and Apply for an Internship

Finding an internship is one thing and maximizing your chances of getting it is another. A lot of things must be ensured to maximize the chances of actually getting an internship.

Initially, you must ensure that you fulfill the internship requirements, stated by the organization offering it. Once you are certain that you fulfill all of the organization’s requirements, only then are you supposed to apply for it, or else your chances of getting in are close to none.

Secondly, it’s extremely important to follow the entire application process properly or else the organization wouldn’t consider the application. You must be mindful of the deadlines and must provide all the information that they require promptly.

Lastly, one of the most important things is clearing the interview. If you’re called for an interview, you’re halfway there, but not all the way. You must prepare well for the interview in order to ace it and get the internship.

Paid Internships For Students In 2019

Students can do all sorts of paid internships, relevant to what they may decide to pursue later on in their lives.

Summer Internships For Students

Students that are currently studying and haven’t graduated, can opt for summer internships, keeping in mind their study-related commitments during the rest of the year.

Summer internships allow students to gain valuable work experience while studying, which enables them to practically apply the knowledge they’ve gained while studying. With summer break just a couple of months away, internship seeking individuals must keep an eye out for internships in their relevant fields.

Internships for Undergraduate Students

There are numerous internship programs for undergraduate students in Pakistan. Internships are a great way for undergraduates to enter the job market and kick-off their careers.

A lot of large scale organizations, including Unilever, Telenor, Jazz, and MCB to name a few, regularly offer internship programs. There are a number of positions for interns including internships in HR, Sales, Finance, Marketing, Operations, and Logistics departments.

With IT becoming more mainstream, web development, software development, and Graphic designing positions have also been opening up for interns.

Internships for Engineers

Students associated with engineering institutes can also find engineering internships in Pakistan and intern as surveying engineers, electrical engineers, software engineering, mechanical engineering or software quality assurance engineers.

Internships in Banks

Students pursuing the field of Business, Economics, Accounting or Finance can opt for internships in banks as banks offer regular internship programs and it is relatively easier to get recruited as an intern.

All the major banks in Pakistan offer internships and they offer extremely valuable working experience and networking opportunities.

Government of Pakistan’s Youth Internship Program

The Government also occasionally offers Youth Internship Programs in Pakistan with the Punjab Youth Internship Program and Prime Minister Youth Internship Program to name a couple. Those seeking internships should regularly keep checking for internship listings on websites such as Rozee.pk, Interns.pk and LinkedIn.

Final Word

It is highly recommended for students and undergraduates to apply as interns in various organizations. With hundreds of Private sector and Public sector organizations offering internship programs around the year, everyone should manage to find an internship related to their field of study and gain the expertise required to commence a career professionally.