Going for an internship but only doing the work you like, asking for high salary... who do students think they are?

In fact, internships are opportunities for students to learn professional practices - Photo: NT

This is one of the many situations that many companies encounter when accepting student interns. A company director said that students are very confident but should not have illusions about their own abilities and professional capacity.

Students have weak skills but many requirements

"I made an appointment for the student to come to the company for an interview to evaluate his ability before accepting him for an internship, but after waiting for two hours, the student did not show up and did not respond with a reason," said Mr. Nguyen Minh Triet, director of the Vietnamese Drama Company, about the situation he just encountered.

Mr. Triet said that this was not an isolated case. Many interns have very poor communication skills and "delusions of power."

Some students, when they started their internship, asked the company to provide them with job descriptions so they could choose the most suitable position for them. Some only accepted an internship as a film editor, not doing any other jobs. Some asked how much the internship salary was...

Similarly, Ms. N. - director of a media company with offices in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City - said that the company accepts three batches of interns each year. "In reality, many students have too many illusions about their careers and are weak in communication skills," Ms. N. said.

According to Ms. N., many students send blank emails asking for internships, sending them to many companies without doing any research beforehand. When the company responds with an interview appointment, they do not respond or arrive late. Some students disappear after the interview without being contacted. Not to mention, students choose to do the internship instead of following the company's arrangement.

"It is the lack of professionalism when approaching practical work. When coming to the internship, many students directly raised the issue of salary. The salary they proposed was 8 to 10 million VND/month.

Demanding salary is not unreasonable if you can do the job. If you do a good job in 1 or 2 weeks of internship, you can negotiate a more reasonable salary. However, you do not have any professional experience, so what basis do you have to demand salary? The company will support the cost for interns, but it is not the same salary as an official employee. It seems that you are having illusions about your career" - Ms. N. said.

Be humble and learn

Sharing more about student internships, Ms. N. said that students need to determine that each stage will have a different focus. When doing an internship, it is also about learning knowledge and gaining practical experience. Students should do their best according to their abilities. Confidence, humility and willingness to learn are essential qualities for interns.

"Many students' profiles state that they have work experience, department heads, project directors... When asked in reality, these are projects and leadership positions of clubs in the school. Clearly stating the work done and title is also good for the company to know how energetic you are.

However, many students confuse school practice with work experience, between club titles and real life. School assignments and real client projects are very different" - Ms. N. shared more.

Sharing this view, Mr. Triet said that wondering and asking questions is good, but students also need to know where the limits are.

"When you go for an internship, the company must arrange a mentor and will support you with expenses if you can do the job. That is an opportunity for you to learn from reality and you also need to know many things, not just do the work you have strengths or desire," said Mr. Triet.

Mr. Triet also added that internships are not only about learning, experiencing and doing the work you have learned. You will also learn many other skills such as teamwork, work management, and learning things outside of your major. So try to learn from your seniors, from real-life observations, and from experiences when working together.

Students are given too much work during internships?

Recently on a forum, a student said that he was doing an internship and was under too much pressure because he was constantly being urged to meet deadlines. One thing after another. If he couldn’t meet the deadline, he was scolded by his supervisor, if he didn’t do it right, he was also scolded.

Sharing about this issue, many students think that the supervisor is very important but it is not necessary to listen to everything. When being assigned too much work, you should discuss with the supervisor about your progress and ability to handle it.

"Doing practical work will help you learn a lot, especially things you did wrong. However, being overloaded will put you under pressure and make mistakes in what you have learned. It is necessary to have a frank discussion with the instructor. After all, being assigned many tasks is better than just serving tea or running errands" - a student commented.

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/di-thuc-tap-nhung-chi-lam-viec-minh-thich-doi-luong-cao-sinh-vien-nghi-minh-la-ai-20240522102440108.htm