Who wants to be an intern?

During their holidays, more teens are vying for internships that will add to their resume, rather than taking up temporary jobs that may pay better

By Samantha Eng

VERNUS Lou is fresh out of junior college and working at Lumiere Communications as a magazine writer while waiting for her A-level results.


A COURSE-RELATED INTERNSHIP is a common choice for students like Nanyang Technological University mass communications undergrad Deana Saechang, 21, who is an intern at a PR firm. Doing a stint as an intern enables students to experience first-hand what a career in their chosen field would be like. -- ST PHOTO: LIM WUI LIANG

She hopes to get a place in the National University of Singapore to pursue political science after that.

The former Raffles Junior College student is not just a temporary or part-time member of staff but an intern, a position that requires her to straddle the role of both staff member and trainee.

She writes articles and is helping to plan the company's first anniversary bash.

She feels that the work experience will look good on her resume when she applies for a place in the university in a few months' time.

National serviceman Kelvin Low spent his free time before being drafted into the army last year interning at law firm David Lim and Partners.

There he helped with background research work, the drafting of simple contracts and other such work.

The 19-year-old says: 'Having internship experience on my CV will definitely set me apart from the rest. I feel that universities and employers would like those who have had hands-on experience.'

Vernus and Kelvin are among many teenagers who choose to take up internships with companies ranging from law firms to public relations set-ups instead of trying to make as much money as they can from a temporary job stint.

Ms Huang Shao-ning, director of Jobsfactory, has noticed this trend lately. 'They vie for internships because they realise that it lends credit to their resumes,' she said.

Interns are typically paid less than temps. For 18-year-old Vernus, the pay is $3 an hour, about half the going rate for temporary workers.

Interns are also often given assignments that require a lot of legwork or tedious background research.

Yet teens take up internships because they feel that the hours they chalk up would stand them in good stead for a place in the university they are eyeing or even for a scholarship.

Their assumptions are not far wrong.

A check with scholarship boards and schools shows that while internships are not a necessity, these boards do prefer students who have done them.

Mrs Choo Lee See, director of the Public Service Commission Secretariat, says that teens applying for scholarships are encouraged to undergo internship stints.

An internship gives potential scholars a chance to 'experience first-hand how the various ministries work' and it would also 'allow them to make a more informed scholarship choice'.

A spokesman for Ngee Ann Polytechnic says: 'Internship experience, among other attributes, counts towards selection under our discretionary admission exercises.

'Internship in a course-related field demonstrates an applicant's interest and aptitude for a certain course.'

However, not every teen is lucky enough to land an internship.

And there are those who need the better money that temporary jobs offer. One such person is 18-year-old Leow Fang Yi, who has been working at a jewellery shop during every school break since she was 16.

Her father is a carpenter while her mother is a housewife.

'I feel that unless you are really interested in a particular internship, good money from a temporary job is more important. The money I earn can go towards my university fees,' she says.