SINGAPORE — For the last two years of his university studies, Mr Andrew William strategically scheduled his timetable to maximise most of his time outside class taking up internship stints.
While educational institutes have long emphasised the importance of and helped students secure internships, students are growing increasingly hungry for more internship opportunities outside of school requirements.Each week, TODAY’s long-running Big Read series delves into the trends and issues that matter. This week, we look why Singapore students are in hot pursuit of internships and some implications of such a rat race.
In total, the Singapore permanent resident completed 10 internships before graduating in 2022 — although only one stint was a graduation requirement.To get these internships, Mr William joined his school's consultancy club — which provided networking opportunities. He also took part in case competitions to boost his portfolio.
One such business based in Hong Kong, called IBankCoaching, states on its website that it provides job tracking support for internships and “insider tips” to ace interviews with companies such as Goldman Sachs, Blackrock and DBS. While most educational institutions pair students with a mentor or career coach throughout their mandatory
NUS sociologist Tan Ern Ser noted that students who have larger social networks would have better access to opportunities and the relevant information — and hence a higher probability of landing internships.THE BIG PICTURE Take for example third-year SMU student Koh Liang Jun, 24, who participated in a case competition for the chance to intern at global professional services firm Accenture — which he described as the most “tedious” way to get an internship.
Second-year NUS business administration student Ryan Ong added that peer influence also plays a role in his decision to take on four internships, with a fifth planned in New York at the end of the year. “Amid today's job market uncertainty, it is also good advice to ensure valuable use of all your time. In this sense many internships can be value adding and help pave the way into full-time employment,” added Mr Rob Wisdom, director and head of supply chain of recruitment firm Ethos Beathchapman.
There should also be access to mentors who provide guidance and feedback, as well as assignments that challenge and develop the intern’s skill sets.
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