But the creation of internships of the kind proposed by the UK government last week for some of the 400,000 students expected to graduate from British universities this year could earn the term greater respect. In an attempt to improve graduates' work skills, it wants employers to offer internships of up to three months to this year's graduates.
“Internship” is a US export, spread by banks who used the term to describe structured, fixed-term work experience placements for students. Most banking internships resemble scaled-down graduate schemes, with the intern assigned a mentor and given work similar to that expected of a graduate recruit. In other sectors, internships increasingly can mean any kind of work experience for graduates or postgraduates.
According to the Association of Graduate Recruiters, which represents mostly big UK employers, a quarter of its members use internships, some taking on up to 190 at a time. Most pay interns a weekly wage – on average £200 to £300.