As an intern it might seem as if life is smooth and easy, this can be true for some but for others, it is not. At an internship, being a learning space presents many challenges. It is in the intern's interest to navigate through them and find the most suitable approach.
Reality of internships
Competing demands
As an intern, you are practical at anyone's disposal and it has become a culture to do all tasks assigned to you. You might end up with competing demands and limited time and it can be stressful. In case of different expectations and demands, the internship provider foremostly chooses their main function and the interests and needs of the learner are left behind.
It is also very important to communicate and clearly state your situation, you will be amazed at what communication can accomplish. Remember supervisors are busy people and they may not have the time or the skill to pay attention to well-being workwise.
Lack of supervisors
Most of the expected supervisors are very busy employees with a ton of work expected of them. There are never enough trained and experienced supervisors. At the same time, the opportunity to rearrange your work during the trainee’s stay at the company or finding the time to teach at the expense of reducing daily tasks can help increase the motivation of being a supervisor, etc. The ones found could be individuals who were not ready to handle a trainee and it is not their fault but you may not get the best experience ever.
The inability of internship places to offer training that is diverse enough - internship places may not be able to offer multifaceted practical learning - there are learning outcomes that you can achieve in those, but often study remains rather shallow because the company does not use the techniques, procedures, and processes that the learner should acquire in their daily business.
Not enough resources
This is a story of every organization maybe except mega companies. This is to be expected and like everyone else you will struggle with getting resources easily. Resources span from actual financial support to physical facilities and equipment needed for the smooth working of your organization and in turn your stay as an intern.
Unfamiliar environments
Of course, you cannot jump into a new environment and get along with everyone and how everything works in the organization. You need time to adjust and learn the working culture of the company.
The inability of internship places to offer training that is diverse enough - internship places may not be able to offer multifaceted practical learning - there are learning outcomes that you can achieve in those, but often study remains rather shallow because the company does not use the techniques, procedures, and processes that the learner should acquire in their daily business.
And yet somehow you need to find your way around that and learn and adapt to the working reality. Being overloaded with work due to the trainee in turn causes frustration to the trainers, and this is sometimes taken out on the trainee.
Too much free time
This comes as a shock to many for its irony but it is a reality for a lot of interns. While some have a rigid structure, others are flexible, and trying to observe organizational structure during the first weeks of socializing poses a challenge for many. Based on your observation of the prevailing culture, you can decide to be friendly or reserved in your conduct.
On the condition that the choice of traineeship base has been suitable when creating the learning situation, the supervisor must take into account the possibilities of the internship provider and propose corresponding aims, which will ensure learning outcomes are achieved.
Parting shot
As an intern learn to adapt and be open. It not gonna be an easy or smooth ride. It comes with a different set of problems that you must navigate wisely. Nothing is easy and it is important to have a thick skin.
