Students work hard for unpaid internship

With no salary and having to pay for all his own food and travel expenses, Doan The Khanh still accepted a three-month internship at a commercial bank.

On May 13, Khanh, a final year student majoring in Economic Law, went to the 2023 Job Fair - Human Resource Bridge organized by the Banking Academy to find job opportunities.

Participating in a direct interview right at school with a representative of a commercial bank, the male student said he had a 70% chance of being hired as a personal customer relationship specialist. This confidence partly came from a three-month internship at this very bank during his second year of university.

At that time, Khanh's job was mainly to consult, research, and exploit customers' needs for credit cards. Khanh was carefully instructed to have the skills to do this job. However, the male student did not have a salary, and had to pay for his own travel, phone, and food expenses.

The advantage of an unpaid internship is the flexible schedule. However, the pressure of having to complete both work at the internship site and school subjects also made Khanh stressed in the first month. In return, Khanh improved her communication and thinking skills when she often had to provide information, answer questions and convince customers. She also understood more about the real working environment and saw new directions in the field of Economic Law.

The Khanh participated in a direct interview with a business at the Job Fair - Human Resource Bridge at the Banking Academy on May 13. Photo: Duong Tam

Tran Thi Vui, a third-year student majoring in Business Administration, has been doing an internship since her first year. Knowing that the National Center for Supporting Innovative Startups and Creativity was recruiting interns in communications and marketing, Vui applied and was accepted after passing the test and interview.

Here, the female student worked on the digital platform Techfest247 and then supported the educational technology sector. Despite her worries, Vui watched her seniors work, then started coming up with ideas, planning, and learning how to manage and organize events. In her second year, the female student was signed a half-year contract by a company to collaborate, participating in organizing events and seminars on educational technology.

"I was assigned many tasks that seemed too much for me, such as meeting and working with the president of a business or the leader of a university. But thanks to that, I was able to develop myself and have more relationships," Vui said. The female student believes that this helped her understand more about her career direction.

Khanh and Vui are among many students who accept unpaid internships early instead of waiting for school internships, in order to improve their skills and experience, thereby enhancing their resumes for job applications after graduation.

Tran Thi Vui (right) and her friends look for job information at the Banking Academy on May 13. Photo: Duong Tam

Currently, both domestic and foreign enterprises have many internship recruitment programs with two forms: paid and unpaid.

Interns are paid much like part-time employees, receive on-the-job training but are given more independence by employers, says an expert at global job site Indeed .

Meanwhile, unpaid interns often have mentors, do support work to observe and learn from other employees. Working hours with this group are also flexible.

Indeed experts say that even unpaid internships allow students to observe professionals at work and gain guidance and advice from their valuable experience.

There are no statistics on the number of interns, but according to recruitment experts, in Vietnam, unpaid internships are more common than paid ones, mainly for students in their last two years of university.

Ms. Doan Thi Minh Phuong, a member of the Human Resources Management Department of Tien Phong Bank, said that every year, interns are recruited, mainly final-year students majoring in Economics. However, second- and third-year students who wish to apply are still considered.

According to Ms. Phuong, internship positions are unpaid, but in return students are trained in basic professional skills and techniques, and have the opportunity to learn about the organization's culture and do practical work.

"Students who participate in internships early often perform better when applying for jobs," Ms. Phuong commented.

Le Manh Cuong, 26, a former student of Hanoi University of Science and Technology, got a job right after graduation at a company specializing in designing and installing electrical cabinets. He said that his internship at this company in his fourth year greatly contributed to his chances of being hired.

"If students value internships, even if they are unpaid, they will have the right career orientation and more job opportunities when they graduate. At least, the work experience section on their CV will look better to convince employers," Cuong said.

Vui saw the benefits of doing an internship early. So on May 13, he went to the school’s career fair to learn about internship positions at banks. He wanted to try something new before making a choice for the future.

"I don't receive a salary, but I receive many other things," Vui said, adding that she determined that income was not a priority while still in school. Instead, the female student worked hard to learn, gain experience and skills in the hope of receiving a good salary after graduation.

Duong Tam

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