Opinion Piece - Internship is NOT Servitude

The past weeks have been quite busy for me. From summer parties to workshops, to lab work to deadlines etc. In the midst of all these activities, I have had sweet conversations, some of which I would be sharing with you as soon as I pen them down.
I would start with the most recent interesting talk I had with a friend. It seemed like the season of internships in her office and they had a total of five new interns for the summer. She was saddled with the responsibility of mentoring three of them directly and she totally enjoyed it. As she went on with her conversation about the interns at her workplace, the conversation soon focused on the attitude of the different interns to work. She complained about one of the girls who was so sweet, respectful and loving but who might end up not learning anything - her reason was simple. Homegirl was too busy running errands and cleaning up after others that she almost had no time to do quality work.
This story reminded me of my days as an intern somewhere in Lagos Nigeria. There was so much to learn and the less than 3 -months of summer break wasn't even enough to soak it all in. Admist all the work there was to be done, some of my then bosses took it upon themselves to lord over the interns. They sent them on different personal errands ranging from buying lunch to picking up their laundry from the drycleaners and even taking it to their homes sometimes. It was beyond belief sometimes what interns had to go through at this organization to learn anything. However, it was very clear that not all interns were treated the same. Some interns were treated very professionally, learning fast, using different instruments and doing actual reports. As time went on, I realised that personal carriage and confidence had a huge role to play. Even though some interns avoided the odd jobs by being overly friendly with the bosses, some including myself, simply did our jobs professionally without sucking up to anyone. 
I understand that there's a need to respectfully deal with your bosses while on an internship as this fosters a good relationship which will encourage them to teach you more. However, as an intern, you need to create a balance between being respectful and being subservient. You are in the organization at that moment to learn and not to be a servant. Firmly and politely decline errands that are outside your core duties and responsibilities (except if you really don't mind doing them). Your professionalism, knowledge on the job and mature interpersonal relationship will trump servitude and lack of work knowledge any day. As an intern, you must learn to confidently speak to your bosses about the job and ask questions because you are there to learn. Always remember, that you could return to work at this organization years after your internship and it is not how well you swept the floor or cleaned your boss's desks that will get you the job, but it is the depth of your knowledge of the work material, your work ethics, and your relationships that will do the magic. I did return to the organization where I interned after I graduated from the University, and I must say that I had an overall pleasant experience while that job lasted.

My opinion could be wrong so please share your internship experiences in the comment section. Let's help out some new interns. 
Have a pleasant weekend.

Picture credit: ecu.edu ; colblog.com

Comments

  1. I agree that it's important to act professional and draw the line. During my intern year I was extremely careful not to go on personal errands for my supervisors. I would always be busy doing my job or would quickly come up with a work reason for my unavailability to go.

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