Hello everyone, and welcome back to semester 2! I thought it would be a good time of the year to talk about internships and summer vacation programs. But what are these, you say? Summer vacation programs are basically internships for university students that take place over the summer holidays. They’re usually for students who are in their second last year of study, and are a great opportunity to get some (usually paid) holiday work and experience in the real world, and are a great addition to your resume! What’s extra awesome about them is that doing such an internship may land you a graduate position! Imagine going through your last year of uni knowing you have a job secured at the end of it. Pretty cool, right?
The reason it’s a good time to start thinking about it is because July/August is a time when a lot of companies do their hiring for these internships. Some companies also hire over February to April. Plus, if you’re not in your penultimate year yet it just means you will have a head start in considering internship opportunities. Now, while the idea of internships may be particularly relevant for business students, it’s worth investigating to see if there’s anything in your field of interest. You may be surprised. Here are some examples of companies that offer summer vacation programs in many different business areas:
- Banks, including NAB, Commonwealth, ANZ and Westpac
- The Big 4 Accounting Firms: Deloitte, KPMG, PwC and EY
- Mid-tier accounting firms: Grant Thornton, Crowe Horwath, RSM Bird Cameron, and heaps more
- Unilever
- Telstra
- Procter and Gamble
- Some law firms may also have internship programs
It’s also worth looking around at organisations that might not offer internships, but have graduate programs. Earlier this year, for example, Mars in Ballarat was advertising for a graduate accountant position!
‘Til next time.
– Amelia