Guide to Internship for JC/Post-JC Students

Introduction

Internships are an often-overlooked extracurricular opportunity that you could consider to explore personal interests and bolster your portfolio. You’ll be attached to a company or other organisations like public service agencies and NGOs to gain working experience and qualifications. However, you might have some questions about what to expect in an internship, what benefits are there, and how one might apply for one. To answer your burning questions, we’ll interview two former JC students who have undergone internships at different types of organisations.

Q: Which organisation(s) did you work under, and what were your roles?

Song Yee: During the J1 December holidays, I underwent a 3-week internship at the Digital Planning Lab in the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA), a government statutory board in charge of planning the layout of Singapore’s cityscape. I worked with a small team of fellow interns to study an underdeveloped plot of land at Changi Point and develop a proposal for its redevelopment.

Among the sites we studied was the abandoned Changi Hospital!

Image credits: roots.gov.sg

Shi Xian: I underwent a 6-month unpaid virtual internship (yes, you read that correctly) at 7Cups. My role in 7Cups was as a listener, which involved providing free emotional support to people by hearing them out. We deal with cases that range from depression to grief. One advantage of a virtual internship was the time saved from travelling, which allowed me to chat with more clients and engage with my other responsibilities.

Q: Why did you go for your internship?

Song Yee: Interning under URA was a natural extension of my academic study of H2 Geography because it allowed me to apply what we learnt about sustainable urban development to actual policy work. Besides, I knew I was interested in a future career in the public sector (the government/civil service), so this was an excellent opportunity to understand its inner workings and key policy issues while demonstrating that I had some relevant experience.

Shi Xian: The pandemic has disrupted our way of life and caused many to suffer from mental wellness issues. I wanted to contribute to the community by providing support to them. Since getting proper support via counsellors may be expensive or a long waiting time may be expected, they may feel uneasy. We provide this much-needed help so that they can relieve themselves from their issues. By providing support to them promptly, they may feel better as a consequence.

It was also a chance to develop active listening communication skills, build therapeutic relationships with users and add meaningful volunteer experience to my resume.

Q: What are some valuable/memorable experiences you gained?

Song Yee: Some of my fondest memories include the silly banter I had with my teammates during the ideation process for the development proposal (one of us even suggested building an impractical cable car around Changi Point as a tourist attraction…), and conducting field studies of the place (we mapped out the area’s land use and topography). We also learnt of URA’s core priorities of promoting not only economic growth but also heritage preservation and environmental sustainability, as well as its work with other agencies like GovTech in using remote sensors to collect data for more informed urban policy decisions.

Shi Xian: Every chat with a person was enriching. Though some chats did not last as long (10 minutes), each conversation brought new perspectives. Everyone has different thoughts and beliefs.

However, there were admittedly challenges. When trying to help them or suggest possible ideas to our callers, we may be unaware of what they were trying to convey and this might inadvertently offend them. Engaging them also required us to reply promptly. We should have our full focus on engaging them when we are available and not engage in other actions. We had to give callers the sense that they are heard and cared for.

Q: What are my possible internship options?

Song Yee: Some internships are available during the JC holidays, and most are available after A Levels, in the break before university/NS. Some also have minimum durations (e.g. 1,3,6 month), and some only look for university students. Do check the organisation's website or email them for such details because that affects when/if you are eligible to apply.

As you can see from our experiences, possible internship options fall under three categories: public sector (government), private sector (for-profit companies) and civil society (NGOs). Here are some possible ideas:

Public Sector:

Ministries:

Teaching: Ministry of Education
Politics and International Relations: Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Economic Development: Ministry of Trade and Industry
Social Welfare: Ministry of Social and Family Development

Statutory Boards:

Scientific Research: Defence Science and Technology Agency and A STAR,
Social Welfare: Singapore Prison Service
Nature: NParks

Private Sector:

JTLegal, Amica Law (Law internships)
High Achievers Training Consultancy (Education/Mentoring/Tutoring)

Civil Society:

General Philanthropy: National Volunteer & Philanthropy Centre
Women’s rights: AWARE
Mental Health: Brahm Centre, 7 Cups
Special Needs: Youth For Autism

Shi Xian: I can share about the 7 Cups internship. There are 2 tracks, namely Community and Student tracks. The Community Track is a short-term internship (1-3 months), whereas the Student Track lasts for 3 to 6 months whilst fulfilling certain graduation requirements such as a commitment period of at least 5 hours weekly, and sending messages to group rooms, to benefit the larger community.

Q: How did you apply / any tips?

Song Yee: Plan early and find out about the application timeline: It's best to look for internships several months before you intend to undergo it. The application process takes time, and some organisations only make internships available at a certain part of the year and have application deadlines. For example, I missed the deadline for the post-A Level MOE Teaching internship (in my year it was October) because I assumed that they processed applications after As.

Be sure to research the internship position to make sure you wouldn't just be given unhelpful menial taskings. If there's an interview, do some research into the organisation's mission, work and structure because that might shape the way you answer the question, and demonstrate that you've done your homework.

There are several possible ways to find suitable internships:

School programmes: Some JCs run internship programmes to link students with interested organisations. This route tends to be easier to get because the school is already helping you in the process, so if your school provides do check them out (e.g. Hwachong has the TAG programme).
Organisation websites: Some organisations proactively look for students and post information on their school websites. A simple Google Search will do the trick.
Word of mouth: Some of us may know somebody from the related industry who can link us up with the organisation. Ask your seniors who've gone for internships or browse profiles on LinkedIn to get some ideas!
Cold-emailing: Directly emailing many organisations with a customised pitch and a CV. There might be a response rate from organisations but it could land you an internship that is otherwise hard to find. One of my friends cold-emailed and landed herself in the Strategic Planning department of URA.

Shi Xian: I applied through 7Cups Official Website (https://www.7cups.com/) and underwent an interview to land the internship. The selection process took approximately 2 weeks. The 7Cups internship can be started anytime and must be concluded in 6 months.

For any interview, make sure you prepare for the obvious questions that are likely to come out, like your reason(s) for applying and what value you can provide to the organisation.

Closing remarks

Bear in mind that getting an internship really isn’t critical for JC students, so don’t force yourself to go for one just for the sake of it. Nonetheless, if you find an internship that suits your goals and aspirations, it can still be a viable and enriching extracurricular option to consider. Good luck!