Frequently Asked Questions for Interns
(if you click on the heading, we will take you to a page with more information)
Why should I do an internship?
- Edge on your resume
- Work experience
- Increased network
- Personal Mentor
- New challenge
- Improved language & cultural understanding
How much does an internship cost?
Cost depends on:
- how many days per week you undertake an internship
- how many weeks you undertake an internship
- whether you are accepted into a paid or unpaid internship program
- whether you also require additional services such as accommodation or insurance
- it may depend on the company you select
- we recommend you contact us for more information regarding cost
What about accommodation?
- we offer accommodation around Sydney
- we can help you find accommodation around Australia
- we can help you find accommodation around our other destinations
- follow the link or contact our office
What about a visa?
- A valid and appropriate visa is a must in any of our destinations
- We can help you at an additional cost or you can arrange your own visa
- Follow the link to learn more, go to www.immi.gov.au or contact our office
- Most Common: Working Holiday Visa, Occupational Trainee Visa, Student Visa, Employer Sponsorship Visa.
How do I apply for a Dream Internship?
What is included in a Dream Internship?
You have so many opportunities and combinations! Follow the link to learn more.
We offer:
- Bootcamps
- Memberships
- Mentoring Courses
- Internship Programs
- Various combinations of the above
Where can I do an internship?
- all over Australia with a larger focus on the greater Sydney area
- Italy, US, Bali, Norway, UK, New Zealand, Fiji, China, India
What are the requirements?
- Appropriate visa if applicable
- 18 + years
- Education (any)
- Positive attitude
- Above 6 IELTS score
When can I do an internship?
- we offer customised internships, so you can apply any time and we may be able to find you something straight away
- we mostly have internships starting in February, June, August and November
What are the Host Companies like?
- Our Host Companies vary from small to large and CBD to rural
- we will find a suitable Host Company also depending on your interests
- we arrange for interns to have a supervisor/mentor within the Host Company and it is the relationship with this person that will provide the greatest return for interns.
- our mentors are trusted people with several years industry experience who often already have experience in training interns or staff.
- all mentors meet with a Dream Internship representative at their place of work to assess the interns environment.
Why do I have to pay for the Application?
- similar to that of a university, Dream Internship require all final applications to include a fee
- we include a bootcamp (employability workshop) in your application and membership fees
- we receive and assess your application before we issue a fee
- our programs are of high quality and high value, and we are only interested to work with students who genuinely want to make an effort to succeed through their internship and/or mentoring program.
- the application fee determines between serious and un-serious candidates.
The application fee also secures you a faster handling time and we will be able to find you an internship faster once we get to know you better.
NOTE: Remember, you the candidate are our main client, not the company recruiter, we therefore devote time and effort to you, so that we can help you find a job or internship, rather than to do recruitment for companies looking for candidates.
What’s included in the Application fee?
- Ability to formally apply
- Assessment of application, Resume, Cover letter, transcripts, current situation, orientation session, initial consultation.
- Free Newsletter and other resources
- 1 year student membership and invitation to networking events
- Bootcamp (employability workshop)
Are the internships paid or un-paid?
- Depending on your performance, profile, background, and experience, the internships may be both paid and un-paid.
- Most internships should be unpaid if properly constructed…
- …because an internship is meant to be a training program that either replaces or adds to formal education,
- The program should be set up so that the intern will learn practical skills they can otherwise not learn in university.
- Dream Internship provide learning plans, internship descriptions, support and mentoring to make sure the interns get a valuable learning experience.
- Interns may be given a training wage, bonuses, expenses or travel covered, meals, resources – however it should not be expected.
How long is an internship program?
- 6-8 weeks
- 3 months
- 6 months
- many of our interns also book a second internship program to widen their experience
- customised
- 2-5 days per week
How long will it take to find an Internship?
- We usually tell interns that it takes 5 weeks to place them into an internship with a company, however it may vary depending on the students ability to arrange their own documentation.
- It also depends on the interns ability to get their mentoring program documents completed, or pay program fees.
- We will not start delivery of a program or start searching for an internship or call on any of our contacts until fees are paid, contracts are signed, learning plans are set, forms are filled in and appropriate documentation provided.
- If you think its taking long, perhaps you should look at your own efforts to see if you have fulfilled all requirements.
What is a mentoring program?
- a program that teams a student with a professional from their area of study,
- providing the student with industry knowledge, insight and guidance.
Mentoring is most often defined as a professional relationship in which an experienced person (the mentor) assists another (the mentee) in developing specific skills and knowledge that will enhance the less-experienced person’s professional and personal growth. At Dream Internship, interns will have both an internal mentor within the company they intern with, and an external mentor from Dream Internship.
Our mentoring programs include career planning to provide you with clarity, personal branding workshops to perfect your presentation, support to gain confidence, and connections to industry people, knowledge and networks.
People often confuse mentoring and coaching. Though related, they are not the same. A mentor may coach, but a coach is not a mentor. Mentoring is “relational,” while coaching is “functional.” There are other significant differences.
Coaching characteristics:
- Managers coach all of their staff as a required part of the job
- Coaching takes place within the confines of a formal manager-employee relationship
- Focuses on developing individuals within their current jobs
- Interest is functional, arising out of the need to ensure that individuals can perform the tasks required to the best of their abilities
- Relationship tends to be initiated and driven by an individual’s manager
- Relationship is finite – ends as an individual transfers to another job
Mentoring characteristics:
- Takes place outside of a line manager-employee relationship, at the mutual consent of a mentor and the person being mentored
- Is career-focused or focuses on professional development that may be outside a mentee’s area of work
- Relationship is personal – a mentor provides both professional and personal support
- Relationship may be initiated by a mentor or created through a match initiated by the organization
- Relationship crosses job boundaries
- Relationship may last for a specific period of time (nine months to a year) in a formal program, at which point the pair may continue in an informal mentoring relationship
Do I have to sign up for the mentoring program?
- you do not have to sign up for the mentoring program.
- we do however strongly recommend it.
The mentoring program is there to take participants from one level to the next regardless of where they are when they start out. Everyone needs to work on their personal development to further themselves in life and the mentoring program accelerates personal and career development for any participant.
What if I am far away and cannot attend the mentoring program physically?
- it can be done over the phone for students who are in the country or through Skype.
- we send participants weekly tasks and resources by e-mail and check them weekly during online mentoring sessions.
