Externship vs. Internship: What’s the Difference?

Key takeaways

Externships and internships may differ in areas such as pay and duration, but both can offer valuable experience while you work toward your degree.

• An externship involves shadowing a professional in your field of study, while an internship allows you to gain hands-on, practical experience in your field.

• Externships and internships differ in their purpose, duration, pay, and college credit requirements.

• You can find externship and internship opportunities in many industries, including the health care and legal fields.

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What is an externship?

An externship is a short-term professional learning experience, ranging from a day to as long as eight weeks, where you shadow a professional working in your area of study. Doing so allows you to learn more about a job and gain perspective on the daily responsibilities of a potential career choice while in school. You could complete an externship before choosing your college major, while completing your major’s requirements, or when considering a career change.

A benefit to the shorter duration of externships is that it gives you time to complete several externships, providing you with an inside look at various career paths to help you choose the ones that align with your strengths and goals. Externships can also be a great way to improve your job prospects after graduating by building connections and growing your network.

If you’re still deciding on the type of internship you want, completing an externship first can give you the insight needed before committing to an internship.

Externship job responsibilities can vary depending on the company and role you have, but general duties include:

• Sitting in on company meetings

• Conducting informational interviews

• Observing working professionals

• Reviewing company information

• Touring facilities

Read more: What Is an Externship?

Can you put externship on a resume?

Yes, you should include your externship on your resume. Add it to your work experience section to highlight the details of the opportunity, including your job title, the company name, and your externship responsibilities. You’ll also want to highlight any skills that you developed during the externship on your resume, particularly skills relevant to the job to which you’re applying.

What is an internship?

An internship is an extended professional learning experience that allows learners to get experience that aligns with their studies or career interests. Often, internships will last as long as a semester or a summer break. Internships can be valuable to employers and students since they can help ease the workload placed on full-time employees while offering low compensation and training expenditures. As an intern, you’ll gain exposure to tasks commonly part of entry-level roles, and you can expect to contribute to the success of the project.

As with externships, internships are an excellent opportunity to make valuable connections that may be useful after graduating when looking to start your career. If the company feels you could be a valuable team member, they might extend an offer for a full-time position after you finish your internship or graduate. It’s helpful to demonstrate a strong work ethic and willingness to take initiative on projects while building relationships with your colleagues, which can help improve your chances of getting a job offer.

General internship job responsibilities can include:

• Completing project-based tasks 

• Performing clerical duties

• Collaborating with staff and taking part in company meetings

• Shadowing a mentor

Externships vs. internships: The primary differences

Externships and internships share some similarities but also differ in many ways. Additionally, both have unique benefits depending on your circumstances and career goals. The following list examines four core differences: purpose, payment, college credit, and duration.

• Purpose: The purpose of an externship is to observe the responsibilities and overall day-to-day experience of professionals in a particular career. Internships provide you with practical, on-the-job experience to gain skills and prepare you for your job.

• Payment: Externships are generally unpaid, whereas paid internships are far more common. However, you can also access paid externships, and some internships may be unpaid.

• College credit: In many cases, you will not receive college credit for your externship, but internships can often count towards your credits. Whether or not your internship is eligible for credits is up to your school and how many total credits it awards for internships. Some schools may not allow students to receive credits if they’re being paid.

• Duration: Externships are usually shorter than internships, ranging from a day to several weeks long. Internships typically last anywhere from a month to as long as a year.

Benefits of externships vs internships

Benefits of externships:

• In an externship, you might gain a mentor who can offer "insider" advice on the industry.

• Externships allow you to "test-drive" a career path to see if it matches your expectations before you commit to a major.

• Externships provide real-world insight into many departments and positions at a single company, and an externship on a resume will demonstrate that you’ve shown strong interest in one specific industry or company.

Benefits of internships: 

• Internships provide the hands-on experience needed to master specific tools (like SEO software, legal research databases, or medical equipment) that you can’t learn from a textbook alone.

• Through the duration of an internship, you’ll have the opportunity to develop professional relationships with colleagues, and might learn about upcoming job openings before they’re announced publicly.

• Experience in an office setting can help you learn professional etiquette and behaviors that you likely won’t learn in the classroom.

Both: Experience is the primary currency of the modern job market. Including an internship or externship on your resume signals to recruiters that you’re proactive and culturally adapted to the workplace. Furthermore, many companies think of internships as a kind of long-form interview; performing well can lead to a full-time job offer.

Things to consider when choosing an externship vs. internship

When it comes down to choosing between an internship and an externship, you don’t necessarily have to pick between one or the other. Depending on the time you have left before graduating, you can try externships and internships since they’re valuable ways to gain knowledge and improve your resume. Completing externships can be a great way to learn more about the careers that may interest you before pursuing them further. It’s essential to consider the differences between externships and internships regarding time length, work experience, and compensation when deciding which might be a better fit for you.

Externships are typically short term, between one week and two months. Internships last around one semester, or 10 to 15 weeks. Applications for both will likely open three to eight months before the start date, but you can find applications open throughout the year.

Industry examples of externships and internships

Externship and internship opportunities are available across a range of industries. Check out what some of these opportunities can look like depending on your chosen career path:

Medical: Serving as a medical extern between semesters of medical school allows you to shadow medical professionals in hospitals and other health care facilities. The experience can even count toward clinical hours in some cases. As a medical student, you can apply for one-year medical internships, where the average intern salary is $50,843 [1].

Legal: Externships can help law students to train in legal skills and earn college credit. Legal externs are typically assigned a mentor to shadow. As a legal intern, you can help attorneys with their case prep work, do administrative tasks, and help with research. 

Veterinary: In veterinary programs, you can apply to two- to four-week externships where students can gain hands-on experience. In a veterinary internship, you may work in zoos, kennels, or humane societies to gain valuable experience working with animals in various settings. You can also get specialized experience in a specific study area, such as livestock, wildlife, or animal surgery.

Access free resources to prepare you for your career

Stay up-to-date on industry trends by subscribing to Career Chat, our weekly LinkedIn newsletter. Then, explore these additional resources to prepare for an internship or externship:

• Watch a video: How Would You Answer “What Are Your Strengths?” in an Interview?

• Read an insider story: Meet the Automotive Tech Exploring New Careers With Coursera Plus

• Build your skills: How to Strengthen Your Critical Thinking Skills

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