Sixteen-year-old Vibha U Rao recently completed her Class 10 board exams. Before she enters the precincts of college, Rao decided to make the most of her summer break and interned at a media organisation to get an idea of her career path. With an abundance of degrees and an over-saturated job market, youngsters are upgrading themselves in various ways. Students in Bengaluru, like Rao, are signing up for internships, as early as during school years, to understand their strengths and get a peek into the reality of the working world. “While classrooms often prioritise textbook learning, internships focus on how the real world works and on the application of practical knowledge,” says Rao.
Many other students echo Rao’s sentiments. “You can’t achieve success in life with just knowledge. It’s important to acquire skills. And I feel most schools are not teaching that. That’s where the need for internships arises at such a young age,” says 16-year-old Honishaa DI.
Students are seeking more responsibility by defying their age as a barrier while reaching out for an environment that has room for mistakes which simultaneously leads to personal growth. Suhaani V Giriya, a Class 11 student says, “You are always monitored in a classroom which gives a sense of security; you can reach out to your teachers who are there to guide you. But during an internship, even though you have guidance, you have to do it all on your own.”
An exposure to working in an office setup has benefits in plenty, mainly in developing soft skills such as communication, conflict resolution, and even personal grooming. “My internships in marketing gave me a lot of confidence to speak with people from different walks. This confidence came from the fieldwork I was involved in. It also helped me understand my area of strength – communication,” says Giriya. For instance, schools have a prescribed uniform but in an internship, you pick your own clothes and realise how important it is to dress well, says Giriya, adding, “At school, it’s mostly about making friends, at the workplace, it goes beyond that.”
According to Rao, despite a short internship stint, students gain clarity about their career goals. “My internship has given me a clearer idea about how the print media works. It has even helped me improve my writing skills and made me seriously consider journalism as a career option,” says the youngster, who will be pursuing the commerce stream in +2 once college opens in early June.
Multiple schools have begun to recognise this requirement from students by acknowledging this shift and observing student experiences. “We are seeing growing enthusiasm among students from grade eight and upwards to engage in meaningful experiences beyond the classroom, whether through internships or volunteer roles. What’s particularly encouraging is how organisations are evolving these opportunities – not just assigning tasks, but helping students understand workplace culture, values, and systems. It’s a positive shift toward more thoughtful, educationally-aligned internships,” shares Anjana Sastri, head of strategic initiatives at Canadian International School, Yelahanka.