Internship - an important opportunity
Hanken encourages especially Master's students to complete an internship abroad. To support students in their search for international internship positions, internship ads are continuously published on the different career portals offered by Career Services. Opens in new window
For more information on what is required of your internship, reporting on the internship to receive credits and the course coordinator please see SISU.
If you have questions regarding internships, you are welcome to send us at Career Services an email at careerservices@hanken.fi.
Internship on the Bachelor level
Internships at Hanken can be conducted abroad (8 ECTS) at bachelor level and it can constitute your mandatory semester abroad. Hanken does however recommend that your mandatory semester abroad is completed as exchange studies rather than an internship.
If you conduct your internship on the bachelor level and as your obligatory stay abroad, the internship should last 12 weeks (84 days) in one take.
Advanced internship on Master level
The advanced internship on MSc level requires 8 weeks of work to attain 5 credits and 16 weeks of work for 10 credits.
An internship at MSc level is always implemented within your major and can be done either in Finland or abroad. On MSc level you can perform the 5 or 10 credits also by combining shorter periods of internship and in different companies.
Grant for internship
Hanken offers you the opportunity to apply for a grant for your internship period. You can apply for a grant in the Mobility Online portal twice a year. Keep in mind that the requirements to receive credits and a grant differ, i.e. the internship has to be in one take and at one company if you wish to receive a grant and the internship need to take place within May-August. You can read more about the requirements here.
Your internship has to last a minimum of 90 days on Bachelor's level and 60 days on Master's level in order for you to be eligible to get an internship grant. You can do a longer internship, but the max amount of granted weeks is 12. If you do a longer internship, please remember that the required minimum length of the internship must take place within May-August.
Please note that funding is limited and grant promises are granted as long as there are grant funds available. When granting, Hanken prioritises internships that constitute an integrated, obligatory part of the bachelor studies.
More information on internship grants, how to apply and the steps that need to be taken after having received a grant can be found here.
Where do I find my internship?
It is you who are responsible to find your own internship. It is good to be a bit critical and think carefully about where you actually want to work. Many students have found their internship via contacts or i.e. a previous summer job.
You can for example start by having a look at the different career portals that Career Services offers here. Opens in new window
Some organisations offer several traineeship opportunities throughout the year and these organisations are worth having a look at when you are thinking about where to apply for an internship position. One example is the EDUFI traineeships Opens in new window programme for higher education students and recent graduates offered by the Finnish National Agency for Education. An EDUFI traineeship will support your studies and expand your working life know-how. EDUFI will also provide interns with a scholarship. Application periods take place twice a year. Please note that a participation criteria is Finnish citizenship or permanent residence in Finland. Another great opportunity is the Pan-European Seal (PES) Traineeship programme Opens in new window of which Hanken is a member of. Through the membership Hanken students have the opportunity to take on traineeships for the organisations EUIPO and EPO which are world-leading organizations in the field of intellectual property (IP).
Student Experience:
My internship spanned a total of 14 weeks. Due to the fact that the internship didn't play the role as substituting another employee, I was given the opportunity to undertake projects and tasks at my own will. As a result, I chose difficult and challenging projects which forced me to combine both theoretical knowledge I had already learnt at Hanken as well as other external knowledge from books/online sources.
The internship and its tasks resulted in me independently producing the following:
- A data handler for the accounting department to use when consolidating and analyzing salary data.
- An interactive template to use when valuating leasing contracts due to IFRS 16.
Outside of this, I also participated in several minor administration tasks, such as weekly reporting, invoice handling, producing reporting templates etc.
All in all, I am very grateful for the challenging opportunities that I chose to work with at Ålö Ab. In addition to this, I had the pleasure to work with some of the nicest people I have ever met. I strongly recommend students to apply for internships during their time at Hanken. Be warned, however, as the competition for internships is equal the height of Burj Khalifa - sky-high.
ps. Swedes have a tendency to speak up even though the other person isn't finished talking. For a Finn, this might come off as disrespectful/unprofessional, but please take it lightly - they have no intention of offending you!
Best of luck
