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What are internships and why are they important? What is the difference between an internship, a traineeship, and an apprenticeship? What application materials do I need for them? We all come across these questions once we become interested in a career in the animation industry.

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WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE?

INTERNSHIP

“An internship is a professional learning experience that offers meaningful, practical work related to a student’s field of study or career interest,” UMBC. So it’s a job but it’s also a chance to experience the work environment we hope to be hired into, network, learn the expectations of our desired job role within a professional setting, and figure out if we actually enjoy that particular role before investing our careers into it.


An internship usually lasts a season, 2 - 3 months, hence the terms “summer internship” or “fall internship." Duties can can range from secretarial duties like providing the staff with coffee and taking phone calls to work on projects within the pipeline (both of which offer important professional insight).

“An internship is a professional learning experience that offers meaningful, practical work related to a student’s field of study or career interest,” UMBC. So it’s a job but it’s also a chance to experience the work environment we hope to be hired into, network, learn the expectations of our desired job role within a professional setting, and figure out if we actually enjoy that particular role before investing our careers into it.


An internship usually lasts a season, 2 - 3 months, hence the terms “summer internship” or “fall internship." Duties can can range from secretarial duties like providing the staff with coffee and taking phone calls to work on projects within the pipeline (both of which offer important professional insight).

TRAINEESHIP

A traineeship differs from an internship in that you are being trained in programs that may be specific to that studio and working directly within the professional pipeline. They are more competitive than internships but come with more opportunities for advancement. A traineeship can also indicate that a studio is interested in hiring at the end of your traineeship. Traineeships typically last between 3 and 6 months.

APPRENTICESHIPS

Apprenticeships are the rarest of the early career opportunities mostly because not every studio offers them. Think of them as the next step above a traineeship, sometimes even proceeding a traineeship or internship. Apprentices are trained more closely by a mentor, work directly within the professional pipeline (often right there with studio artists,) and are usually being trained for direct hire after completion of their apprenticeship. These opportunities can last 6 months to a year.

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