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The way internship worked has changed drastically over the past couple of years. There has been a positive change in the mindset of employers where they are ready to invest resources into young people and skill them resulting in more internship opportunities than ever before. Employers are using job boards to reach out to youth with lucrative professional and internship opportunities.
Though job boards play a vital role in connecting interns with prospective employers, there still exists a huge gap, especially in the transparency factor of the system. Scam recruiters are everywhere and what’s even worse is that they keep getting more creative with their fraudulent techniques. Many employers promise a lot of perks and opportunities to interns but the reality turns out to be far cry from what was being shown.
“Nikita got selected in an internship with a software start-up. She was super-excited. She was told it is a 30 days 'Virtual Internship' program. She was promised a lot of perks too! What else could she ask for?
All her excitement vanished when she was exposed to the stark reality of what she was promised to what she got. The company assigned her tasks like to do App downloads from Play store, Facebook page likes, etc. She had to do this monotonous work 7 hours a day for 6 days a week and submit daily reports over the email. And when the dreaded long month ended, all she got was some loose change and an experience certificate in the name of perks.”
This was just one of the many issues that interns face. Other common queries that we receive from interns are:
1. The listed company does not have an official website / properly working website. How do I get details about the company?
2. The listed company cannot be found in Google Search Results. Does it really exist?
3. The company promised to provide experience letter after completing the internship, but now they are not giving it. What can I do?
4. The listed company asked me to do a free assignment for them. Now the employer is not responding to my emails? Is there anything I can do?
5. The listed company has its office address shown on their website, but after my telephonic interview, I realized that the company does not even have a registered office address. Should I join this internship or not?
6. The employer is asking me to pay for their internship training course. What should I do?
7. The listed company said they would be giving a stipend to interns but asked me to work for free for the first month. Should I apply for this internship?
And Worst of All!
8. I completed my 45 days internship at this listed company. And when asked for stipend, they are saying my work was not productive for the project outcome. What should I do?
Though every issue and instance mentioned above is unique, such cases are on rise where employers misuse internship as an opportunity to get cheap/free labor. They misuse the job portal thereby causing mistrust and frustration among students who were looking forward towards the internship opportunity as their first step towards the corporate world.
At Switch Idea, it is our job to completely scrutinize the internship openings before they are published. And honestly, there are numerous pending internship-jobs posted by employers that we haven’t pushed live yet because they just don’t align with our mission of providing students with the best learning experience possible.
This is where the need for Verified Internship comes in.
What Exactly Do We Mean by Verified Internship Projects
A verified internship project refers to an on-site industry opportunity offered to students in collaboration with an ‘authentic’ company which is registered and approved to hire interns on Switch Idea.
Unlike other internship or job portals that allow any company to register and post internship opportunities on their portal, Switch Idea only allows authorized companies to post internship projects. The verification process is strict and completely manual. Our placement team performs strict groundwork to ensure the authenticity of the company as well as the internship project. There are multiple checks, including company's registered address, employer identity validation, Company's Linkedin history, Glassdoor reviews, a VOIP confirmation, etc before approving internship posting,
The internship agreement includes details written on company letterhead, signed and stamped by authorized personnel before it is made live on Switch Idea (example).
Say ‘No’ to Unpaid Internship with Switch Idea
Many recruiters look for cheap labor under the disguise of the internship. To prevent exploitation of interns, Switch Idea has a minimum compensation benchmark that every internship opening posted on the portal has to meet. All the verified internship projects posted on Switch Idea offer a guaranteed monthly stipend ranging between 5000 INR – 15,000+ INR to interns, along with below fixed deliverables.
In addition, we ensure that every intern gets a Program Outcomes (POs) report signed/stamped by the HR, which further makes him/her eligible for extra college credits.
From Posting a ‘Verified’ Internship to Making Sure You Get Your Dues – We Handle it All!
We know you are still a fresher and unaware about the intricacies and legal challenges of the corporate world. At Switch Idea, we hold your hands and help you walk through the challenges and make a smooth transition from being a student to becoming corporate ready. Here is how we help you:
With dedicated internship helpline where Switch Idea experts are available by both email and phone, help is just a call away. Got any issues, you know whom to consult!
Problem in getting permission from HOD/Principal for the internship? Switch idea’s resources formats will help you get the permission without falling short on attendance.
A digital profile at Switch Idea makes you an appealing candidate for more than 1800+ employers. Get email invitation from companies to apply for internship positions.
Placement team at Switch Idea ensures you receive every perk you were promised. An internship certificate, a documented project report (signed and stamped by HR) and the promised stipend amount on the completion of your internship program. Don’t get lured in by join-us free promises or unverified internship. For verified internship projects, Switch Idea is the name to trust.
PS: We try our best to post verified internships that are valuable for the students. If you do see any suspicious internship listing posted on our portal, please inform us immediately. You can either call our National Internship Helpline +91-9555141142 or send us an email and a link to the concerned internship post at support@switchidea.com.
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