Why use Internships Down Under?

With an internship arranged through Internships Down Under, a host company can expect the following;
– On the ground support
– Fee free service
– Experienced support staff
– Your company’s available internship promoted accurately
– Relevant, committed & motivated candidates
– Interviews at convenient times
– Interns holding a suitable Visa
– Interns with suitable internship insurance
– Ongoing support for your organisation throughout the placement
– Internship placement agreement
– Prepared and well supported interns
– Mediation or replacement if issues arise
– Mediating support in dealing with any University requirements
– Internship training plan guide
– Training monitors
– Intern provided with a social network, social activities and accommodation assistance
– Detailed information about the Fair Work Ombudsman’s characteristics of an internship

Risks via Other Sources

There are numerous potential risks involved with host companies accepting international interns via any of the following;
– Directly
– Overseas based placement providers
– Overseas based Universities

Directly

The potential pitfalls to a host in accepting an intern who approaches them directly are;
– Time consuming
– Inadequate insurance
– Incorrect Visa
– Under prepared for Australian office environment
– Misaligned expectations
– Insufficient training agreement
– Limited options should any of the following occur:
+ Unexpected changes to the company affecting the placement
+ Company not meeting the intern’s expectations
+ Intern not meeting the company’s expectations
– Placement may not align with the Fair Work Ombudsman’s characteristics of an internship

Overseas based placement providers

Accepting an intern via an agency that doesn’t have an on-the-ground presence in Australia can bring with it a number of potential risks. These relate to the agent being unaware of Australian standards & legislations, and being uninformed about legislative changes as they occur.
Potential pitfalls to a host in accepting an intern from an overseas based placement provider are;
– False or limited information provided to the intern about your organisation
– Limited support & advice for your organisation
– Limited support & advice for your intern
– Inadequate insurance
– Incorrect Visa
– Under prepared for Australian office environment
– Misaligned expectations
– Insufficient training agreement
– Limited options should any of the following occur:
+ Unexpected changes to the company affecting the placement
+ Company not meeting the intern’s expectations
+ Intern not meeting the company’s expectations
– Placement may not align with the Fair Work Ombudsman’s characteristics of an internship

Overseas based Universities

Internationally based Universities often work in-house to arrange their student’s overseas internships. Our experience has found that they commonly populate their database of host companies by making it compulsory for all students to register internships in their system. Whether an intern sourced the placement on their own, or through a placement provider (such as Internships Down Under), Universities capture the information and reach out directly to the hosts offering future applicants.
We believe this is unethical business behaviour.
Potential pitfalls to a host in accepting an intern from an overseas based University are;
– False or limited information provided to the intern about your organisation
– Limited support & advice for your organisation
– Lengthy contracts often governed by the University’s home country’s law
– Extensive University requirements
– Inadequate insurance
– Incorrect Visa
– Under prepared for Australian office environment
– Misaligned expectations
– Insufficient training agreement
– Limited options should any of the following occur:
+ Unexpected changes to the company affecting the placement
+ Company not meeting the intern’s expectations
+ Intern not meeting the company’s expectations
– Placement may not align with the Fair Work Ombudsman’s characteristics of an internship

Potential Threat

It is not uncommon for international students to approach Australian based companies directly seeking an internship opportunity. However, in many cases, the student seeking a placement is provided the company contact details by;
– a previous intern, or
– their University

In both scenarios, we have often found that Internships Down Under had first established the relationship.
Our work to establish the company connection, source suitable applicants and then develop & manage the placement is then used and bypassed by future applicants & Universities who take advantage of the partnership we have created and the work we have completed. This is unethical and a genuine threat to our business.

We Request….

Although many of our loyal host companies already use the following template email in response to direct internship enquiries, we request all hosts consider using the following response;

Thank you for your interest in completing an internship with our company.
We are able to offer beneficial voluntary internships in your field.
All our internships focus on training and supervision.
We use Internships Down Under to manage all our internship applications as they specialise in this area.
Please contact them directly and they will be able to assist you in arranging an internship with our company, or at another company that meets your requirements.
In addition to assessing whether you are a suitable applicant for our company and organising your internship, they will assist you with visa requirements, insurance, accommodation and other areas to ensure your stay in Australia is a pleasant experience.
Contact details:
[email protected]
www.internshipsdownunder.com
Good luck with your application.
Regards,