Questions to Ask During an Interview for an Internship
Questions for students weighing up whether an internship is worth taking, covering academic credit and scheduling, pay, mentoring, onboarding, and what you would be able to show for it afterwards.
The questions
Open any question for the note
How did this internship come about: is there a specific piece of work you need done, or is it a general program?
Why ask it
The answer shapes everything else. Work that already exists gives you a real task from day one; a general program may be well run, or may be an approved headcount with nothing attached to it yet.
Does this internship carry academic credit, and will someone sign the paperwork my course requires?
Why ask it
Credit usually needs a named supervisor, a learning agreement and sign-off at specific points in the semester. Sorting this before you accept avoids a scramble with your department in the final week.
Can the schedule flex around class times and exam weeks?
Why ask it
Ask for the specific weeks rather than a general assurance. Employers who have taken students before usually say yes without hesitation; those who have not may not realize exams are non-negotiable.
What is the pay, and is it hourly or a fixed stipend?
Why ask it
An hourly rate and a stipend behave differently when the week runs long. Ask what happens to the number if you work extra hours, because with a stipend the answer is usually nothing.
Where would I sit, and who would be near me on a normal day?
Why ask it
Physical or virtual placement decides how much you absorb. Sitting inside the team means learning by overhearing; sitting apart with interns from other departments means you learn mostly from each other.
What would I learn here that I could not learn from a class or a personal project?
Why ask it
The honest answers involve things you cannot simulate alone: working to someone else's deadline, a real code base or client, how decisions get made. A weak answer here suggests limited exposure.
What tools and methods does the team use that are standard in the field?
Why ask it
Practical familiarity with widely used tools is one of the transferable parts of an internship. Ask whether you would use them or only watch someone else use them.
Would I have a named mentor, or is guidance whoever happens to be free?
Why ask it
A named mentor with time allocated is the difference between a good internship and a quiet one. Ask whether mentoring is part of that person's objectives or an extra on top of a full workload.
How much of the day is my own work, and how much is meetings?
Why ask it
This calibrates expectations. Some roles are almost entirely meetings and reading, which can be valuable but is a shock if you were expecting to build something.
How does the team decide what an intern is trusted with?
Why ask it
Teams that describe a progression, starting supervised and earning independence, have thought it through. Teams that cannot answer often default to giving interns only what carries no risk.
What have previous interns made that the team still uses?
Why ask it
A concrete artifact still in use is the strongest evidence that intern work is taken seriously here. If nothing comes to mind, past projects were probably exercises.
Given confidentiality rules, what would I be able to describe or show afterwards?
Why ask it
Some work cannot be shown or even discussed, which affects its value in your next application. Ask early what you would be permitted to say and in what terms.
How is feedback given: in scheduled check-ins, or as things come up?
Why ask it
Feedback that only appears when something goes wrong leaves you guessing for weeks. A short weekly slot is worth more than an elaborate mid-point review.
What does the first week look like?
Why ask it
A planned first week signals that someone owns your arrival. No plan means you will spend it waiting for accounts, equipment and someone with a spare hour.
Who should I go to if something is not working: my supervisor, or someone else?
Why ask it
Knowing the second route matters most in the case where the problem is your supervisor. Ask for the name of a person outside your reporting line.
Are there talks, training sessions or other teams' meetings I could sit in on?
Why ask it
Permission to observe widely is cheap for the employer and one of the most useful parts of a short placement. Ask whether it is encouraged or merely tolerated.
How does the team handle the gap between what a student knows and what the work needs?
Why ask it
This asks whether they expect to teach you. Employers who say interns pick it up quickly are describing a hope rather than a plan.
Is there a possibility of part-time work during the school year afterwards?
Why ask it
Continuing part time is often easier to arrange than a graduate offer, and it keeps a reference warm. Asking also signals that you are thinking beyond the summer.
What is the timeline for a decision, and do you need anything else from me?
Why ask it
Student hiring runs against fixed academic deadlines and you may be holding other applications. A date makes those decisions manageable.
Could I speak with someone who interned here last year?
Why ask it
The answer matters either way. An employer who arranges it is confident about the experience; a refusal, or an inability to name anyone, tells you something on its own.
Deciding whether an internship is worth taking
Practical guidance for the conversation itself
What actually determines whether it is worth it
- Whether there is a specific piece of work waiting for you, with a named owner.
- Whether one person has explicit responsibility for supervising you, and time set aside for it.
- Whether you will be able to describe the work afterwards, given confidentiality.
- Whether the schedule genuinely bends around your class commitments.
- Whether the pay covers what it costs you to be there, including travel and accommodation.
- Whether people who did it last year would do it again, and whether you are allowed to ask them.
Logistics to settle before you accept
- 1Confirm start and end dates in writing, along with weekly hours and any required on-site days.
- 2Check what your school requires for credit: forms, a supervisor signature, a reflective report, a minimum number of hours. Take those requirements to the employer rather than assuming they know them.
- 3Ask what equipment is provided and what you are expected to bring.
- 4Ask about expenses: travel, any required clothing, and how reimbursement works.
- 5If you need a visa or specific work authorization, raise it early. It affects start dates more than anything else.
Points students often miss
An impressive employer name is not the same as a useful placement
A small organization where you own a piece of work often teaches more than a large one where you shadow. Judge the placement by the work described and the supervision offered, not by how the logo looks on a resume.
Ask what happens in the quiet weeks
Most placements have a slow period. Whether that becomes wasted time or a chance to sit in on other teams' work depends entirely on whether anyone has planned for it, so ask.
Write down what you do, weekly
Keep a short weekly note of what you worked on, what you decided and what changed as a result. In three months you will not remember the specifics, and specifics are what future interviews ask for.