Accounting Internship Research Paper

Accounting Internship Research Paper

INTRODUCTION

An internship is a short-term work experience that provides the opportunity to explore an area of career interest, an occupation, or an industry. Typically, internships last for a semester, but they can last up to a year. Internships are designed to reinforce academic theory with real-life experience. The internship activity is supervised and is concurrent with coursework, and school credit is frequently awarded. Internships can be found outside of the intern's home country and can yield global work experience, sometimes with a total-immersion language-training opportunity. Intern work may include special projects, a sampling of activities in many disciplines required by the sponsoring organization (employer), or, in some cases, intense activity within a particular discipline or department. Internships are commonly, but not necessarily, paid positions. Both for-profit and not-for-profit corporations as well as government agencies provide internship opportunities. An internship is sometimes called a practicum. This paper discusses accounting internship in a concise and comprehensive way.

ACCOUNTING INTERNSHIPS: A DISCUSSION

Students working to achieve a qualification in accounting will often have the opportunity to gain practical experience by completing an internship. Accounting internships are temporary positions within a Certified Public Accounting (CPA) firm, a company in industry, or a government agency. They are generally part-time during the academic year and full-time during the summer.

The purpose of an internship is to allow the intern to gain work experience in an area related to your studies or that you feel you would be interested in pursuing in the future. This enables you to make more realistic and informed decisions about your career path following graduation. Most internships are unpaid positions but some companies will pay their interns an hourly fee while others will provide an allowance for expenses such as lunch or travel. You may be able to gain academic credit for successful completion of an internship. In such cases, the company you intern with may liaise with your school to ensure that your practical experiences in the workplace are linked with the academic requirements of your program.

Internships allow you to observe and participate in a variety of real world experiences and see how the theory you have studied is applied. You get the opportunity to work alongside professionals and learn from their expertise. You also have the chance to demonstrate your ability to them. Internships can be an excellent way of getting your foot in the door with a company you may particularly want to work with. Many companies offer their interns full-time employment on graduation as your experience will make the learning curve shorter.

Accounting students are encouraged to try to gain experience that is relevant to the area they are specializing in. In most cases, the company will try to provide access to a wide variety of engagements so that you gain an understanding of the work environment. You will have access to the methods, technological tools and knowledge resources used by the company you intern with. Interns working in the tax department of a company may carry ...