Gone are the days of interns fetching coffee and picking up the dry cleaning for the boss. Today’s employers recognize the value that smart young people bring to their companies, and they’re willing to handsomely reward the best and brightest for their contributions.
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In 2015, more than half of the students who held internships received at least one full-time job offer after graduating. So it's worth your while to accumulate work experience while still in the classroom.
However, if you can score one of these coveted internships, you’ll really be sitting pretty.
Headquarters: Mountain View, California
Apply: google.com
Who doesn't want to work for Google? The benefits are legendary — luxury boat cruises around San Francisco Bay and a campus that includes nap pods, massage chairs and 20 gourmet cafeterias.
But the internet giant's real draw is its massive salaries. Some interns make more than $90,000!
IPG Mediabrands
Headquarters: New York, New York
Apply: ipgmediabrands.com
This global marketing firm counts Coca-Cola and Victoria’s Secret among its heavy-hitting clients. Its internship program, The Residency, focuses on mentoring, giving promising students a chance to learn from some of the best in the business.
Some IPG interns are even chosen for lunch with Henry Tajer, the company’s Global CEO; and the top of the crop are given full-time job offers at the end of their internships. We can’t think of a better perk than that (although the in-house beer garden is certainly up there as well).
Headquarters: Mountain View, California
Apply: studentcareers.linkedin.com
Like IPG Mediabrands, LinkedIn believes in the value of mentoring. Each intern is paired with a manager and mentor to provide coaching and feedback. They’re also treated to free lunch, fitness classes and even relocation packages.
But for those who need a break from the daily grind, LinkedIn also offers laser tag, cruises in the San Francisco Bay and weekend getaways to Disneyland.
Microsoft
Headquarters: Redmond, Washington
Apply: careers.microsoft.com
Let's start with the salary. Interns get paid an average of $6,000 a month. (We know several recent grads who would kill to earn that kind of dough!) And Microsoft will also pay your relocation expenses or give you a stipend if you need to move for the job.
But the perks are really out of this world. Every year, the company hosts a Microsoft Intern Signature Event and it’s a once-in-a-lifetime, carnival-like experience. At the 2014 event, David Blaine and Maroon 5 performed, and every intern received a free Xbox.
Nickelodeon
Headquarters: Burbank, California
Apply: nickanimationstudio.com
Each year, the team behind “SpongeBob SquarePants” and “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” hires “NICKterns” in nearly every department. The pay is only $10 an hour, but NICKterns get to spend their days attending workshops, visiting production studios and going to film screenings at Paramount Pictures.
Nickelodeon was voted No. 1 on Vault's 2016 list of Best Media & Telecommunications Internships.
Six Flags
Headquarters: Grand Prairie, Texas*
Apply: sixflags.com
In the same vein as Nickelodeon, there’s nothing like working for a theme park to make you feel like a kid again. Six Flags offers internships in a number of fields, including marketing and zoology.
When interns aren’t working hard, the company make sure they’re rewarded with free admission passes for their family and friends, and employee-only nights that allow them to skip the lines for every ride.
* While Six Flags is headquartered in Texas, it has park locations throughout the country.
Southwest Airlines
Headquarters: Dallas, Texas
Apply: southwest.com
Southwest's Campus Reach internship program is extremely competitive, but those lucky enough to be chosen get to add Campus Grotto's third-best internship to their résumés. And the pay isn't bad either — between $12 and $17 an hour.
Best of all, as airline employees, interns can fly standby on any Southwest domestic flight — for free!
(H/T: Yahoo Finance; Business Insider)
