The good internship company is one that suits you. Here’s some good advice in finding the right place for you.
Finding an internship company
It’s important that you spend time finding an internship company which is suitable to you and which will challenge you with the very tasks that you’re excited about.
Start by making wide searches, as there may be interesting companies and industries that you don't already know. Then examine the companies thoroughly and select the ones you want to contact.
It’s a good idea to make a priority list of the companies you want to contact, so you have an overview and can follow up if you do not get a reply to your application.
Work tasks
How much you profit from the internship very much depends on the work tasks.
Before applying for an internship placement, it is therefore important to find out which tasks you would like to work with during your internship:
- So that you get to work with something that has your interest
- So that you develop professionally during the internship
- So that you can write an application that is relevant to the company
Get an overview
In your internship, you can work with everything you have dealt with during your education. Therefore, it may be a good idea to first create an overview by looking back at:
- What subjects have you had?
- What projects have you worked on?
- What tools and methods have you learned to use?
- You may want to have a look at the curriculum to check the content of your programme
The next steps are to consider:
- What interests you the most?
- What do you want to train and get better at?
- Is there something you would particularly like to work with after graduation?
List of specific tasks
Once you have found out what you are interested in professionally, you can make a list of tasks you would like to work with and which you can offer the company to participate in.
It is no requirement that you should work with EVERYTHING you have dealt with during your education.
Remember that it is an advantage to mention specific tasks in your application.
If you find it difficult to come up with work tasks or lack the right words, you can see examples of relevant tasks related to your programme below.
Note that it is not an exhaustive list. There are many other tasks you can work with in your internship.
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Architectural Technology and Construction Management
Architectural companies
- Design: contact with manufacturers, drawing, proposals for constructions
- Examination of material (KS)
- Professional supervision on construction sites
- Participation in planning meetings, client meetings and construction meetings
- Some architectural companies also have construction management (professional contractors)
Construction companies
- Professional supervision
- Participation in design, construction and safety meetings
- Project review
- Execution of KS
- Construction site planning and logistics
- Preparation and follow-up of time and work plans
- Participation in safety and working environment tasks
- Management of subcontractors
Engineering Consultants
In a consulting engineering company, you can work with many different areas depending on the department you become part of. It can, for example, be:
- Project planning
- Construction management
- Constructions
- Installations
- Facilities management
- Builder advice
- Fire advice (fire protection)
Builders and building owners
- Project planning
- Facilities management
- Operation and maintenance
- Supervision and construction management (new construction and renovation)
- Delivery shops
- Offer calculation
- Authority processing
- (Building view)
Housing companies
- Facilities management
- Preparation of operation and maintenance plans
- Energy optimization
- Condition assessment and registration
- Participation in construction cases (new construction and renovation)
- Participation in development projects
Ways to figure out which tasks to work with
Four questions you can ask yourself
When writing your application you can ask yourself the following questions to get a better grip of possible work tasks in your internships:
- What would you like to work with in your internship?
- What have you worked with during your education?
- What interests you the most?
- What would you like to get better at?
Use LinkedIn to see what tasks people employed the industry, including KEA Alumni have.
Job postings
Find job or internship postings in the area you would like to do an internship in. Let yourself inspire by the tasks mentioned in the postings.
Make wide searches
When you start searching for internship companies, it’s important to search as widely as possible. There might be companies or industries you don't know about but which are relevant to you.
Also consider which geographic area you want to look for an internship in. There are many exciting companies outside Copenhagen. Make sure not to limit yourself unnecessarily by searching too narrowly geographically.
In your search, you can use, e.g.:
-
KEA's Internship and Job Portal
Keep an eye on internship ads targeted at your education or create a job agent so that you get new relevant ads sent to you by email.
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cvr.dk
Get an overview of all the companies in a specific industry in the geographical area where you’re looking for internship companies. Find a guide here. You can also see the most common industry codes for internship companies related to your programme.
-
LinkedIn
On KEA's alumni page on LinkedIn you can see where graduates from your programme or specialisation work and what they do.
It's also always a good idea to use your network, so consider who you know in the industry. These could be family, friends, fellow students, former colleagues, etc.
Advice for your search
When you look for internship companies, the following three questions can help you define your search:
- Are there any companies/industries I don't know?
- How far away would I accept the internship company to be?
- Can I use my network?
Examine potential internship companies
Once you have identified a wide range of potential internship companies, it is important to investigate them further.
Use for example:
- LinkedIn
Find the company's profile and see what academic background their employees have. Often you can see what's going on in the business right now. You can also sometimes get an idea of the corporate culture. - cvr.dk
Look up the company and find information about the size of the company, the industry, its finances, etc. Often you can find the company's financial statements. - The company website
You’ll often be able to see the academic background of the employees, projects that the company is working on and the corporate culture.
Among other things, it is relevant to seek information about:
- The company's area of work
What tasks and projects that are relevant to you is the company is working on? How does your academic background fit the tasks? - The company size
In large companies you’ll typically be placed in a department dealing with specialised tasks, whereas in small companies you’ll more often take part in the company’s wide-ranging tasks. What suits you the best? - The company's staff
What professional or academic background do the employees have? Would somebody be able to get you acquainted with the tasks and give you relevant sparring? - The corporate culture
What’s the corporate culture like? Do you see yourself as an intern and possibly an employee in the long term?
Advice for examining internship companies
When you look for internship companies, the following three questions can help you examine the companies further:
- Does the company have tasks I can participate in that are relevant to my education?
- Will I be part of a relevant professional environment with the opportunity for professional sparring and development?
- Can I see myself work in the company?
Prioritise the companies
Once you've researched potential internship companies, you can compile a priority list of companies you want to contact.
Consider why you find certain companies more interesting than others. That would be a good point to mention, when you later on contact the company.
A systematic approach to the internship search will give you an overview of the companies you have contacted. That’ll also make it easier to follow up on those applications you haven’t received an answer to.
Companies can be so busy that they initially forget your application, or the application can end up in the wrong place, so follow up if you don't get a response from a company.
How to prioritise
When you are prioritising the companies you can use the following questions to make your list:
- What makes this company more interesting than others?
- How do I get an overview of my internship search?
Where to get help
If you have questions about the internship search, the academic content or anything else about your internship, you can get help from your internship supervisor and KEA's internship coordinators.
Contact your internship supervisor
Your internship supervisor can help you with specific questions such as:
- Which tasks are relevant to you? Or with questions related to e.g., the following:
- The guidelines on internships in your programme curriculum
- The internship exam
- Problems during the internship
Contact KEA's internship coordinators
KEA's internship coordinators can help you with questions about e.g.:
- The internship contract
- Insurance during internship
- Finances
- Rules and formal requirements
- Internship abroad
- Entrepreneurial internship
- Problems during the internship
You can call the internship hotline at: 46 46 00 61 or contact them by email. See address below.
Asger Halberg Hansen
Internship Coordinator - Build and Design
T: +45 24 98 36 88
E: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Gitte Jul
Internship Coordinator - Digital and Tech
T: +45 29 22 37 69
E: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Links
Here you will find a number of links that can help you.
cvr.dk
Find companies in relevant industries. Look up a business and get information about it.
KEA's alumni page on LinkedIn
See where former students work and what they do
Company lists on Itslearning
On Itslearning, there are lists of companies and information on which ones former students have been doing internship in.