Source: TimesOnline (Andrew Farringto)

Two problems that many students face during the course of their time at university is how they are going to fund their study and what they are going to do after they leave. A summer internship - basically a shorter version of a placement year - is an opportunity to make some money during the holidays, gain some solid work experience and also to test out whether your chosen career is really the one for you. Crucially, many students don't know that summer internships are available to any student embarking on an undergraduate degree.

When I started on my degree course, I soon realised I was surrounded by like-minded classmates with very similar qualities to offer employers. Ask any graduate employer what they look for in prospective candidates and high on the list will be experience. I decided to look into how I could get some experience and after some research I found a number of websites which promote summer internships, including one called Inside Careers.

Summer internships can be anything from four to twelve weeks long and allow you to spend a portion of your summer experiencing a potential future profession to see if the reality matches what you read. Don’t be fooled into thinking you’ll just be making the coffee - most companies treat their interns as they would a new graduate. During the internship, you will be exposed to the same work as students on placement years in industry.

What is particularly useful about internships is they give you a 'taster' of what is involved in a job. If it's not your cup of tea, it hasn't taken up too much time and effort and at the end you're free to follow another path. It will not affect the length of your degree like a placement which extends a degree from three to four years meaning those who choose a sandwich degree graduate a year later than their peers.

As a maths undergraduate I was particularly interested in the actuarial profession, but there are opportunities are varied giving students from many different disciplines the chance to complete a summer internship. There are placements in the music industry and abroad on development partnerships and everything in between so if you have a desired career there is a good chance that there is summer work available in your chosen field.

SonyBMG, the record label behind Justin Timberlake, Foo Fighters and Mark Ronson, offers placements up to three months long giving candidates a practical insight into the music and entertainment business. If you would rather incorporate a trip abroad into your summer, there are many schemes available that allow you to work overseas – particularly if you have a second language.

Securing an internship is a similar process to applying for graduate jobs. The interviews, online tests, application forms and assessment centres are very similar to what you will experience if you apply for graduate positions. Don’t let this put you off. At first I was daunted by the sometimes lengthy application forms and very formal questions, especially when my only other eepxeriences were interviews for part time work. Many of companies have similar applicant routes, with a general note that larger companies have a more complex processes than smaller ones. If anywhere along the process you need support, do not hesitate to contact your university’s careers service, as I found mine most helpful.

After a few months of research and applications, I was pleased to have two offers for summer placements. I decided to accept an offer from Mercer, one of the largest consultancies that offer actuarial advice. Looking for summer work in a graduate environment is hard work, but it is rewarding to finally receive an offer.

It wasn’t long after my second year examinations that the first day of my internship arrived. I spent the first couple of days in Leeds with other interns from all over the UK. It was a great chance to get to know more about the work we would be doing before going to the various regional offices to put what we learnt into practice.

Throughout my internship I found the work I was given very different to what I was used to. It was challenging, varied and I started to realise exactly how much I could - and couldn't - fit into one day! Mercer work with 60 per cent of the FTSE 100 companies, which means some of the decisions I contributed to affected thousands of employees. Other schemes offer similar challenges. One of my classmates worked for a marketing company on the marketing campaign for a national bank which will which is due to be launched. More unusually, Fever TV Production allow interns to get involved with the making of “Strictly Come Dancing”.

Reflecting back now that I am in my final year of university, I can definitely see a change in myself since the internship. I am more disciplined in my studies and confident in my work. Classmates who took part in similar schemes have had similar experiences and found their internships worthwhile and rewarding. A summer internship certainly enables you to gain a great taste of working life before you go back to university to make the most of your final year in education.