Are School’s Internships The Best? 🧐
Hi Zesties!
As you all know, I am no longer studying hence I will be deciphering if lecturers actually put you at the best/better companies. Here are my three internship experiences from ITE Nitec, ITE Higher Nitec and Polytechnic.
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1. Nitec in Visual Effects @ Happy-TV (an YouTube company)
> I was assigned to Happy-TV for my internship placement with one of my classmates as a video editor which I expressed huge interest in.
> The company culture was one of the best amongst the three as they are really inclusive with literally everything including the meetings which felt hard to breathe for me due to the cold silence.
> My video editing mentor was really helpful, kind and patient with me throughout my internship period, he provides on the dot feedback for me to improve before uploading the videos onto YouTube.
> One of the internships that I really enjoyed the process and missed the colleagues.
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2. Higher Nitec in Broadcast Media & Technology - Ochre Pictures (Production Company)
> I was assigned to the production side of my course with two of my classmates at Ochre Pictures and instead of broadcasting companies, I expressed my huge interests with wanting to learn more at a production company.
> Ochre Pictures is a production company that provides Mediacorp with the contents. We helped to film and edit before transferring over to Mediacorp to broadcast onto the TV/meWatch.
> As this is a more Chinese based company (most of the colleagues are Malaysians), I was in-charge of the wardrobes for the artistes due to easy communication and I was the only Chinese amongst my other two classmates.
> I was lowkey afraid of communicating with the producer on set and the makeup artist as they were really fierce, one mistake they be glaring at you till you feel uncomfortable.
> Handling the wardrobe was not easy because you would require to take continuity pictures of each of the sets they have for different scenes and scene numbers. I am required to edit the pictures with the dd/mm/yy, taken at which time, scene number which I had to resend like a whole bunch to the WhatsApp chat since I made a mistake of putting the wrong year and the one originally in-charge of the wardrobe was like ‘wah, not even 20xx. so fast fly till there already’ which I feel they could phrase it nicer since I was still at the stage of learning but is ok, because interns come and go right, no worries about that attitude…
> The whole company culture was really really bad, do I need to even explain anymore?
> Had the chance to meet local artistes like Ferlyn G, James Seah, Brandon Wong, Tay Ying, Johnny Ng, Tang Shao Wei, Glenn Yong, Leon Lee, Benzo, Jayley Woo, Chen Tian Xiang for Justice Boo’s Chinese Production and Salif Hardie, Iskandar Shah and Fadhlur Rahman for S.P.Y’s Malay Production.
> Some of the casts are really down to earth and really fun to interact with while some of the casts brought a huge shocking factor as to why are they even a public figure (yes it was that serious, because they are so self-entitled...)
> As this is a production company, the pace’s here is really fast and the schedule is a mess as well. You could be returning home at 12AM or even later because the shoot from yesterday overran and you could be reporting at 3/4AM the next day to continue the shoot as we are production assistants, we must be on standby whenever the producers or camera team needs us, as we would be the one that bringing things that are required and requested.
> Despite the many cons, it gave me a new insight of how production line works. I’ve always thought that it is easy to become a production crew, after experiencing it I am firm that it is not what I wanted.
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3. Diploma in Design in Communications & Experience - Visual Arts Centre
> Like my Higher Nitec course, I did not went to any designing companies but rather a art company because I have always loved how things could be pieced up as arts and that I had a small interest in both digital and traditional arts hence the application to Visual Arts Centre.
> I entered as a Service Intern meaning that I covered most of the backend operations from WhatsApp enquiries, website, and social media with one of my supervisors plus art studio assistant (usually there’s someone outside the studio if the class gets messy and many students, thats when we step in to help the teacher/s)
> Only a handful of art teachers are nice, the rest of them are a little bit too difficult to really talk to if that makes sense…
> As any interns go through, you do quite abit of sai kangs
> There are shifts work in this art/service industry as well since this company is both art studio and service company, with the shifts of 10am-7pm and 1pm-10pm.
> Every month, we would be very busy with art jamming activities services to different clients which a handful of the colleagues will head over and some will stay behind to look after the studio as classes are as per normal.
> As this company have an exhibition gallery, many potential clients or clients come by to book or recce the venue hence we would have to coordinate properly on our side as well before releasing a slot to them.
> Got to experience how art exhibition are being planned backend and how it actually come to life behind the scenes from day 1 to d-day which make me want to understand and try out this line of industry.
> The responsibility is on us to renew the art packages with the parents or the students themselves. As you know the more you buy, the more you trust a certain product or service which what this company aims for, as many renewable or new students if possible.
> I extended my 6 months internship contract after I ended in February 2025 to end of March 2025, maybe due to sweetener words by my boss saying how I am able to work on another art exhibition which ended up I only helped with the backend and slight pressure because there is a colleague who I loved working with and we are very close but as she heard I was leaving she was having a really difficult time, partially extended because I wanted to really enjoy and have fun with the time we have left before I leave again.
> However, after extending I really tire myself out to the point that made me had zero feeling to even go to work. I was called out for my behaviour by one of my supervisor and colleague after observing my behaviour. They told me that why am I behaving like that after I extended my contract, as if something (aka the colleague I’m closed to) changed you as I was not like that during my internship period. Are there anything I would like to learn or do I require any help for my EAE applications to Universities. Which I was already done with the applications at that point of time, even if i voice out on the things I want to learn they will ask me to just fake it till you make it so you absorb some knowledge while teaching even if you do not know.
> And.. worse part of all? I was still being micromanaged even as a part timer after working for 6 months, seeking approvals and what not to publish social media videos… As for websites you ask me to seek your approval, yes I will but I do have my own format because I was taught in my course about the hierarchy of website design which was not really inputted at all while seeking approval for social media videos could take up way more time which I could have already uploaded videos worth a week.
> On a brighter side, as someone with social anxiety, this company gave me many life lessons to bring back such as never bring your emotions from yesterday to work today and separate your personal and work feelings.
What are your experiences with your school’s internships? Do share with me below! I would love to read all of them!
Internships are often seen as a golden ticket to gaining real-world experience and building professional networks while still in school. However, the quality and impact of such internships can vary widely depending on the placement and company culture. From the firsthand accounts shared, it’s clear that not all school internships are created equal. Internships at innovative companies like Happy-TV provided a supportive and inclusive environment where mentorship was strong, especially in creative roles such as video editing. Friendly guidance and constructive feedback here helped develop skills effectively, highlighting the importance of company culture in shaping valuable internship experiences. In contrast, placements at busier, fast-paced production companies like Ochre Pictures exposed the interns to the harsh realities of the industry—long hours, demanding supervisors, and a sometimes unfriendly environment. Though challenging, these internships offered a true glimpse into production dynamics and taught important lessons about workplace culture, communication, and resilience. Meeting well-known local artistes added a unique dimension to the learning, emphasizing networking opportunities within niche industries. Meanwhile, internships at the Visual Arts Centre demonstrated a blend of back-end operational tasks and direct involvement in art exhibition planning, presenting a diverse skill set. The experience with shift work, client coordination, and managing renewals mirrored real service industry demands but also brought challenges like micromanagement and emotional strain, particularly when personal dynamics affected motivation. A recurring theme in these diverse internships is the balance between learning opportunities and workplace challenges. Interns often face mundane tasks ('sai kangs'), intense schedules, or poor communication but also gain invaluable insights and personal growth. The question then isn’t whether school internships are the best per se, but how to maximize their benefits while navigating their downsides. For students approaching internship selection, key takeaways include seeking placements aligned with personal interests, understanding the company culture beforehand, and preparing mentally for varying degrees of responsibility and pressure. Employers and educational institutions also bear responsibility to support interns through proper mentorship and constructive feedback to make internships genuinely enriching. Ultimately, internship experiences shape career perspectives significantly. Embracing both the positives and the hardships equips future professionals with resilience and clarity on their preferred career paths. Sharing these authentic narratives encourages open discussions about improving internship quality across industries.
