Externship FAQ

This guide is split into two sections: In-Person Externships and Virtual Externships.

In-Person Externships

What is the difference between an internship and an externship?

Externships are short-term, unpaid, and hosted by volunteers in various fields across the world. They are meant to help students gain an insider view of a host's holistic life and career. Internships are longer-term (a semester or summer), may involve pay or academic credit, and a student may have more significant responsibilities or tasks to complete for the organization.

Will I have the opportunity to select the student I host?

Yes! Once a student applies for your experience, you will be sent their application. Then you can rank your choices. DAR and CLS representatives will then make the final pairings.

What student meals am I responsible for throughout the externship?

When completing your registration form, please honestly and specifically disclose what you are willing and able to provide to your extern throughout their stay. There is no expectation from the college that you provide meals for your extern, and students can apply for funding to aid in the cost of food. Some students do have specific dietary needs. If you would have difficulty providing certain types of meals (vegan, gluten-free, etc.) just let us know via email and we will take that into consideration when making placements.

Will my extern be able to stay in a hotel?

The externship is meant to be an opportunity in which students can work and live with a Grinnell host to better understand how life and career coexist. Those who are unable to offer the homestay will be asked to arrange housing with another alums. For experiences where housing is not secured, the externship may need to be canceled.

Am I able to host a student for more than five days or less than three?

Absolutely! If you are interested in holding a longer externship experience for your student, we can make arrangements that are appropriate to your interests and needs. To give students the necessary time to achieve the learning outcomes of the program, we will not offer externships less than three days in length.

Should I register if I do not consider my day-to-day work to be all that “exciting”?

Yes! Students should see the reality of the position and industry in which you work. Any position is worthy of shadowing, as it will be a positive learning experience no matter your perceived “excitement level”. What you do day-to-day will always be a new and exciting opportunity for a student to experience.

What is a collaborative externship?

These are short-term opportunities where students shadow multiple professionals in a related field to gain a broader understanding of career possibilities and stages. These can be done in-person or virtually.

Here’s a brief overview of how to create one. Consider these steps when creating a collaborative externship:

Identify Fellow Alumni in your community doing work in a related field
- Ideally, you want a range of eras, from just-launched young alumni, to mid-career & very experienced
- Use the Alumni Directory (you can filter by city/state/country, major, profession)
- The Grinnell College Alumni Group on LinkedIn (search or post to find others) o Tap regional networks (some have Facebook groups, i.e. Grinnell in NY)
- Ask Grinnell for help: contact Jessica Stewart, senior associate director of alumni and donor relations at stewarje@grinnell.edu.
Invite them to co-host an externship.
- Extern could shadow each of you for a day. Student would get wider exposure to possibilities & see different career stages.
- Decide if it should be an in-person or virtual experience.
  - In-person experiences:
    - Could someone host? Empty nesters or well-established folks might have space for an extern to stay.
    - Remote work not a deal-breaker. They could meet extern for breakfast and do an informational interview, then show them their home office & bit of what they do, let them observe a meeting, etc. Think of it as a meatier informational interview with show-and-tell. Maybe there’s a “field trip” they could do with you?
  - Virtual Experiences:
    - Location might not be a factor for this experience, but please do consider time zones.
Meet with your newfound team. This is fun! Could be a Zoom or in-person. Plan the externship & divide up roles:
- The Drafter: write the externship description & submit to Grinnell by October 23.
- The Screener(s): Grinnell will send you candidates. Rank your top 5 (December)
- The Planner: Organize a document pulling together info your extern will need: everyone’s contact info, where the host lives, logistics for getting around, and most importantly, background info (if in-person) on each of you so they can study and make the most of their time with you. (February)
- The Host (if in-person): check in with your extern about allergies, food preferences, night owl versus early bird (early March)
- The Party Planner: It’s really nice if the group can gather at a restaurant, someone’s home, or even virtually to welcome the extern, make introductions. You could also plan a gathering to close the week, recap highlights.

What if I cannot host a job shadow, but I want to volunteer?

If you are interested in assisting with the externship program, but you are unable to host a job shadow, we can still use your help as a homestay host! If you are interested in this volunteer opportunity, please complete the externship alumni registration form.

How many students can I host?

There will be no more than two students per host to ensure a comfortable, valuable experience for both the students and hosts involved.

Important Requirement

Background Check All externship hosts for in-person experiences must complete a background check to proceed. This is a mandatory step to align us with best practices. Detailed instructions on completing the background check will be provided once you have submitted your registration form. Please ensure that the background check is completed promptly to avoid any delays in the confirmation process.

Virtual Externships

What is the difference between an internship and an externship?

What is a virtual externship?

Virtual externships will allow students to explore possible careers safely during the pandemic. Components to a virtual experience should include shadowing, mentoring, interviews, and a small project.

Shadowing: During this portion of the virtual externship, student will attend meetings with their host. The host will decide upon appropriate meetings for the student to attend.
Mentoring: The student and host will meet at the end of the day to reflect on the day’s activities. The student will also have an opportunity to ask any questions.
Interviews: Throughout the process, hosts will be encouraged to schedule interviews for their student. These can be with co-workers or alumni in a similar field. This will highlight all the possible routes to a particular job.
Project: The host will be asked to decide on a small project for the student to complete. This project should last one to two hours.

Will I have the opportunity to select the student I host?

Yes! Once a student applies for your experience, you will be sent their application. You can then rank your choices. DAR and CLS representatives will then make the final pairings.

Should I register if I do not consider my day-to-day work to be all that “exciting”?

How many students can I host?

There will be no more than two students per host to ensure a comfortable, valuable experience for both the students and hosts involved.

If you have additional questions, please contact Jessica Stewart, senior associate director of donor and alumni relations, at stewarje@grinnell.edu or 641-269-3234.