Internships Programme

With unemployment on the rise, many young people realise their chances of getting a job improve considerably if, besides a degree, they also have relevant work experience. Hence, many of them pursue internships.

CIIM’s Master’s Degree in Management includes an internship as a requirement to help students gain relevant work experience and have a realistic opportunity for on-going employment.

CIIM offers one of the most comprehensive internship programmes in Cyprus, providing both students and employers with a professional, supportive and valuable internship experience.

Quality Placements, Valuable Partnerships

CIIM’s internship programme focuses on quality placements, a high level of support for both students and host organisations, and a commitment to achieving ‘best fit’ for our placements.

Expand your horizons and your career opportunities with a CIIM internship.

It is now more important than ever that graduates are able to demonstrate to prospective employers their real-life experience of operating in a professional environment.

An internship demonstrates a graduate’s ability to apply classroom theories to the workplace and to develop essential, transferable skills such as communication, teamwork and problem-solving. An internship also gives students a clearer career direction through gaining a taste of their potential career.

A CIIM internship implies that you will be placed in a company (local or international) to work certain hours per day (usually four hours). You will be employed in a responsible position with exposure to multiple tasks and situations, with quality supervision. The experience gained through the internship may be used as the foundation of the final project.

Some examples of companies, which have recently hosted interns from CIIM:

  • CTC Group is regarded as the biggest commercial organisation in Cyprus. Its diverse operations are spread over six main business sectors: Distribution and Logistics, Retail, Automotive, Property development, Telecommunications, and Infrastructure projects.
  • Engino.Net Ltd is a Cyprus-based international company manufacturing innovative construction toys for kids. It has recently won several prestigious awards for business success and innovation.
  • Papaellinas Group of Companies is one of the biggest and most dynamic organisations on the island, leading in all areas of its activities, such as distribution of pharmaceutical and fast moving consumer goods, distribution and retailing of fragrances and cosmetics, retailing of health foods and natural remedies.

CIIM has a vast network of its graduates and its business associates all across Cyprus, which means we have an extensive list of companies, both local and international, to place our students for their internships.

Find out more

To find out more about how a CIIM internship could help you drive your career, please contact us

CIIM sees internships as an important part of the learning experience and help their students find appropriate placements in companies. The interests of both an intern and an educational institution are clear, but what about the company? Why does it make sense to encourage internships and how can an intern add value?

In countries like the US and the UK, internships are common. In fact, ever since the financial crisis of 2008 has hit their economies, internships have been steadily on the rise. Promoted by universities, unpaid internships are an attractive proposition for businesses.

CIIM offers organisations a range of different opportunities to host a talented and motivated intern.

Interns are high-achieving students from both Cyprus and around the world. Your organisation can benefit from the fresh perspective, skills and latest academic thought of a CIIM intern and contribute to the professional development of graduates entering your business and industry.

Benefits of hosting an intern

Whether you have a special project, or simply need assistance in regular operations, we will do our very best to find and carefully match an intern to your organisation and project.

Hosting a CIIM intern is a great way to:

  • Access future international and local graduates of the highest calibre
  • Enhance the capacity of your organisation
  • Undertake projects specific to the skills and knowledge of an intern
  • Contribute to the development of your industry’s future workforce
  • Benefit from an international perspective within your organisation
  • Develop educational and industry links with CIIM
  • Access the latest academic thought in your discipline

Five areas where interns can make an impact

  1. Test out new ideas at a minimum or no cost. For example, an intern who is enrolled in a master’s business programme, like the MSc in Management at CIIM, could collect valuable information about your customers and competitors, perform useful analysis and make relevant comparisons with similar projects elsewhere.
  2. Interns may take some load off your regular employees, though it is important to maintain the right balance between creative tasks and routine duties. Internship should be a valuable educational experience for the intern.
  3. An intern provides you with a pair of fresh eyes. Very often simple obvious things can make a difference, but over time we may lose the ability to notice them. In such a case a fresh opinion of an intern-outsider can be very helpful.
  4. Interns could help you improve your company’s online presence, especially in social media. Most young people have in-depth web and social media experience enabling them to provide advice on your website or Facebook presence.
  5. Having an intern can be healthy for the overall mood of your employees. A typical intern is a young, enthusiastic individual who is keen to make a good impression. You will be pleasantly surprised to have this unexpected source of positive energy and optimism among your staff.

Tasks

Interns can either work on defined projects or contribute to normal operations, but the work must be substantial enough to justify receiving academic credit for their experience.

If you have sufficient work and resources available to support more than one intern, you are welcome to host more than one at any time.

Remuneration

Internships are unpaid as it is part of the student’s academic program.

Working arrangements

Interns complete their internships in addition to their other university subjects. We ask supervisors and interns to negotiate a flexible schedule that accommodates the intern’s study and working requirements.

Best-fit approach

Unfortunately we cannot guarantee that a host organisation will secure an intern. Our pool of candidates changes constantly, which means that sometimes we might not be able to find a suitable candidate, or you may feel the candidates are not a suitable fit with your organisation.

We take a ‘best fit’ approach to placements, so if the match is not right, we prefer not to pace an unsuitable intern as it may lead to a negative internship experience. Instead we will contact you again leading up to future intakes, in the hope that we can assist you with an intern at that time.

Host responsibilities

Hosting an intern is not simply taking on a new recruit. Our program is designed to ensure interns are supported through every aspect of their internship. Following is a summary of host organisation responsibilities:

  • Project/tasks – design an internship role challenging enough to justify academic credit and the opportunity to gain an insight into the organisation and industry (this will be done with the help and the coordination from the Programme Director at CIIM)
  • Project Plan – complete a detailed project plan to both attract the best candidate and provide guidance during the internship (this is also done with the help and the coordination from the Programme Director at CIIM)
  • Supervisor – assign a workplace supervisor with the time and skills to guide, support and mentor the intern
  • Induction – provide an organisational induction addressing organisational policies, including health and safety, and confidentiality
  • Space and time – provide adequate desk space and resources for the intern to complete their responsibilities
  • Communication – keep in touch with the Programme Director at CIIM regarding any issues that arise during the internship
  • Evaluation – complete an evaluation as requested by the Internship Coordinator at the end of the internship
  • Reference letter – write a reference letter on organisational letterhead as requested by the Internship Coordinator at the end of the internship

Workplace supervisors will be asked to sign a Memorandum of Understanding to agree to the above responsibilities at the beginning of the internship.

Find out more

If you are a current CIIM student and you are interested in the internship programme please contact the Registrar’s Office or your Programme Advisor.

“We had the honor to participate in the CIIM Internship program and work with one of their MSc in Management students. The CIIM faculty were very active, considerate, and prompt in the company/student matching process. The student recommended to us was a perfect fit for our company and quickly became a valuable team member. After our experience, we are strongly convinced that internship programs are very valuable and beneficial for all parties involved. We highly recommend the Internship program of CIIM and challenge everyone to get involved as a joint effort to encourage and engage new talent for better business results.”
Eleni Demosthenous
Human Capital Consultant – Executive Coach
The Advance Institute


“I completed my internship at The Advance Institute, which is a Human Capital Consulting company. There I was able to improve my communication skills through continuous engagement with clients and contacts, while also being introduced to many players from both major and minor companies in the business world of Cyprus. My responsibilities were not isolated to administration. I was also tasked with developing value-adding business proposals aiming to add new services, as well as promote The Advance Institute. I contributed to establishing The Advance Institute’s e-newsletter by writing, organising, and filming interviews with members of top management in companies like Fileminders Ltd. and Grant Thornton. On completion of my internship, I was much more confident when dealing with new business environments, meeting new professionals, and came to realize more about my own strengths and weaknesses.”
Nick Angelides
MSc Management, 2011-2012

International Internships Placements

CIIM has collaborated with EFMD Global Network to offer our students their very own career portal. HigerEd serves as an international internship portal for students who are looking for the internships, trainee positions, apprenticeships and graduate positions that are relevant to you from companies around the world.

CIIM Highered

Placement in Portugal

A recruitment organisation whose aim is to provide international young professionals with internships in Portuguese companies.

Website: www.placementinportugal.com
E-mail: [email protected]