So you’ve managed to get your first professional internship. That’s some good work on your part, because they aren’t as simple to find as you think. You have to meet several requirements (the most important, of which, is being a college student).

Some supervisors want only upperclassmen, but that’s not the end of the world, because internships are usually saved for the later part of your career. While you can have internships at any point in your career, the most refined – the ones that are closest to your career aspirations – are usually saved until your late junior year or early in your senior year. Usually.

Before I offer some suggestions about my own experiences, it’s important to know what an internship is first.

In short, an internship is when a student comes into an agreement with a company to work for that company at the same level as an employee. What these do is not only give the student professional experience in his or career field, but allow for the student to gain knowledge on what it’s like to work for an actual company. Trust me when I say it’s a lot different from working on a campus or attending classes on a daily basis.

Students who do internships are called “interns,” and are usually identified as such. Why? I can’t say, but every experience I’ve had with others’ internships and my own always said, “Hello, this is (insert the name here). He’s our intern for this semester.” They’re usually for no money, or if they are getting some form of payment, it’s small. Fun fact: internship supervisors aren’t required by federal law (or even state law) to pay interns a single penny. Their reasoning? The student is in fact getting paid with the knowledge and experience he or she can use in their careers.

My response? College is expensive. I’d like a little bit every week (or whatever the company’s payroll schedule is set up as) just to keep the lights on. That’s just me, however.

That’s what an internship is. Thankfully, it’s pretty simple when it comes to the barrage of other experiences a college student goes through. Now that you know what an internship is, how about I tell you what you might expect based on my friends’ experiences and my own?

Expect to work the same level as an employee for that company on top of your work for your classes, clubs, and other things college provides. As I said, you’ll be doing the same work as an employee but for far less money. If you’re a good student and fast learner, you’ll learn how to acclimate with the company quickly. If you’re someone who’s working there only to fulfill a requirement for your major, you may struggle because your heart isn’t in it. I’ve found that internship supervisors are often no-nonsense when it comes to interns. They don’t have time for games.

Now, please don’t think I’m saying that all supervisors are secretly dragons in human form. That’s not what I’m saying at all. What I mean is that supervisors expect a certain work ethic. That’s the same for all of their employees. However, I personally think it’s higher because you’re an intern. You haven’t proven yourself as a professional, yet. You have no experience, aside from whatever you’ve done in class or through on-campus clubs. So… why should they bring you on?

For a company owner or even a section supervisor, the thought of unpaid labor may be a tempting offer – they can get the work done for free. Again, that isn’t always true. Some supervisors, like my own, love the opportunity to teach the next generation or workers. They can give them first-hand experience about the mistakes they made throughout their careers, and maybe even help them to improve so they don’t make the same mistakes. If you have a supervisor like this, it can be very beneficial.

If you do decide to have an internship, please make sure all the paperwork is in order. I’ve seen more than a few of my friends get burned because they didn’t have a document or something wasn’t filled out correctly. At my college, you need 150 hours in order to receive credit for a 3-credit internship. If you don’t have the paperwork filled out correctly or a way to back yourself up, it’s your word against your words. Ask yourself who’s going to be believed. All I’m saying is to cover your backside.

An internship should be a fun, but busy experience you can use to get yourself in the door for other jobs (or even, if you’re lucky, that business). Just do your best and what your supervisor asks of you, and you’ll be fine. You’ve probably heard this since the beginning, but be proactive. Always ask for more work, but don’t be irritating about it. That got me into trouble when I first started.