Internships are educational and career development opportunities, providing practical experience in a field or discipline. They are structured, short-term, supervised placements often focused around particular tasks or projects with defined timescales. An internship may be compensated, non-compensated or some time may be paid. The internship has to be meaningful and mutually beneficial to the intern and the organization. It is important that the objectives and the activities of the internship program are clearly defined and understood.