Internships have become a key part of the college experience. But how do you set up internship housing if the best opportunity isn’t local?
More and more college students have been completing internships over the past decade.
If you are weighing the options of applying for internships, you probably have a lot of questions.
Is it important for my career field? How far should I go for a good opportunity? And if I find a great program outside my local area, how does internship housing work?
For a college student, completing a paid internship is one of the best things you can do with your summer.
Besides earning a little money, you’ll also gain valuable hands-on experience in your chosen career field. More importantly, you can start to learn about the nuances of your industry and whether you’re on the right path with your degree program.
Working a paid internship will give you actual work experience to include on your resume as you are searching for your first job out of college. And over 80% of people who worked a paid internship said that their job prospects were greatly improved because of the experience. (National Association of Colleges and Employers)
What If the Best Opportunities Aren’t Local?
Spoiler alert: if you want to find the best opportunities, you need to be looking nationwide.
I know. It’s a scary process and there are a lot of unknowns. For starters, how do you go about finding a place to live while you’re out there conquering the world?
Don’t worry. You’ve got this. This internship is just what you need to be able to spread your wings and see your potential. And the housing piece? We’ll help you out.
Setting Up Internship Housing
The good news is that companies are competing with each other to attract interns as much as students are competing for the opportunities.
That means many of those companies are going out of their way to treat their interns well. Their hope is to convince the best and brightest interns to consider full-time employment with them after graduation.
Since these companies are pulling in students from all over the country, they understand that housing is a concern. And to make it an easier decision for you to choose their program, many will offer internship housing assistance. Typically this comes in the form of a housing stipend.
The stipend rarely covers the entire cost of housing, but it will certainly help.
How Furniture Options Can Help
You might be wondering, “how in the world do I set up an apartment in a different city?”—especially if that city happens to be hundreds of miles away.
Here’s how it works.
A few months before the internship is scheduled to start, begin looking for apartments that will allow a short-term lease, then rent a furniture package rather than moving your own furniture or buying something new.
If you happen to be going to the central corridor of the US for your internship, Furniture Options can help.
Finding an apartment community that will offer a short-term lease isn’t always easy. So if you need suggestions, let us know.
Since Furniture Options is always in and out of apartments throughout the area, we’re familiar with most of them and what they offer. We can put you in touch with some that might be a good fit.
Once you’ve got the lease signed, it is time to order the furniture.
Just to clarify, when you rent the furniture, no matter where you’re going, you’re not looking for those rent-to-own stores you might be familiar with. Those guys are actually in the business of selling furniture and are not keen on the items coming back in a few months.
What you need is an honest-to-goodness furniture rental company.
What Is Available From a Furniture Rental Company?
At Furniture Options, we have all sorts of packages to choose from, from fancy high-end furniture to more simple, budget-friendly options. We’ve even put together a special “
no-frills” intern package that will help you make the most of that housing stipend. All of these packages include bedroom, living room, and dining room furniture.
After that, you have some choices. You can bring your own sheets and towels from home, or if it is easier, you can add a linen package to your order.
Furniture Options also has a kitchen essentials package that you could add. It includes things like plates and cups, pots and pans, silverware, and the ever-important coffee maker.
As you’re deciding what you will need while working your internship, remember that Furniture Options has pretty much anything you might need or want. Some additional add-on items you may choose include:
- Television
- Microwave
- Washer/Dryer
- Vacuum cleaner
- Broom and dustpan
- Desk set
- Artwork
- Rugs
We’ll Put Everything In Place For You
The best part about renting the furniture and housewares from Furniture Options is that we’ll set everything up for you.
On move-in day, our crew will bring everything out to the apartment. We’ll assemble the furniture and put it in place. We’ll even make the beds, put the dishes away, and hang the artwork if you ordered those extra packages.
Once the internship is completed and it’s time to go back to school, we’ll come back out and pick everything up again.
This isn’t an extra service either. Delivery, set-up, and pick-up are all included in your rent.
Ready to Order Your Furnishings?
Once you’re ready to order furnishings, it’s as easy as tapping a few keys. Just click here to go to our “Interns” page and get started.
If you have questions and want to talk it through with a real human being, feel free to contact the local office. They are a wealth of knowledge and super friendly.
Furniture Options is located in these Central US cities:
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