Is An Internship Extension Good Or Bad
 

I have an internship going (~3months) and it was recently extended (woohoo!) but I wasn't offered a full time position (doh!). What can you all say about this from your own experience and the experience of your friends and family? Is this a good thing and will it lead to a full time position, or is this just a soft "no thanks".

I'm going to make the most of it either way, but I don't want to give myself any false hope or doubt.

Well, I was in a similar position and my bosses eventually elected to keep me on full time. They even gave me a raise. I'd hold out and try to make yourself as irreplaceable as possible.

An extended internship is better than no internship, both for the pay in your pocket and the increase in your experience. Also, as an intern you probably don't get health insurance benefits, which means you are cheaper for your employer to keep on the books.

In today's economy, you're golden.

If they didn't like your work, they wouldn't have chosen to extend the offer. Chances are, they aren't able to hire another full-time salaried position at this time. By sticking with the internship, you're telling them that you like the company and that you're ready for a salaried position when it's available. Congrats!

Yup, it's generally a good thing. As long as you have good feelings about the company, you're learning things, etc., etc., you should keep at it.

I fully agree with all of you. My internship is a godsend and I'm very grateful for it :)

The thing that bugs me though is the last intern had the exact same thing happen to her.

1. 3 month internship
2. 4 month internship extension
3. no full time hire

My manager told me "we'll have to check our budget and talk to HR about how long we can keep you" and then my internship extension was identical to the last intern. I'm starting to suspect what my manager tells me is just a song and dance...

Another thing, offering an extension that is longer than the initial internship period is sort of a way to flatter the intern, enough so he/she will be less sore about not being hired as a full time?

I'm probably way overthinking this, but if anyone with a corporate HR or manager (with hiring decisions) type of position know anything about this, I'd appreciate your insight.

Again, this internship is really great, I'm extremely happy with it and I will continue working hard with a smile on my face for as long as my superiors will let me.

I see absolutely no context in which an internship extension is a bad thing. Even if you don't get the job, it's still more experience in your field of choice, and will look better on a resume than four months of unemployment.