An internship at Flashstarts is an extremely unique experience. Where else are you going to be intimately working with 12 startups, completing projects that are both timely and valuable to the functioning of a business? From the reactions of my friends when I tell them that I’m working here, I can assure you that this isn’t a common occurrence. But, what often leads to more awe in my peers is when I tell them that we have two summer bonuses – one at the six-week mark and another at the end of the internship.
Bonuses are a tricky thing to have in any job, let alone an internship that lasts only for twelve weeks. There are numerous articles about why bonuses are or aren’t good for employees. On one side, they can make employees overly competitive and determined to only complete tasks that result in measurable results. But, on the other hand, they inspire and motivate employees to work hard, and give them a sense of satisfaction that they are doing a good job and are valued.
At Flashstarts, I think most of us view the bonus as what it is – an added bonus. While the week of performance reviews (informal meetings set up with teams that you are working with) was a little nerve-wracking, I thought it was extremely helpful to be able to have a one-on-one meeting with each startup to both learn what I was doing well and to see how I could improve. I also didn’t notice a palpable change in the intern environment. I think we were all a little nervous and a little excited to see how we fared when we learned of our bonuses, but I truly believe that most of us didn’t see it as a competitive thing between interns.
I think the most important thing to take away from the Flashstarts bonus is that it is just a bonus. While it is cool to have some extra money in your pocket, and while its uncommon to have a bonus as an intern, the experiences you have at Flashstarts are incomparable to the bonus you receive. I believe that all of the interns here would work as hard as they do without the bonus opportunity. At the end of the day, the bonus is just a perk, although it is a unique one at that.
