In accounting, you typically have the summer internship which is all about learning how to claim expenses. The winter internship falls in busy season and manages to involve something called work. Internships last a couple months, and you would not believe how much gets spent on interns.

Interns typically fly out to training and then spend the rest of their internship setting up the printer, making photocopies, and getting coffee for the team.

Since interns are considered prospective hires, accountants can’t be too politically incorrect. If an intern actually found out what it is an accountant does, there’s no way they would agree to come back full time. Luckily enough, interns spend just enough time at the beach, at baseball games, or out “teambuilding” that they never have to experience real work with impossible deadlines.

Interns occupy a weird spot on the social ladder. They can receive the best treatment because the company would like them to come back full time. However, they do get assigned (depending how you see it) the most boring jobs. Photocopying binders, making binder tabs, and grabbing coffee take more time than you would think.

Normal pranks (which deserves its own future post) that accountants love to pull work even better on interns. Interns, eager to please, are highly susceptible to office pranks. In fact the more coworkers that are involved in an elaborate prank (especially to the detriment of productivity), the better the prank.

As much abuse as interns get, it’s a mutually beneficial arrangement. Interns get paper experience for their resumes and can be paid a pretty penny. Considering that interns get overtime and regular accountants don’t, interns can actually make more than everybody else if it’s crunch time. Accountants benefit because they have someone to pick on and do their menial tasks.