How to find paid internships for students (and avoid fake ones)
Five practical steps to find real, paid internships in India and spot fake ones before you waste time or money.
Published by Hirastra
Search live openings first
Real paid internships get filled fast. Use a list where every opening is checked live, so you can apply early. Hirastra also posts today's verified drops at hirastra.com/today.
hirastra.com/internshipsGoogle the company's own careers page
Many internships never reach job boards. Search the company site directly. Replace company with the real name. You can also search Greenhouse pages.
site:careers.company.com intern 2026Use LinkedIn filters properly
Search the title, then set Job type to Internship, Date posted to Past week, and Location to India or Remote. Prefer posts by named HR or engineers at the company.
"software engineer intern" OR "SDE intern"Know the 5 red flags of a fake internship
Drop it if there is a fee, deposit or laptop charge; paid training or certification first; a gmail/yahoo or WhatsApp-only apply route; a form on another company's domain; or 'earn up to ₹X' with no fixed stipend. A real company never takes money from the candidate.
Verify before you apply
Check that the company has its own website, a LinkedIn page and an email on its own domain, and that names and locations match everywhere. Then ask HR about pay in your first message. Vague or pushy replies mean walk away.
Hi, is this internship paid? Could you share the stipend, duration, and whether it can convert to a full-time role? Thank you.
Skip the searching: today's verified openings are posted three times a day with official apply links, and you can check your resume against any of them with the free ATS checker.