when I was an intern

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "when I was an intern" is a correct and usable expression in written English.
You can use it to refer to a period of work or service in a position with limited pay and status, typically as part of a wider training program. For example, "During my time as an intern, I learned so much about the industry."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Science

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

26 human-written examples

When I was an intern on the medical service, I often joked with my patients.

The New York Times - Health

I used to think so when I was an intern, when being a doctor was too hard.

The New York Times - Health

When I was an intern at Croydon I worked with young people to raise awareness and discovered that some members of staff and students had undergone FGM themselves.

The Guardian

When I was an intern at The Nation, just after graduating from college, that magazine's literary editor, John Palattella, learned that I was interested in fiction.

The New Yorker

John was the photographer I looked up to when I was an intern at The Chicago Daily News, where he was working in the early 1970s.

The New York Times

In 1997, when I was an intern at The Associated Press's Bangkok bureau, my editors asked if I would travel to help cover a coup there.

The New York Times

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

34 human-written examples

Similarly when I was an editorial intern for Wizard magazine back in 2007, I had to cover a panel featuring comic book writer Brian K. Vaughan at New York Comic Con.

Huffington Post

Re "E.R. Doctors Face Dilemma on Painkillers" (May 1): When I was a surgical intern at North Shore University Hospital, dental emergencies were under the domain of the surgery department.

The New York Times - Health

It would not be too different from what it was like when I was a bank intern in the 1980s, before the wave of deregulation that culminated in the 1999 repeal of the Glass-Steagall Act, the Depression-era law that had separated investment and commercial banking.

The New York Times

As T.R. Reid (my editor way back in the 13th century when I was a college intern at The Washington Post) noted in The Post this week: "Increasing health-care coverage is one of the most powerful tools for reducing the number of abortions — a fact proved by years of experience in other industrialized nations".

The New York Times

They were the books I had been reading in 1998, when I was a summer intern.

Vice

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When describing a role or task, follow "when I was an intern" with specifics about your responsibilities, contributing to the reader's understanding of your abilities and background.

Common error

Avoid mixing past and present tenses within the same sentence after "when I was an intern". Ensure all actions and states described refer to that specific time period.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "when I was an intern" functions as an adverbial clause of time, providing temporal context to the main clause. It indicates the period during which the described action or state occurred, as seen in Ludwig's examples.

Expression frequency: Common

Frequent in

News & Media

72%

Science

14%

Formal & Business

14%

Less common in

Encyclopedias

0%

Wiki

0%

Reference

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

The phrase "when I was an intern" is a common and grammatically correct way to provide temporal context to experiences and observations from a period of work. As Ludwig AI confirms, the expression effectively sets the stage for personal anecdotes in various settings. This structure is versatile, suitable for professional narratives, news articles, and informal storytelling. Be mindful of maintaining consistent tense and providing specific details for more impactful communication.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

during my internship

Refers to the internship as a specific period.

in my time as an intern

Changes the sentence structure while maintaining the core meaning.

as an intern, I recall

Starts with the role to frame a memory or observation.

while interning

Uses a gerund phrase to describe the concurrent action.

in my intern year

Highlights the year the internship took place.

during my internship days

Rephrases the time period to focus on the internship itself.

as a former intern

Focuses on the past role as an intern.

back when I interned

Adds a sense of reminiscing about the time.

my internship experience

Emphasizes personal experiences from the internship.

early in my career, as an intern

Positions the internship at the beginning of one's career.

FAQs

How can I use the phrase "when I was an intern" in a sentence?

Use "when I was an intern" to introduce a personal anecdote or provide context about a specific period in your professional development. For example, "When I was an intern, I learned the importance of teamwork."

What are some alternative ways to express the same idea as "when I was an intern"?

You can use phrases like "during my internship", "in my time as an intern", or "while interning" to convey a similar meaning.

Is it correct to say "during I was an intern" instead of "when I was an intern"?

No, "during I was an intern" is grammatically incorrect. "During" should be followed by a noun or noun phrase, such as "during my internship". Use "when" to introduce a clause with a subject and verb.

How can I make my descriptions more engaging after using the phrase "when I was an intern"?

Follow "when I was an intern" with specific details and vivid descriptions to bring your experiences to life. Include sensory details, challenges you faced, and key lessons you learned to create a more compelling narrative.