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Next week I finish my summer internship. Am I supposed to give a thank-you note to my manager when I leave?

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  • In my opinion you should do what you think is best. If you really liked it there be sure to give a thank you letter and highlight some specifics you like. Make it short and nice but if you're going for generic letter since you believe it's required then don't do it at all.
    – Dan
    Aug 12, 2016 at 14:37

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Thank you notes are always a good idea when they won't come across as being a "suck up" which I don't think is the case here.

I would send one. It will leave things on a very positive note and since most people don't send thank you notes anymore, it will make you stand out. It's never a bad idea to network and you never know when you'll encounter this person in the future, either for a reference or for a job.

I wouldn't say you are "supposed to" however. If you don't, there is nothing harmed.

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    +1 I'd call it a "good idea" but not mandatory. Just curious, what would make someone come across as a suck-up.
    – Old_Lamplighter
    Aug 12, 2016 at 15:29
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    I would think sending thank you notes for trivial things. Leaving a position is never trivial so that wouldn't apply. Boss takes you to lunch, recruiter gets you an interview, those would be trivial and sucking up in my opinion. There was a time when thank you notes were the norm, now they're the exception. In order to be special they shouldn't be too common. That's kind of what I meant.
    – Chris E
    Aug 12, 2016 at 15:45
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I would not bother with a physical letter but an e-mail seems fine but its not going to harm things if you don't. If you did a good job they will remember if you did a bad job you will soon be forgotten.

Personally, I would send a team wide e-mail.
Saying thanks to everybody. If you had an assigned mentor mention them by name and try and put something specific that you learned about the big bad world.

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You should definitely do this. Even though its not required, it shows your manager that you were grateful for the position and it can open the door to a returning internship.

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For short period time I send a thank you email on my last day including everyone I know, have met, worked or didn't work. After those who appreciate you, will come for a small chat or at least reply to your email.

For longer periods I will also include a drink offer in the email but that depends if I have met people who would consider coming out and you would enjoy their presence.

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No.

First, you're not required to write a thank you note.

Second, there may be better ways to express your appreciation. You are, however, supposed to show your appreciation in some way, if you want to make the best out of the internship.

Way back, I made brownies and brought them in, and let the office know a couple hours in advance - by email - that there will be brownies in the lunchroom at 5. I'm not saying that's what you should do. I'm saying there are many ways to express appreciation and you should find/choose one that fits your own style.

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In the United States, sending a thank you letter is optional. If you absolutely, positively have to send a thank you letter, do it by email - I find receiving and reading snail mail aggravating, given that I run around like a headless chicken, I am juggling multiple tasks and I have only so much time. And things go wrong all the time.

Send a thank you email to: 1. remind them that you are leaving at the end of the week; 2. you'd like them to act as your reference; 3. let them know that you are available for work during the semester - they can't and won't read your mind. If you are available, you have to spell this out; 4. that you had a great time working with them. If your internship was unpaid, discuss getting paid at the first opportunity when you are offered future work.

Don't send a "thank you" email just to say "thank you" :)

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  • Why all these downvotes..?
    – Slava Knyazev
    Aug 12, 2016 at 22:42
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    @SlavaKnyayev I have a fan club :)
    – Vietnhi Phuvan
    Aug 13, 2016 at 20:15
  • Eg. because you suggest that people should not thank each other just because some very few people seem to believe it's a real distraction. And because you suggest demanding money for something where it was agreed beforehand not to. And...
    – deviantfan
    Aug 14, 2016 at 10:39
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    @deviantfan: unless I am mistaken, you are misinterpreting the "discuss getting paid". That translates into "can I get a job", not "pay me for the work I've done which we agreed would be unpaid, before I leave and never see you again." I agree the later would be worth a downvote, but see no reason to believe it was what was meant.
    – jmoreno
    Aug 14, 2016 at 13:22
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    "Don't send a "thank you" email just to say "thank you"" That's exactly what they're for. You are one jaded individual.
    – Lilienthal ♦
    Aug 14, 2016 at 19:14

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