[App Fridays] Frapp lets students discover internships and money-making opportunities with top brands

It is natural for companies to woo younger people in the hope of catching a lifelong customer early. Most brands, products, and services are designed to appeal to the youth. But, how many of those actually think about the student community, and consider rolling out something meaningful for them?

Frapp was started with the philosophy of making the lives of cash-strapped students a tad easier by letting them discover internships, complete tasks (online or on-campus) and earn money, exclusive benefits, and rewards from top brands. The app launched in 2014 and has evolved into a major student benefits platform, with the claim of more than 500,000 registered students from 10,000 colleges in India.

Essentially, Frapp matches students with suitable internships based on their interest areas, at the same time allowing brands to identify and engage with them through custom campaigns. Internships may include remote jobs, work-from-home opportunities, virtual projects and campus ambassador roles.

To ensure that only students benefit from the platform, Frapp uses a ‘Student Identify’ tool to digitally validate their identity.

Students have to upload their college IDs to complete the verification process, following which Frapp generates a unique digital student ID that they can use to access exclusive benefits at brand stores, restaurants, gyms, salons, multiplexes, and more.

If you’re not interested in an internship but want to earn a quick buck, Frapp offers a feature called Missions, which lets students undertake short tasks -- like recording a brand video, distributing posters, or being a social media influencer and so on -- and earn rewards, coupons and certificates.

Frapp says hundreds of brands including Sony Music, Starbucks, Jet Airways, fbb, McDonald's, and OYO have posted internships and tasks on its platform. The app has crossed 500,000 downloads on Play Store, and is rated 4.4 out of 5. It is available on iOS and web platforms too.

Let’s take a look at the app.

You start by logging in with your mobile number.

Enter your student details, including college name and city.

You need to be verified to apply for the internships. (However, you can browse through listings without a student verification. )

Frapp’s network of brands and internships is currently functional in six cities.

Select the kind of internships you are looking for.

Pick from more than 15 categories.

You can also opt for Missions. There are five types of tasks on offer.

After you apply the above filters, you land on the homepage where Frapp recommends a list of internships and tasks for you. Opportunities are listed along with the stipend on offer.

There’s a category of #Trending jobs too.

You can click on the Internships tab on the bottom bar and apply more filters to fine-tune your search.

Click on a listing to know more about the role. It outlines duration of the internship, location, skills required, benefits offered, last date of application, and more.

A prominent ‘Apply’ button appears at the bottom of every listing. When you click on that, Frapp asks for student verification. (You cannot apply if you do not have a valid student ID.) You can choose a college ID or a library card or a fee receipt as proof of your student identity.

You can even create your resume to improve visibility and earn badges.

And finally, in the Rewards section, you can unlock discounts and offers based on the tasks you’ve completed.

Frapp is a fine idea, but a few things need improvement

In a world where employers advertise unpaid internships every other day, it is heartening to see that Frapp recognises the value of students, and wants them to be rewarded for their talent and contribution.

By connecting brands with students on a convenient app-based platform, Frapp not only eases internship discovery but also builds a pool of potential hires for companies. It claims that over a 1,000 companies have hired students via Frapp for various roles in technical, marketing, sales, business development, content writing, social media.

But, from the user’s side, it may not be all that seamless.

While most students acknowledge Frapp for being a “genuine” platform, many have raised technical issues such as disappearing applications, aborted missions, locked resumes, and so on.

Some have even complained of delayed verification and payments. Frapp will, of course, want to address these issues. However, the app scores well on the design and aesthetics. Its UI is smooth, and navigation is crisp and uncomplicated.

Although Frapp comes up a little short, it holds the promise to be great.

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