Qualifying social work education is recognised as playing a critical role in equipping practitioners with the skills and interest to develop a 'research minded' approach to practice, yet in the UK context, the profession continues to grapple with questions about how to support practitioners to sustain and develop these skills post-qualification. This article reflects on the experiences of social work educators and students involved in a pilot research internship scheme based at a higher education provider in England (one of the four UK nations). Drawing on analysis of interviews with participating students and the reflective notes of the social work educators who led the scheme (the authors), we report on three key themes: (1) Students tended to have an idealised view of research. (2) Internships afforded opportunities to learn and work with people in new ways. (3) Post-project, students reflected on how to mobilise their learning but were conscious that they had only been afforded a 'window' onto the research 'world'. We discuss the limitations of the internship model and highlight that, despite its strengths, more fundamental change is required if a 'research minded' workforce is to be developed and sustained. We question how realistic this change is in the current educational and professional context. We further discuss the complexities and contradictions that professional education programmes face in seeking to develop 'research minded' or 'research active' professionals whilst also protecting and nurturing alternative forms of professional knowledge and wisdom.