What is an Internship Program:
Internship gives students the opportunity to
gain experience and apply their knowledge
and theory learned in the classroom with
practical application and skills in a
professional setting. An Internship
program gives employers the opportunity to
hire high school and college students to
work on a short-term basis for pay or with
no pay.
These are some key things you need to know
about internship programs:
Who can setup an Internship Program:
Any startup or established business can
establish an intern program. A
for-profit or non-profit organization can
setup an internship program. Whether
you have one or hundreds of employees you
can establish an internship program.
Whether you have an office or work out of
your home you can establish an internship
program.
What Can Interns Be Used For:
Interns can be used for any of the functions
in your business which includes, research,
marketing, administrative, training,
information technology, accounting, sales,
transportation, etc.
Where Can Interns Be Placed To Work:
Interns can be assigned to work in your
office location, a field location, from
their homes, or where ever your place of
business is. If you're a work from
home business and don't have the room to
house an intern you can have them work from
an alternate location such as their own
homes, or another location.
Why Establish An Internship Program:
An internship program can contribute to your
organization in the following ways:
- Increase the bottom line by giving you the
assistance you need to grow the business
- Get the help
you need at a price you can afford
-
Gives you the ability to evaluate potential future employee
-
It brings in new personnel who can introduce new ideas to the business
-
Creates managaement opportunities for your
staff
Where Can Interns Be Recruited From:
- High School
- Colleges (under
graduate/graduate & International Students)
- Online sources:
How Much Are Interns Paid:
- You can pay an Intern anywhere from minimum wage to $20.00 per hour
or more depending
on the organization
- if you can't afford to pay an hourly wage
you can offer to pay a monthly stipend
- You have the option to offer an
internship program that does not pay a wage
(as long as it meets the criteria outlined
by the
U.S. Department of Labor under the
FLSA).
Internships can be offered on a pay or
no-pay [unpaid] basis. If you're a for-profit
organization it is expected that you will
offer some form of compensation. It is
not expected for non-profit organizations to
offer compensation. Employers can save
money by hiring students for unpaid
positions from schools that fund the
unpaid internship.
Do You Have To Provide Benefits To
Interns:
No.
Interns are considered short-term employees
and hence are not entitled to benefits
provided full-time employees.
How Many Hours Can An Intern Work:
Interns can be asked to work up to 40 hours
per week. Whether they work 10 or 40
hours per week depends on the requirement
you establish. It can be on a
part-time or full-time basis. The days they work will
be based on what you've arranged based on
the Intern's schedule.
How Long Is The Average Internships:
Internships can last from 3-9 months
continuously. The length of the
internship is established by the employer.
Do You Have To Offer Academic
Credit:
No. You do not have to offer academic
credit to interns. If you wish to
offer academic credit to interns you have to
work with the university staff to find out
what their specific requirements are.
They will provide you with the details on
what you need to do in order to setup a
credit program.
When Is The Best Time To Hire Interns:
You can hire an intern at anytime during the
academic year but, the best time to hire
Interns is between the end and the start of
the academic semister. During the
summer break (May-August) and spring break
(January-April) are ideal times.
Can Youth Be Hired As Interns:
Yes. Youth 14 years and above can be
hired as interns. Visit the
Hiring Youth page to
learn more.
Can Foreign Students Be Hired As
Interns:
Yes. However, there are strict
conditions under which foreign students can
be hired as interns. Foreign students
can be hired under the Cirricular Practical
Training (CPT) or Optional Practical
Training (OPT) programs. The approval
process and paperwork involved under these
programs makes it a bit more challenging to
hire foreign students as interns.
Visit the
Immigration & Customs Enforcement
(ICE) website to learn more
about the specific programs.
What Is The
Process For Establishing An Internship
Program:
- Determine What Your Needs Are
-
Convince the rest of your organization to go
along
- Identify & research the School(s)
you want to work with
- Familiarize
yourself with any legal issues regarding
interns
- Identify if you are offering
for credit or a no-credit program
-
Develop a compensation plan for the interns
- Create position descriptions
- Create
work plans
- Hire intern(s)
- Execute
the internship plan
- Intern Evaluation
- Exit Interview
-
Employer Evaluation
What Is The Best Way To Go About
Establishing An Internship Program:
The best way to establish your internship
program is to check with a school near you
and find out what programs they have in
place to assist employers in establishing an
internship program. Most schools
already have internship guidelines
established that employers can easily follow
to setup their program and start hiring
interns. Go here to find a list of
schools with programs.
Use these resources to find
universities/colleges in the U.S.
-
Education -
UTexas -
50States.com -
Collegestats.org
These are some great examples of what an
Internship Program looks like. Use
them as a model to develop your own
internship program.
University of South Florida at St. Petersberg
(USFSP)
Nebraska Department of Economic Development
University of Texas at San Antonio (USTA)
Michigan Internship Initiative
Where Are Internship Positions
Posted:
Internship positions can be posted on school
campuses, school websites, 3rd party job
boards (see examples below). If you're
establishing your program with a specific
school post your internship opening on their
campus and website. Use 3rd party job
boards if you're trying to reach a wider
audience.
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