Guide to having Internship Students
1. Pro’s:
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Gets you moving on those growth projects for your business
Forces you to get specific on the scope of the project and where an outside person
can help you.
Writing the job description for an intern usually helps get you organized, as you
gather all the information needed to pass on to someone else.
Saves expenses when you need help but have little to no budget to hire outside
services
Can infuse fresh, young energy into your work
Personal satisfaction knowing you are helping young adults develop skills and
confidence
2. Perils:
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You need to allocate considerable time to teaching and managing.
Sporadic, sometimes unreliable, assistance - you will likely be hiring someone new
every semester or so.
3. Perks (from the intern’s perspective):
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Get lots of hands on experience working for a small company, thereby providing
real-world examples to use with future employers
You are not just getting coffee and taking notes; you get to do actual work.
4. Process – Where/How Get an Intern:
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Write up a formal job description, as you would for a regular job.
Select local colleges where a) you know they have a strong major for the type of
skills you're looking for and b) it's easy to get to you (distance/access to
transportation).
Post on school listservs and job boards via the career office. Another tip is to
research the top professors for the major you’re interested in, connect with them
directly, and ask them for recommendations of students.
Get references on internship candidates (especially from teachers who will be super
honest about their students.)
Phone interview first to filter down to a select few. Then meet for coffee, noting if
they show up on time, communicate well, are flexible and personable.
Do a trial or test day with a specific task for the day. Let them try out the commute –
to make sure it will work for both of you.
Set up a regular schedule - otherwise, schoolwork and projects will get in the way.
Have a space for them to work - ideally with tools you provide.
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Put together some sort of letter of agreement (also what they can and can’t use as
stuff for their portfolio)
Additional Tips:
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Make sure your interns are flexible and agreeable to doing tasks other than
those specifically stated in the job description.
Make sure you have people that want to learn - not students who think they
know everything already.
Set expectations even on details like timeliness, dress code and rules of
engagement. These are young people who may have little to know experience
in a work environment.
Get emergency contact numbers for your interns, in case you need to contact
them or in the case of a medical problem.
If you find someone great and their semester is ending, ask if they know
someone else they could recommend who might want an internship
5. Pay:
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If you don’t want to offer compensation, offer to at least pay travel expenses.
If you do offer compensation, make sure the total does not go over $600 for the year
- otherwise they count as a 1099 contractor.
According to The Department of Labor, the following six legal criteria must be
applied when making a determination if an internship is required to be paid.
1. The internship, even though it includes actual operation of the facilities of the
employer, is similar to training which would be given in an educational
environment.
2. The internship experience is for the benefit of the intern.
3. The intern does not displace regular employees but works under close
supervision of existing staff.
4. The employer that provides the training derives no immediate advantage
from the activities of the intern and on occasion, it's operations may actually be
impeded.
5. The intern is not necessarily entitled to a job at the conclusion of the
internship.
6. The employer and the intern understand that the intern is not entitled to
wages for the time spent in the internship.