Office of Career Services

What is the definition of an internship?
An internship is a one semester work experience for the student to gain relevant knowledge and experience within his/her academic major and/or career choice.

Some of the factors to be considered in establishing a successful internship program include issues related to creation of a job description, work assignments to be accomplished in one semester, supervisor selection, pay, benefits, housing and the evaluation process for the student's work performance.

Job Description: Some of the typical components of the job description are work duties, responsibilities and requirements. The work duties should be directly related to their academic major. The responsibilities would be those assignments determined by your organization. The requirements could be the student' major, grade point average, skills and abilities.

Work Assignments: The different responsibilities and tasks assigned to the student should be relevant to the student's academic program and provide an opportunity for student learning.

Supervisor Selection: An appropriate supervisor should have the ability to relate to college students and have the ability to be a positive mentor. The ability to evaluate the student's work performance and provide regular feedback to the student is vital to the success of the intern.

Pay and Benefits: The pay and benefits for an intern are dependent on several factors such as technical abilities required, experience of student, and future potential of the student in your organization. Sixty percent of the earnings of a newly hired professional in that field are considered a reasonable salary for an intern. Some consideration should be given to living expenses incurred by the student while interning. These expenses include travel to and from the work site plus daily living expenses. Other types of benefits include paid time off, medical and dental as well as pension programs.

Housing: Housing is an important factor in dictating whether a student can participate in an internship program. Some organizations have been providing housing for students, reduced housing rates or stipends to interns.

Employer Responsibilities:

1. To ensure that the student’s work is related to his/her major/career.
2. To provide a safe and healthy work environment.
3. To provide a planned work sequence for each student such that he/she is given progressively increasing work responsibilities. Tasks should relate to those that the student would perform if hired as a full-time permanent employee in that position.
4. To develop job description outlining work assignments for the semester.
5. To provide the Internship Coordinator with a mid-term student evaluation and a final student evaluation at the end of the work semester.