Internship Guide
Ready to hire an intern?
Internships are pivotal in shaping the future workforce and can provide your organization with fresh perspectives and energy. To maximize the potential of an internship, it’s essential to craft an experience that is both educational for the intern and beneficial for your organization.
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A note about hiring dates:
OSU's Academic Calendar
OSU uses quarters, not semesters. The academic year usually begins in late September and concludes in mid-June. Students are typically available for Summer internships from mid-June through September.
Employer tips for successful internships
1.
Assign meaningful work
The key to a successful internship lies in the quality and relevance of the work assigned: purposeful tasks, clear expectations, and goal setting.
2.
Provide strong mentorship
Mentorship is a cornerstone of a successful internship. A good supervisor/mentor can significantly enhance the intern’s experience and development through guidance and feedback, skill development, and regular check-ins.
3.
Collaborative planning and objective setting
Planning is vital to ensuring that both the intern and the organization benefit from the internship and can work towards common outcomes.
4.
Foster intern engagement and inclusion
Provide a comprehensive orientation, a safe and welcoming environment, and involvement in the established work community to help the intern feel like a valued part of the team from day one.
5.
Address challenges early
Challenges may arise during the internship, particularly if it is the intern’s first professional experience. Address any issues as soon as they arise and maintain open lines of communication with the intern.
6.
Conclude with reflection and future opportunities
The end of an internship is an opportunity to reflect on the experience and plan for the future. Conduct a mid-term and final evaluation of the intern’s performance and discuss potential future opportunities within your organization if the intern has been a valuable asset.
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Employer Tips for a Successful Internship Sample Evaluation of Intern
Internship Guidelines
All internships posted on Handshake must clearly meet the following criteria:
- Remote/virtual internships will be considered and must comply with Department of Labor regulations and NACE’s criteria. This includes both paid and unpaid positions.
- Employers recruiting interns must follow the criteria for an experience defined as an internship by the National Association of Colleges and Employers Position Statement on US Internships.
- For-profit companies must pay their interns at least minimum wage. If a for-profit company is offering an unpaid internship, it must meet the Department of Labor's Fair Labor and Standards Act seven-factor test.
- The experience must be an extension of the classroom: a learning experience that provides for applying the knowledge gained in the classroom. Learning objectives must be clearly stated. It must have a defined beginning and end.
- The employer must be a legitimate established business or organization and if hosting an in-person experience, must be located in a commercial space.
- An experienced professional with expertise in the content area of the internship (i.e., the "Site Supervisor") must be assigned to supervise the intern.
- Interns must be given an orientation to the organization, safety procedures, training, ongoing supervision, and evaluation.
- The employer covers the costs of all training, certificates, background checks, etc. There are no requirements for the intern to pay the employer in any form for any part of the experience. The employer expects no immediate advantage from the activities of the intern.
- Interns should not be considered "consultants" or be expected to provide a function that your professional staff does not have the skills to perform.
- All resources, equipment, and facilities needed to support the stated learning objectives/goals of the internship must be provided by the employer.
Experiences that do not qualify as internships:
- Commission-based positions.
- Internships located in home-based businesses.
- Positions in which the intern displaces a regular employee.
- Positions that require door-to-door canvassing, cold-calling, or petition gathering.
- "Independent contractor" relationships that require the intern to set up their own business for the purpose of selling products, services, and/or recruiting other individuals to set up their own business.
- Positions in which the intern would be supervised by a family member.
- Telemarketing positions.
- Home-based businesses and multi-level marketing positions
- Positions in which the intern is required to pay the employer for any part of the experience (fees for training, etc.).
- International Internships will not be approved unless the employer has successfully applied to and been approved by the OSU IE3 Global Internship Program.
Legal considerations of internships
Confidentiality
Any disclosure of internship/intern information is prohibited without the intern’s express written consent. FERPA laws may be applicable.
Worker's compensation
All student interns must be covered by an Employer/Organization’s Workers’ Compensation insurance when the student intern is defined as a “subject worker” by Oregon Workers’ Compensation Law. A “subject worker” includes any worker for an Employer/Organization where an exchange of “remuneration for services” occurs. Remuneration is not explicitly defined; however, it may include lodging, stipends, gifts, etc. If student interns do not meet the definition of a “subject worker”, the Employer/Organization may be able to add the student intern to its Workers’ Compensation Insurance coverage by contacting their insurance agent or carrier. Oregon State University (OSU) only provides Workers’ Compensation insurance coverage for student interns defined as OSU “subject workers” while performing duties for OSU. OSU does not provide Workers’ Compensation insurance coverage for student interns performing duties to non-OSU Employers/Organizations.
Equal opportunity and non-discrimination
Internship Employers/Organizations must subscribe to EEOC guidelines established by Federal and Oregon state law. Employers/Organizations cannot unlawfully discriminate in the selection of student interns on the basis of race, color, national origin, gender, disability, sexual orientation, religion or veteran status.
Other employment-related laws
Employers/Organizations must adhere to all other employment related laws for student interns who perform employment related tasks including, but not limited to, acts of sexual harassment.
Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA)
All Employers/Organizations shall maintain a safe working environment for student interns. This includes complying with all OSHA rules and providing an initial safety orientation, any precautionary safety instructions, training, and ongoing supervision for assigned duties. An experienced professional who has expertise in the content area of the internship shall be assigned to supervise the student intern throughout the internship and shall be available to the student intern in the event of any employment related accidents.
Hold harmless or indemnity agreements
Because of the concern over liability during student internships, some Employers/Organizations may require Oregon State University and/or the student intern to sign a hold-harmless or indemnity agreement. Student interns are PROHIBITED from signing an Employer/Organization’s hold-harmless or indemnity agreement on behalf of Oregon State University. If an Employer/Organization desires to enter into an on-going internship arrangement, all agreements between the Employer/Organization must be signed by one of the 16 authorized signators for Oregon State University through the Procurement and Contract Services Office. In some cases, Employers/Organizations have asked students to sign a release of liability as a condition to accepting an internship. Student interns are recommended to NOT sign personal hold-harmless or indemnity agreements that assume liability as a condition to accepting an internship.