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Internships
What is an Internship?
Internships are typically one-time work or service experiences related to a student's major or career goal. The internship plan generally involves a student working in a professional setting under the supervision and monitoring of practicing professionals. Internships can be paid or unpaid, and the student may or may not receive academic credit for performing the internship.
Why should I do an internship, and what are the benefits?
Employers seek candidates with experience. An internship can provide hands on experience in an area related to your major or career choice. According to a 2006 survey of employers conducted by the National Association of Colleges and Employers, 62.5 percent of their college hires came to them with internship experience. This suggests that employers now ask the question of “Where did you complete your internship?” versus “Did you complete an internship?”
Benefits:
- Acquire practical and meaningful work experience.
- Identify and/or assess interests, skills and desired career path.
- Determine whether interests match skills.
- Learn day-to-day business functions.
- Increase marketability and value to employers.
What if I have a problem with my internship?
Problems during an internship occasionally occur. Please don't hesitate to contact your Career Counselor with any concerns. regarding any concerns you may have about your internship experience. Remember, Career Services does not endorse specific internship positions.
What if I locate an internship on my own?
You are able and encouraged to locate and begin to arrange for your own internship. A career counselor can be of assistance for identifying possible organizations and determining your professional approach. An internship located on your own should be approved by your academic department to receive academic credit. Notify Career Services of your internship opportunity by completing the Internship Report Form.
What are my responsibilities as an intern?
- Complete Internship Program: Interest Application Form
- Meet with a Career Counselor
- Complete a résumé critique appointment with a career counselor and upload a finalized résumé to JobZone
- Review the Internship Prep Guide presentation and take quiz at the end
- Apply for any open internship positions through JobZone, IndianaINTERN.net, or by creating an original opportunity with the assistance of Career Services
- Complete a mock interview with a career counselor prior to the internship interview
- Complete an Internship Report Form and submit it to Career Services
- Maintain appropriate work hours and performance as agreed upon by the supervisor. Log these hours.
- Connect with Career Services via a student appointment at least once during your internship
experience or participate in at least one site visit coordinated by the Internship Coordinator - Complete an end-of-semester evaluation and submit it to Career Services.
What are the site and supervisor's responsibilities?
- Develop an appropriate internship description, including detailed job responsibilities and qualifications
- Contact Career Services to report intern hired
- Adhere to FLSA guidelines and provide proper training and supervision to ensure intern success
- Establish relevant work assignments related to a student's major or career goals
- Complete an end-of-semester intern performance evaluation, discuss with the intern, and submit it to Career Services
What role does Career Services play?
- Provide a resume referral when requested by employers
- Coordinate campus interviews when requested by employers
- Review internship description to ensure relevance and assist employer in posting on JobZone
- Conduct a resume critique with students
- Conduct a mock interview with students
- Connect with student and employer for site visit
- Maintain record of internship by reviewing the Internship Report Form and student/employer evaluations
- Serve as a resource to both the student and the intern supervisor
Are all internships paid?
Not all internships are paid, please be aware of The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA)
In 2010 the U.S. Department of Labor issued a “Training and Employment Guidance Letter NO. 12–09” to states considering implementing subsidized work-based training initiatives for unemployed workers. The U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division has developed these six factors below to evaluate whether a worker is a trainee or an employee for purposes of the FLSA.
- The training, even though it includes actual operation of the facilities of the employer, is similar to what would be given in a vocational school or academic educational instruction;
- The training is for the benefit of the trainees;
- The trainees do not displace regular employees, but work under their close observation;
- The employer that provides the training derives no immediate advantage from the activities of the trainees, and on occasion the employer’s operations may actually be impeded;
- The trainees are not necessarily entitled to a job at the conclusion of the training period; and
- The employer and the trainees understand that the trainees are not entitled to wages for the time spent in training.
If all factors are met, then the worker is a “trainee,” an employment relationship does not exist under FLSA, and the FLSA’s minimum wage and overtime provisions do not apply to the worker. On the other hand, if the workers are engaged in the primary operations of the employer and are performing productive work (for example, filing, performing other clerical work, or assisting customers), then the fact that they [the employer] may be receiving some benefits in the form of a new skill or improved work habits is unlikely to make them trainees given the benefits received by the employer. Above information was derived from the “Training and Employment Guidance Letter NO. 12–IndianaINTERN.net”.
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