What is an Internship?In accordance with NACE and the U.S. Department of Labor, OSU Career Services defines an internship as the following: “An internship is a form of experiential learning that integrates knowledge and theory learned in the classroom with practical application and skills development in a professional setting. Internships give students the opportunity to gain valuable applied experience and make connections in professional fields they are considering for career paths; and give employers the opportunity to guide and evaluate talent.”
Why should I hire an intern?
- Interns bring in fresh ideas, new perspectives
- College students tend to know and use of technology easily
- Companies can gauge the contributions and culture fit during a defined timeframe
- Interns create a talent pipeline for your organization
- Interns stay with a company longer (National Association of Colleges and Employers, 2017)
- Internship programs bring great diversity
- Gain advocates for your company on campus
How do students benefit?
- Gain experience in a setting outside of the classroom
- Opportunity to apply classroom learning in real life scenarios
- Try out different industries and job settings to find the ideal fit
- Meet industry professionals and build a professional network including mentors and advocates
- Skills gained during an internship are transferable to future roles
- Could lead to a full-time position upon successful completion
- Academic course credit could be earned and/or the student is paid
What Makes an Ideal Internship
- Real World Expereince
- Extension of the Classroom
- Hands on expereince
- Insight into industry
- Gain transferable skills
- Open Communications
- Fun onboarding process
- Provide a mentor
- Continuous feedback
- Reflection
- Exit Interview
- Housing during employment
- Scholarships offered
- Orientation for intern
- Orientation of supervisor
- Paid appropriate compensation for industry
- Open Communications with supervisors
- Opportunities to meet company leadership
- Professional development
- Cross train in different area
- Build connections to the community
- Showcases interns work
- Incentives for performance
- Special projects
- Goal setting
Do I pay an intern?
It is the responsibility of each employer to determine whether an internship should be paid or unpaid, based on labor laws. Each employer should be familiar with labor laws in order to determine eligibility based on the organization's specific internship opportunity. For more information about unpaid internships and labor law, please review the The U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division. The primary beneficiary test is a “flexible test” with seven non-exhaustive factors:
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1. The extent to which the intern and the employer clearly understand that there is no expectation of compensation. Any promise of compensation, express or implied, suggests that the intern is an employee—and vice versa.
2. The extent to which the internship provides training that would be similar to that which would be given in an educational environment, including the clinical and other hands-on training provided by educational institutions.
3. The extent to which the internship is tied to the intern’s formal education program by integrated coursework or the receipt of academic credit.
4. The extent to which the internship accommodates the intern’s academic commitments by corresponding to the academic calendar.
5. The extent to which the internship’s duration is limited to the period in which the internship provides the intern with beneficial learning.
6. The extent to which the intern’s work complements, rather than displaces, the work of paid employees while providing significant educational benefits to the intern.
7. The extent to which the intern and the employer understand that the internship is conducted without entitlement to a paid job at the conclusion of the internship.
Need additional resources to develop your Internship Program?
OSU Career Services- Creating an Ideal Internship from Scratch webinar
Society for Human Resource Management- How to Do Internships the Right Way
Oklahoma City Chamber of Commerce- Create an Internship Program
12 Steps to Setting Up an Internship
Refer to these links for more information about internships from each college
College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources
College of Arts and Sciences
College of Education
Spears Schools of Business
