As with any successful endeavor, developing an internship requires thought and planning. This guide contains information that will be useful as you design an internship:
1. General Information
2. Deciding How an Intern Can Contribute to Your Organization
3. Determining the time involved to accomplish the task(s).
4. Identifying the office support that is available to the intern.
5. Writing the internship description.
6. Recruiting an intern.
7. Developing a learning contract.
8. Evaluating the Internship.
General Information
Internships are designed by an employer to meet its own organizational needs while at the same time providing for the needs of the intern. Depending on the situation, internships may be highly structured or, alternatively, they may be quite flexible. An internship can be part-time or full-time, paid or unpaid. Some internships last only one quarter, some are as long as a year. Academic credit may or may not be available, depending on a student's major. Hiring an intern is a cost-effective strategy for meeting immediate and long-term personnel needs. Internships cost little or nothing compared to regular full-time employees. Some interns work without pay and those that are compensated are paid modest wages, a monthly stipend, or whatever an organization can afford and feels is equitable. Generally, interns do not receive employee health or retirement benefits.
Determining How an Intern Can Contribute to Your Organization
Special Projects
If you are like most employers, you have a long "wish list" of special projects that need to be done but don't have the personnel resources to organize and implement them. Because of the nature of their academic schedules, students often look for internship opportunities of limited duration (generally 2-3 months), so employers find interns to be an ideal solution to this problem. For example, interns can be assigned to organize research projects, plan special events, develop special promotional campaigns, or design web pages. When developing an internship involving special projects, you should identify goals, timelines, and outcomes so that everyone understands the purpose and expectations involved.
On-Going Operations
Certain businesses and organizations routinely experience peak periods where additional staff is needed. Others may operate under very limited budgets and need additional staff throughout the year. Again, interns may be able to alleviate some of these problems. For example, interns may be assigned to serve as facilitators for youth groups, human resource management support staff, public relations assistants, or marketing associates. Do remember, however, that students are looking for internships that provide them with pre-professional experience with an opportunity to learn. Therefore, it is probably not a good idea to assign an intern to a position which is strictly clerical. Of course, as with any job, there may be some clerical duties involved in the internship, they should not be the only duties of the intern.
Determining the time involved to accomplish the task(s)
How long will the internship last? Once you have identified what the intern will do, you should then determine how much time you think it will take to accomplish the goals. Generally, students are looking for internships that last from 2-3 months, coinciding with the academic quarters at Western Washington University. However, it is not unusual for students to stay longer at internships which they find fulfilling.
Part time or full-time? Some internships are set up on a part-time basis (10-20 hours per week), allowing students to gain experience while maintaining a partial or full load of credits. Occasionally, students are willing to take time off from classes in order to intern full-time. Many students intern during the summer months when they have the greatest amount of free time. This is convenient for employers because this is also the time when many organizations choose to begin special projects that may require additional labor.
Identifying the office support that is available to the intern
A crucial step in developing internships involves identifying the office support needed for a successful internship. To get the most out of an internship, the employer should consider the following:
To whom will the intern report? Will the intern work in one department or several?
computer, etc.)
Writing the internship description
Once you've decided how an intern can contribute to your organization and identified the resources needed to support and intern, you are ready to write a brief job description. You'll use this description in recruiting the intern. Many employers also find this useful to inform staff about the intern and to establish clear expectations about the internship. It is a good idea to include the following in a brief (one or two paragraphs) description:
Recruiting an intern
To find the right student for your organization, consider the following resources:
To submit an opening, complete a Request to Advertise Job Opening. If it is more convenient, you may mail to Career Services Center, WWU, Old Main 280, Bellingham WA 98225-9002 or fax it to our office at (360) 650-3293.
Career Services Center, WWU, Old Main 280, MS-9002, Bellingham WA 98225-9002.
Developing a learning contract
A student interning for academic credit is often required to develop a learning contract. It resembles a job description in several ways but its purpose is to formally identify the responsibilities and expectations of both the intern and supervisor. Much of the work you did in the earlier steps of developing the internships can be used in the learning contract. The Career Services Center strongly recommends that all interns and their sponsors develop a learning contract, regardless of whether they are earning academic credit or not for the internship.
Components of the Learning Contract
I. General Data:
This section should include names, addresses, phone numbers and position titles for the
supervisor, student and faculty sponsor, if one is utilized.
II. Job Description:
Describe, in as much detail as possible, the role and responsibilities of the intern.
List duties, projects to be completed, deadlines, etc., if relevant.
III. Supervision:
Describe in as much detail as possible, the supervision to be provided.
What kind of instruction, consultation, etc., will the student receive and from whom?
IV. Evaluation:
How will the student's work performance be evaluated? By Whom? When and how often?
V. Learning Objectives:
What is the student expected to learn through this experience? Be specific.
Try to use concrete measureable terms.
VI. Learning Activities:
On-the-job: State any activities that will enable the student to meet his/her learning
objectives. Include projects, research, report writing, conversations, etc., as they relate to the
learning objectives.
Off-the-job: List reading, writing, contact with faculty sponsor, peer group, discussions, field
trips, observations, etc., as they relate to the learning objectives.
VII. Agreement:
It is a good idea to include a statement that says the contract may be terminated
or amended by the student, faculty sponsor, or internship supervisor at any time upon written
notice, which is received and agreed to by the other two parties. All parties should sign and
date the document.
Evaluating the Internship
This is an important process for all parties involved. A student performing a full-time, ten week internship may be evaluated at the following intervals:
1. The first evaluation should be done relatively soon after the intern's starting date, usually at the
end of the first week. The purpose of this meeting is to make sure that everone's
initial expectations are being met.
2. The second evaluation should come about mid-way through the internship. This is a good
chance to assess the progress towards assigned goals and determine what resources are
necessary to complete any assignments.
3. A final evaluation should occur during the last week of the intern's commitment. This gives
employers the opportunity to measure the intern's impact on the organization and determine if
the company's needs were met. The intern can also reflect on the experience and assess how
he/she has benefited.