Opportunities for Employers

• Must offer a new learning experience for the student (i.e. the student may not continue the same responsibilities at a current job and receive credit).
• Must offer opportunities to explore a career field or develop new skills.
• Must offer interaction with the top manager(s) in the location to allow for student
  learning about strategic decisions and the “big picture” view of the
  business/organization.
• Should be 12-15 weeks in length, preferably coinciding with semester dates (especially if student is receiving academic credit). Length can be adjusted, as long as the student works 30 hours per credit hour being earned. Summer semester internships should be 6-8 weeks in length.
• Minimum of 8 work hours per week.
• Maximum of 20 work hours per week for full-time students during a regular semester. Summer semester can be up to full-time if paid and student is not taking classes fulltime. Exceptions to 20 hour maximum must be discussed with and approved by IU East Career Services.
• Learning Agreement with employer and student.
• Supervisor Evaluation at conclusion of internship.
• Other requirements may be added for specific classes.
• The employer must advise the intern of the inherent risks in working in that workplace, training him or her in safety procedures, and providing adequate supervision.

Internships are becoming more crucial for a student’s job market competitiveness following graduation. While many internships are paid (either by an hourly wage or stipend), many are unpaid and offer priceless experiences within a student’s field of interest. Most internships hosted by non-profit organizations are unpaid, however IU East encourages the same DOL criteria listed below, be applied to all unpaid internships.

Both paid and unpaid internship programs are subject to applicable federal and state labor regulations. The following six criteria from the U.S. Department of Labor Fact Sheet #71 must be applied when making the determination for an unpaid internship provided by a “for-profit” private sector business:

1. The internship, even though it includes actual operation of the facilities of the employer, is similar to training which would be given in an educational environment;
2. The internship experience is for the benefit of the intern;
3. The intern does not displace regular employees, but works under close supervision of existing staff;
4. The employer that provides the training derives no immediate advantage from the activities of the intern; and on occasion its operations may actually be impeded;
5. The intern is not necessarily entitled to a job at the conclusion of the internship; and
6. The employer and the intern understand that the intern is not entitled to wages for the time spent in the internship.

1. Post an internship description with IU East Career Services- or have interviewed and accepted an IU East student.
2. Employers can ask for an affiliation agreement if required to host a student intern, however this is not required of all employers.
3. Identified candidates will submit résumés to host to begin the interview and selection process.
4. Once a student is chosen, the Host supervisor and intern will establish work schedule and review learning objectives for the internship. If the internship is for credit, the identified faculty will receive internship paperwork submitted by the student.
5. If any issue should arise, the Host should contact the IU East Career Services staff.
6. At the conclusion of the internship, the Host will receive a link to the Supervisor Evaluation Form from the IU East Career Services staff. This form must be completed for campus internship tracking purposes and for program assessment. If student is receiving academic credit, the evaluation will be submitted to the faculty.