The point of an internship is for the student to work at a temporary position and get on-the-job training and experience. While the employer gets the benefit of cheap or free labor, an internship can’t last forever. Typically, an internship program will last the length of the academic institution’s semester or quarter. The majority of universities operate on a semester system where each semester will last between about 14 and 16 weeks. The fall semester will normally begin in August or September and run through the beginning of December while the spring semester will begin in January or February and run through May or June. The majority of schools will also offer a summer term that last about 10-12 weeks in length. It is important to note that if you hire an intern during the fall or spring semesters, it will normally only be a part time position because the student also needs to balance their academic life.
It is important to figure out the starting/ending dates of each semester at the university you choose because you will normally want to plan a few weeks ahead to hire an intern. If you plan on offering an internship for academic credit then you also need to take into account the dates for the students to register for classes. This is because students need to register for an actual class if they want to receive academic credit for their internship. For example, if you wanted to post an internship in the spring for academic credit, then you would need to do so before the spring class registration period end.
Knowing the length of a typical internship at a university lasts will also help you when you are designing the internship program. This way when you hire an intern, you will be able to gauge how much work the intern will be able to do for you and incorporate that into the job description. The last thing you want to do is plan on your intern completing a set amount of work and then realize that the internship won’t last long enough for it to be completed.
As a small business owner, hiring interns does come with some important responsibilities. But don’t worry; these responsibilities are minor when compared to the amazing benefits that come with hiring interns. Some of the top responsibilities include making sure the internship is set in a learning environment, keeping in contact with the intern’s university, and writing a post-internship evaluation.
When hiring interns, it’s always important to see things through the eyes of the intern as well as from your point of view as the small business owner. In addition to being able to put real world experience down on their resume, the main reason students take internships is to learn. When you hire an intern, you are responsible for maintaining a learning environment. This means being open to answering any questions they have and guiding them in the right direction on projects and assignments. Having a learning environment really sets the tone of the internship and makes it enjoyable for the intern to show up to work every day and help your small business succeed.
Another responsibility you take on when you hire an intern is the responsibility to keep in contact with the intern’s school. Many small business owners think that after they hire an intern they are done with the university until the end, but this is not the case. From the school’s point of view, they want to make sure that things are running smoothly and the intern is fulfilling the duties listed in your job description. Some schools will go as far as to make on site visits to your place of business, while others will just want to email back and forth during the internship to make sure things are ok. We recommend emailing or calling your internship coordinator every now and then to discuss the internship because it helps your small business form a strong relationship with the university.
In most internship programs you will also be required to fill out a post-internship evaluation form. When filling out this form, it is always important to be honest. Many small business owners will only state the positives about the intern instead of the negatives. This approach actually hurts the intern because it doesn’t give them anything to work on and improve.
As you can see, hiring interns does come with responsibilities. It may seem easy to maintain a learning environment, keep in contact with the school, and fill out an evaluation form, but these are actually very important and can mean the difference between a good and bad internship program. If you have any questions or comments about your responsibilities when you hire an intern make sure to post them in the comments section and we will be glad to answer them. If we get enough feedback we’ll post a more in depth second part of this article…maybe legal responsibilities????
One of the best questions to ask when undertaking this process is whether or not you should pay your intern? Well, the truth is you will find plenty of interns willing to work for free, however there are many reasons why you should also consider paying your interns.
After viewing this video you will gain a better understanding of many reasons interns are willing to work for free, and the advantages they can gain by choosing this option. You will also learn of the advantages of starting a paid internship, and the caliber of individuals you can expect by choosing this method.
Are you a business owner ready to take the next step in creating an internship program, but confused as to where you can start looking for interns? Many business owners are unaware of the fact that internship job boards are regularly provided by many colleges and universities today. Our belief is that the best talent can be found by using these internship job boards to your advantage
After viewing this video you will gain a better understanding of the best places to find high caliber, motivated interns to expand your business, such as colleges or universities. We will also discuss other areas in which you could seek interns, as well as the advantages and disadvantages of this method.
Mike the intern shares how he uses social bookmarking 2.0 to bookmark all of Intern Profit’s articles and videos to promote the Intern Profit’s website. He explains how a social bookmarking 2.0 technique can and should be used by entrepreneurs and small business owners to promote their website. Furthermore, he shares how this process can be automated to save time. Finally, Mike urges small business owners to hire interns to do all of the social bookmarking 2.0 for them.