Employer Resources

When a student is hired for a paid internship, they are considered an employee and are regulated by all FLSA requirements (minimum wage and overtime pay)

The Department of Labor has laid out criteria for internships in what is titled Fact Sheet #71, also known as the primary beneficiary test. This test provides 7 factors to consider when hosting an unpaid intern. While public sector and Non-profit are “generally” exempt, its good practice to understand these factors and make sure documentation is in order to show unpaid status. The 7 factors are:

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

Best practices for unpaid internships are to make an offer in writing that states that the internship is unpaid and there isn’t a promise of employment upon completion.

Internship Posted: May- Middle of August

Interview and Selection: 2nd to 3rd week of August

Start: End of August

Internship Posted: October to 2nd week of December

Interview and Selection: December to 2nd week of January

Start of Internship:  2nd or 3rd week of January

Internship Posted: February to End of April

Interview and Selection: End of April

Start: May-June

An employee or two that can be advocates for internships, run internship meetings, onboard, train, answer questions and lead the training of new mentors and supervisors. It is recommended that interns have time to get together and debrief. This can also be a great time to hold a meeting with a leader to develop these students into great future employees.

The structure of an internship can make or break the experience for the organization and the student. Careful consideration should be taken to understand roles and responsibilities with a eye on project-based experiences. Projects allow a student to have ownership of their internship and helps avoid the dreaded question every morning of, “What is my intern going to do today?” Projects should focus on real world experience and seek to provide measurable outcomes.

Students need help connecting the dots between classroom knowledge and real-world solutions. The on-site mentor helps them connect these dots. If there are multiple interns, its recommended that they are brought together at least once a month to debrief together and gain more training (i.e. Lunch with a leader, present findings, etc.)

Learning objectives, evaluations and hour logs, provide the student with the needed documentation to show success.
Hours- each major has specific semester hour requirements. Most programs fit between 90-150 hours during the 16 weeks semester. Sports and Rec management seniors require 400 hour

Important Steps during the Semester: 

• Sign off on learning objectives
• Allow for 90-400 hours of work during 16 week semester
• Mid-term evaluation
• End of Semester reports
• Final grading meeting