Most programs require students to complete at least one internship experience.
Students will complete an Internship Agreement Form on Handshake once they have a confirmed internship listing the total number of hours for the internship, position description and list of responsibilities and learning goals. Internship Supervisors and faculty members will electronically sign the Internship Agreement Form on Handshake.
At Career & Internship Services, we highly encourage employers to consider developing internship programs if they do not currently exist within your organization. Not only do internships give students valuable work experience, they provide great benefits to your organization as well.
A great resource to help you develop your internship program created by the National Society for Experiential Education is Starting and Maintaining a Quality Internship Program (PDF). This document can answer many questions you have about developing an internship program. In addition, the staff at Career & Internship Services is happy to consult with you on developing internships in your organization that will be productive for both employer and intern. Contact a member of our team for guidance developing your internship program and questions on internship pay rate.
While in-person internships are the most impactful for orienting students to workplace culture, practices and on-site professional relationships, virtual internships, completed remotely, provide different, equally impactful benefits. Remote internships give students the opportunity to flex and grow multiple skills required by the task, including digital literacy, while adding value to your organization.
Since the remote intern will not be physically present in the office, it’s important to set them up with necessary equipment, virtual workspace and access such as a VPN log-in to complete work. Examples of software could include: GSuite, MS Office Teams, Google Drive, DropBox, Zoom, Go to Meeting, Google Hangouts, Join.me, Skype & Canva, etc.
Maintaining regular communication with remote interns is critical for success. Set regular times — at least once a week —to synchronously connect. These check-ins provide an opportunity to build rapport with interns, answer questions, check on work progress and offer feedback. Additionally, identify tools such as Trello or Slack that work best for your organization to manage projects, and communicate quick questions, updates, and daily work goals.
Incorporate training on the software and tools you are using as a part of orientation.
It’s okay and even likely that dedicated time spent on work projects will not align for both the remote intern and supervisor. It is a good idea in this environment to ask interns to share a schedule of when they will complete their hours. This sets up structure, encourages accountability and identifies times both parties can connect synchronously.
A Learning Agreement - employer or university designed, for the purpose of establishing clear goals, tracking the action plan to achieve those goals and identifying how to measure progress - is even more critical in a remote internship. When discussing learning goals, contextualize projects interns are working on so they understand how their contributions fit into the larger goals or efforts of your organization. Finally, a learning agreement can serve as the basis for a weekly work plan and provide structure for remote work for both you and your intern.
Establishing a professional network is a key advantage of internship participation and although more challenging is still achievable in a remote setting. Intentionally support your intern in connecting with colleagues across departments or in your field about specific project needs or for informational interviews. When possible, facilitate interns connecting with one another through virtual lunch meetings, virtual coffee hours or a Slack channel just for interns.
Providing clear and regular feedback about work projects is even more essential in a remote environment. Consider ways to deliver real-time feedback about work progress to ensure the intern is clear about what they are doing well and areas for improvement. Additionally, encourage the intern to share how the process of working remotely is going. Ask what is working well and what is challenging for them in a virtual environment.
Regardless of whether the experience is in person or remote, the cornerstones of a quality internship experience still hold true.
