An internship is any career-related work experience of limited duration in which a student takes on responsible roles outside of the traditional university environment: in a non-profit organization, a government office, or a private, for-profit business.

Employer Expectations

• Provide meaningful and challenging work related to the student’s area of study
• Provide a safe workplace
• Ensure that job duties match the job description
• Supervise students; offering a mentor relationship is also helpful
• Maintain an open line of communication between you, the student, and the UNCG internship coordinator
• Notify UNCG when you have hired a student intern (report through SpartanCareers or call 336-334-5454)
• Provide feedback and evaluations of the student’s work performance to the appropriate UNCG internship contact

Student Expectations

• Exhibit professional behavior at all times: complete assignments, positive attitude, professional appearance, report on time, etc.
• Communicate with university advisors about the experience as required – your role as the employer is minimal
• Lead the process of earning academic credit through the university – your role as the employer is minimal
• Exhibit a willingness to learn, grow, and develop as a professional

• Ensure that the internship provides a substantive and challenging work experience for students, with minimal administrative duties and “gopher work.”
• Plan ahead to provide opportunities for interns to apply principles learned in and outside the classroom. Consider organizing your internship around a specific goal or project.
• Orient student interns regarding company culture, office procedures, company policies, and specific job duties.
• Provide on-going, structured supervision by a primary supervisor/mentor (weekly preferred); opportunities for feedback; adequate opportunities for students to ask questions; possible mentoring relationship.
• Allow student interns to observe professionals in action (participate in staff meetings and client meetings, attend presentations, and talk with professionals in the department about their jobs and career paths).
• Allow student interns the opportunity to identify and develop specific skills (i.e. research, writing, computer, presentation skills).
• Provide evaluation of overall experience; provide closure through recognition of intern contributions, reflection on learning experiences, wrap-up on-going projects; provide follow-up if necessary (letters of recommendation, networking, etc.)
• Offer professional development opportunities (presentations by upper management, informational interviews with upper managers, brown bag lunch seminars); social opportunities.
• It is always helpful to post your internship in SpartanCareers as far in advance as possible in order for us to inform students and faculty about your opening.

Need ideas on developing an effective internship? See our sample learning contract:
Sample Learning Contract
Sample Learning Contract

Need ideas on effectively evaluating an intern? See our sample evaluation forms:
Sample Evaluation Form 1
Sample Evaluation Form 1
Sample Evaluation Form 2
Sample Evaluation Form 2

Student interns are available year around – fall, spring and summer semester. You may find it helpful to check UNCG’s current academic calendar to time your internship listing appropriately.

When hiring an intern, please keep in mind that during the academic year most students are enrolled full-time. It is important to offer flexible scheduling in general, but especially during the fall and spring semesters. Students will typically intern about 15-20 hours during the academic year. In the summer, students generally have more flexibility and can intern up to 40 hours per week. 

It is highly recommended to establish a set schedule of work hours with your intern before the internship begins. This reduces the chance for schedule conflicts throughout the duration of the internship.

Opening your internship to students seeking academic credit can greatly increase the pool of qualified student applicants. As an employer, you do not actually award the academic credit – you assist the student with the process. It is up to the student and his/her academic department to arrange for academic credit; meaning that the majority of the paperwork is not left up to you as the employer.

When you indicate on your SpartanCareers internship posting that you will work with a student receiving academic credit, you are indicating your willingness to work with the student and the University internship supervisor to help develop an appropriate learning contract, to provide on-going supervision throughout the internship, and to respond to requests for written evaluations from the university. UNCG internship supervisors typically limit their demands on employers as much as possible.

As the on-site supervisor, you are not responsible for providing a grade or awarding credit for the student’s experience. The University and the student’s internship supervisor take care of this. However, it’s important to remember that all federal laws on equal opportunity and sexual harassment in the workplace cover student interns.

If you have questions about any aspect of developing, implementing or evaluating your internship program, please call our office 336-334-5454 and we will be happy to assist you.