Internships

• Compensate interns in the $15-20+/hour range. For-profit companies must pay their interns at least minimum wage. Unpaid internships must meet the Department of Labor's Fair Labor and Standards Act seven-factor test.
• An average internship ranges from 5 to 40 hours per week during a 10-week term. Hours and requirements will vary based on program requirements.
• All internships must adhere to the Employer Policies set forth by Oregon State University. Internships must also meet criteria for academic internships as defined by the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE).
• The internship experience must be an extension of the classroom, providing a learning experience that applies classroom knowledge. Learning objectives must be clearly stated, with a defined beginning and end.
• The employer must be a legitimate, established business or organization and, if hosting an in-person experience, located in a commercial space.
• Remote/virtual internships must comply with Department of Labor regulations and NACE criteria, including both paid and unpaid positions.
• Internships should not include: commission-based positions, positions in home-based businesses, roles where interns displace regular employees, door-to-door canvassing, cold-calling, petition gathering, "independent contractor" relationships, supervision by family members, telemarketing, multi-level marketing, or positions requiring interns to pay the employer for any part of the experience.
• International internships will not be approved unless the employer is approved by the OSU IE3 Global Internship Program.

• Verify that the position and duties meet university criteria for academic internships and accurately represent the position description.
• Consider interns as part-time employees by offering employee trainings and industry best practices. Provide access to tools and resources that allow student interns to participate in daily work tasks and attend regular meetings.
• Provide a safe working environment. Interns must receive an orientation to the organization, safety procedures, training, ongoing supervision, and evaluation.
• If the student is paid, ensure responsibility for providing Worker's Compensation and liability insurance in accordance with Oregon State Law. For unpaid internships, comply with Oregon State and Federal Law regarding unpaid internships.
• Comply with Federal Laws prohibiting discrimination and afford all applicants equal consideration regardless of race, color, national origin, gender, disability, sexual orientation, religion, or veteran status.
• Assign an experienced professional with expertise in the content area of the internship to supervise the intern. Schedule weekly check-ins to stay in touch with your intern and serve as a mentor. Have the student intern reflect and apply professional experiences to their academic courses.
• Establish clear work expectations, provide examples or templates, discuss preferences on communication types, and establish timelines.
• Regularly check in on the students' learning objectives to ensure both the organization's and students' needs are being addressed efficiently and effectively. Provide consistent and appropriate feedback through informal and formal evaluations.
• Create a project that the student intern can complete within their internship timeframe (e.g., research best practices and develop content based on research, enhance your social media platforms, develop flow-charts with contact information, website development/content creation).
• Provide a positive supervisory experience that encourages the professional, academic, and personal growth of the intern while assisting in developing and achieving personal learning objectives. 
• Complete a mid-term and final student evaluation for the University, provided by the intern. These evaluations are designed to assess learning as it relates to the student’s professional and personal development of career readiness skills.
• The employer covers all training, certificates, background checks, etc., with no costs to the intern. All resources, equipment, and facilities needed to support the stated learning objectives/goals of the internship must be provided by the employer.
• The employer should not expect immediate advantage from the intern's activities.
• Interns should not be considered "consultants" or expected to perform tasks beyond the skills of the professional staff.

Confidentiality
Any disclosure of internship/intern information is prohibited without the intern’s express written consent. FERPA laws may be applicable.

Worker’s Compensation
All student interns must be covered by an Employer/Organization’s Workers’ Compensation insurance when the student intern is defined as a “subject worker” by Oregon Workers’ Compensation Law. A “subject worker” includes any worker for an Employer/Organization where an exchange of “remuneration for services” occurs.  Remuneration is not explicitly defined; however, it may include lodging, stipends, gifts, etc.  If student interns do not meet the definition of a “subject worker”, the Employer/Organization may be able to add the student intern to its Workers’ Compensation Insurance coverage by contacting their insurance agent or carrier.  Oregon State University (OSU) only provides Workers’ Compensation insurance coverage for student interns defined as OSU “subject workers” while performing duties for OSU.  OSU does not provide Workers’ Compensation insurance coverage for student interns performing duties to non-OSU Employers/Organizations.    

Equal Opportunity and Non-Discrimination
Internship Employers/Organizations must subscribe to EEOC guidelines established by Federal and Oregon state law. Employers/Organizations cannot unlawfully discriminate in the selection of student interns on the basis of race, color, national origin, gender, disability, sexual orientation, religion or veteran status.

Other Employment Related Laws
Employers/Organizations must adhere to all other employment related laws for student interns who perform employment related tasks including, but not limited to, acts of sexual harassment.

Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA)
All Employers/Organizations shall maintain a safe working environment for student interns.  This includes complying with all OSHA rules and providing an initial safety orientation, any precautionary safety instructions, training, and ongoing supervision for assigned duties.  An experienced professional who has expertise in the content area of the internship shall be assigned to supervise the student intern throughout the internship and shall be available to the student intern in the event of any employment related accidents.

Hold Harmless or Indemnity Agreements
Because of the concern over liability during student internships, some Employers/Organizations may require Oregon State University and/or the student intern to sign a hold-harmless or indemnity agreement. Student interns are PROHIBITED from signing an Employer/Organization’s hold-harmless or indemnity agreement on behalf of Oregon State University.  If an Employer/Organization desires to enter into an on-going internship arrangement, all agreements between the Employer/Organization must be signed by one of the 16 authorized signators for Oregon State University through the Procurement and Contract Services Office. In some cases, Employers/Organizations have asked students to sign a release of liability as a condition to accepting an internship. Student interns are recommended to NOT sign personal hold-harmless or indemnity agreements that assume liability as a condition to accepting an internship.

Fair Labor Standards Act (Unpaid Internships)
Employers/Organizations must be aware of and ensure compliance with the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), before classifying a student intern as an unpaid "trainee." If a student intern is considered an "employee" for purposes of the FLSA, then the employer must pay its student interns at least the minimum wage. The Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division developed a six-factor test for determining whether workers are considered "trainees" under the FLSA: Under the Department of Labor’s Fair Labor Standards Act, six criteria have been instituted to define an unpaid intern.  They are as follows:

• The training, even though it includes actual operations of the facilities of the employers, is similar to that which would be given in a vocational school.
• The training is for the benefit of the student.
• The student does not displace a regular employee, but works under the close observation of a regular employee or supervisor.
• The employer provides the training and derives no immediate advantage from the activities of the student; and on occasion, the operations may actually be impeded by the training.
• The student is not necessarily entitled to a job at the conclusion of the training period.
• The employer and the student understand that the student is not entitled to wages for the time spent training.