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Career Advancement Center > Employers > Create an Internship

Creating an internship and hiring an intern can greatly benefit your organization.  Internships often attract highly motivated students who can bring new perspective to projects while increasing your visibility within the community.  Good internships, however, take time and energy to implement.  Before you begin recruiting for a position ask the following questions:

Why do you need an intern?  Do you need help on a short-term project?  Are you eventually looking to hire for full-time positions? 

What will the intern do?  Do you actually have work available?  Will they also participate in outside activities such as social events, lunches with office staff, and meetings?  Write a job description that clearly articulates the positions duties.

When will you host an intern?  Typically, employers hire interns for each academic term.  If your intern is getting class credit for the experience, they must submit the appropriate paperwork in time.  See the for-credit guidelines for more information.  

Who are you looking to hire?  Include specific qualifications in your job posting.  It is appropriate to apply your full-time hiring practices to hiring interns. 

Where will your intern work?   An often overlooked detail!  Interns might need a workspace with a computer and phone in order to perform their duties. 

How will you supervise and train your intern?   Interns need time to orient themselves to the working world, your company, and the position.  Having someone serve as a supervisor and even an additional mentor can be very beneficial.   Choose employees who are patient and enjoy teaching and coaching.  Most importantly, make sure the supervisor and mentor have time to provide consistent support and feedback.

What will you pay your intern? Will you help them with parking/living arrangements or provide other perks?  Typical payment varies by industry and top candidates may receive several offers.  According to the National Associate of Colleges and Employers (NACE) most employers pay interns and the average hourly rate is around $17; although this varies by industry.  Some employers choose to pay stipends and/or offer additional benefits such as housing assistance, planned social events, travel stipends and paid holidays.  For company specific Internship salaries, search the Glassdoor.com Internship Salary Reports.  Employers wishing to offer unpaid internships should consider competition within their field as well as legal implications.  Lake Forest College students can also receive internship credit (in addition to pay) if they meet specific guidelines.  For questions about for credit internships, contact an internship supervisor.