Hire an Intern

The most successful internships provide monetary compensation. In most cases, private companies must pay interns at least minimum wage, and neither a stipend nor academic credit negates your responsibility to provide at least minimum wage compensation.

• Internships can be paid or unpaid and compensation can vary by site between hourly, salary, stipend, travel allowance, housing provisions, or scholarships. A quality internship does not exploit or take advantage of the student.
• Internships must abide by the criteria for an experience to be defined as an internship, set forth by Department of Labor Fact Sheet #71: Internship Programs Under The Fair Labor Standards Act and the National Association of Colleges and Employers Position Statement on U.S. Internships. Employers agree to these terms upon registering with Handshake and all internship postings must clearly demonstrate alignment with our policies.
• Department of Labor Fact Sheet (NACE) – January 23, 2018

UCSB supports students who pursue internship/work experience courses and recognizes that such courses can help employers and students manage their experience. However, UCSB does not require academic credit for students who intern. The University of California does not accept any responsibility for liabilities incurred by organizations that sponsor internships and/or caused by students who are engaged in internships. Employers who prefer interns to participate in a related academic course must advise applicants during the recruitment process to inquire with their academic department ahead of time to see if this is a possibility. Please note: in order to increase the applicant pool, we discourage employers from requiring academic credit as a hiring criteria since limited availability of courses can hinder students from applying.

Consider the Following:

• The availability and requirements for academic credit varies greatly across majors and colleges. It is the intern’s responsibility to work with their employer and academic department to pursue options.
• Interns can provide an employer proof of UCSB enrollment by requesting documentation through the UCSB Office of The Registrar or their GOLD account.
• UCSB Career Services does not provide academic credit and is not authorized to sign internship agreements.
• Receiving academic credit does not negate employer's responsibility to compensate the intern. Academic credit cannot be listed in the compensation/salary field in the Handshake internship posting.

The UCSB Workman's Compensation and Liability Coverage does not extend to student interns. The company/organization will assume liability for interns/co-ops working on their premises. This holds true for both paid and unpaid (volunteer) interns. The University does not accept responsibility for student liability during an internship. No employee of the University or any UCSB student is authorized to sign a "hold harmless and indemnification" agreement. It is the responsibility of organizations that sponsor internships to consult with their legal counsel and insurance provider as to the coverage afforded by their workers’ compensation and general liability insurance policies when they sponsor internships.

Please review the Liability and Risk Management statement and contact Risk Managament & Insurance with any questions

Note: This statement applies to all internships regardless of compensation or participation with academic course credit.

Internships are flexible; students often plan their internship schedules around their class schedules on campus. A part-time internship during the school year can involve anywhere between 10 and 20 hours per week. Once you identify an intern candidate you will need to discuss their availability and agree on a schedule that will work for both parties. Oftentimes summer internships can be closer to full time since student’s schedules can accommodate working more hours.
 

We encourage internships during the school year to align with the quarter system in terms of starts and also at least lasting the span of one quarter (10 weeks).  Summer internships can start in mid to late June and last for the length of the summer (until early to mid September).  While internships can technically start at any time and do not have to follow the starting and ending dates of the academic calendar, it is important to keep in mind that students will plan their course schedules and commitments around the academic quarters, so offering internships in line with that schedule may allow employers to recruit a wider array of talent. An internship generally lasts between two to nine months and can begin in summer, fall, winter or spring.
 

Timing is important! UCSB is on a ten week quarter system. Part-time internship listings during the school year should be posted at least a month in advance in Handshake and the academic calendar should be taken into consideration. Many summer internship program deadlines occur as early as November and end before spring break. Consult the UCSB academic calendar to plan your recruitment timeline.
 

Internships can take many forms (i.e. part-time or full-time hours, single or repeat experiences, paid or unpaid). Due to this there tends to be confusion about the difference between an internship, part-time job, or volunteering. The major differences are the learning objectives or goals that serve as the foundation for any internship. Students take on internships to apply what they have learned in the classroom to a professional setting and do so by gaining general knowledge, skills, and/or in-depth understanding of a particular industry. To ensure this happens:

• Internships should be related to students’ area of study or professional goals.
• Students should receive constant feedback from an assigned professional supervisor about how the learning objectives/goals are being met.
• Students should continually come back to their learning objectives/ goals to reflect on whether they are being met.
• The students’ learning is primary.

If a position you are hiring for is primarily clerical, is replacing the work that would normally be done by a current employee, is completed with compensation as the primary motivator, or is not professional in nature it is not an internship.  Depending on pay, it is more likely to be either a part-time position or a volunteer opportunity.