Internship Information for Employers

• Having an internship program is a cost effective way to evaluate an intern’s potential as a future employee of your organization
• Access to enthusiastic, talented and innovative students who can contribute their skills and knowledge to your organization
• Increase productivity within your organization by meeting seasonal or short-term needs without a long term hiring commitment
• Build and promote your organization’s visibility to Boise State students
• Take part in influencing the next generation of professionals in your field

• Provide a meaningful, challenging “real world” work experience
• Supervision of intern by a “professional with expertise and educational and/or professional background in the field of the experience”
• Provide orientation to your organization

Here are some great resources:

• 15 Best Practices For Internship Programs from the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE)
• Starting and Maintaining a Quality Internship Program from InternQube – Click the link and scroll to find the document with this title under the “For Your Employer” section of the Articles page)

• Internships can be paid or unpaid.  Although compensation is not required to post your internship opportunity; if your organization is a for profit business it is generally expected that you will be providing compensation.
• If an intern is an “employee” being paid wages, then the employer must pay at least minimum wage according to the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA)
• If you are a for-profit organization and you will not be providing compensation we recommend that you familiarize yourself with the FLSA rules on unpaid internships.
• Academic credit is not considered an alternative to compensation

• Employers do not have the ability to grant academic credit for an internship; that is determined by the student’s department internship coordinator in their Major.
• Students are responsible for contacting their academic department prior to the start of their internship if they want to register for academic credit for their internship opportunity.
• Department internship coordinators in the student’s major will determine if a potential internship can be done for academic credit
• Students must register (and pay) for academic credit just like any other academic course
• Typically an internship for academic credit is completed in one semester timeframe but the program is flexible
• Department requirements may differ but an internship for academic credit requires a qualified supervisor  for each intern who will also serve as a liaison with the Boise State department internship coordinator evaluating this internship
•  If a student is seeking to do an internship for academic credit; you will be asked to complete some documentation which will be sent via email from Boise State

• Time frames for an internship should be flexible and determined by your organizational needs
• Boise State runs on a semester calendar (fall, spring and summer)
• During the fall and spring semesters, students generally work from 15 to 20 hours per week
• Interns sometimes work full-time during summer as well as semester breaks
• Often, the intern and the organization agree to continue the employment relationship even after the internship for academic credit is complete.

• Post your internship opportunity on Handshake, our web-based job posting system where all Boise State students search for part-time jobs; full-time career opportunities and internships. Go to Handshake.
• Let us know if you are targeting specific demographics of students  (GPA, major, class level, etc) as we can send targeted emails through Handshake promoting your opportunity
• Participate in On-Campus Recruiting
• Attend our Career Fairs

For further information about the internship program, contact:

Hank Ebert, Experiential Learning Employer Relations Representative
Boise State University Career Services
Boise ID  83725-1310
Telephone: (208) 426-5415
Email: henryebert@boisestate.edu