We highly encourage you to consider paying your intern. Though Work U internships are not currently required to be paid*, we know that unpaid internships limit applicant pools as many students can not afford to participate in an unpaid opportunity. When you submit your opportunity, you will include information about pay which will be visible to students when they make decisions about which opportunities they want to be considered for.
If you are able to pay your Work U intern, consider which of the options below best fit your organization. If you have any questions, please email worku@boisestate.edu and someone from our team will be happy to discuss your questions.
*Boise State departments with Work U interns are required to pay an hourly wage.
Option 1: Hire and pay your Work U intern directly
- Chose this option if you want to directly pay your student(s) an hourly wage or salary. You will be hiring the students into your organization.
- In the Work U program, Boise State Career Services staff vet and place students, so you will not able to interview them. (If this is a deal breaker for you, we recommend a traditional internship rather than Work U.)
- You will need to sign a new Community Partner Expectations Agreement. Please email worku@boisestate.edu to receive the new agreement, and email the signed form back.
Option 2: Donate a scholarship for your intern
- A scholarship donation is non-refundable, and is intended to support the cost of a student’s academic fees, with “no-strings attached.” For example, the scholarship is not contingent on the student completing the semester or performing certain tasks. Scholarship policy information can be read here.
- In the best interest of protecting the student and employer, per Boise State’s policies, donors should send in the check and award letter in one lump sum at the beginning of the semester.
- Email worku@boisestate.edu for step-by-step instructions for your donation.
Option 3: Offer a stipend to your intern directly
- Rules outlined by the US Department of Labor exist surrounding how stipends can be used by companies and organizations. For example, stipends cannot be used to hire students to replace existing staff, and the students must be the primary beneficiary of the employment or training – not the company. We strongly recommend you evaluate this option with your organization’s attorney.
- Boise State will not facilitate this process.
Work U does not permit interns to be hired as Independent Contractors
Work U does not support the option of hiring an intern as an “Independent Contractor” for a few key reasons:
- Liability: Independent contractor status puts our students in a gray zone in regard to who carries the liability/insurance that is unacceptable for Boise State legal purposes.
- Financial: Taxes are generally not withheld as an independent contractor and we do not want to put students in a tax challenging situation (i.e. unanticipated tax bill).
- Philosophical: “Independent” and “Contractor” are fundamentally opposed to being a “Mentor” and “Intern.” Again, Work U is a professional development opportunity that asks something different from both student and employer insofar as we do not expect students to have the specialized skills required of an Independent Contractor.