STRUCTURING AN UNPAID INTERNSHIP
The hiring season is commencing for college and high school students, who are eager to build their resumes with practical work experience. But must students be paid for these work experiences, and at what rate? Does it matter if their school provides them with academic credit? Let’s consider Midsize Company, where three managers wish to retain students as summer interns.
Harold wants to offer five summer internships, with a stipend of $1000 each. The interns would help alleviate the department’s data entry backlog, under the guidance of the full-time staff. They would attend guest lectures from employees in other departments and would have a one-day shadowing opportunity with a member of Harold’s management team.
Bari wants to offer one student from her alma mater an unpaid summer internship. This intern would shadow Bari and members of her team on a rotational basis. Bari has also scheduled her peers in other functions to speak with the intern about their respective roles. The student would receive college credit, provided he/she completes a research project, and Bari has written a hypothetical fact pattern that she will have the student independently research over the course of the summer.
Read More
