Internships

Characteristics of an Internship

• The internship, first and foremost, is experiential learning. Internships help apply academic preparation in a major to specific work experience.
• Duration is anywhere from a month to two years, but typically three to six months.
• Can be part-time or full-time and could be paid or non-paid.
• Learning activities common to most internships include learning objectives and goals, observation, reflection, evaluation and assessment.
• Promotes academic, career and personal development.
• Internships can be part of an educational program that is carefully monitored for academic credit or internships can be part of a learning plan that is developed individually.

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Creating Your Internship

Create a Job Description

An internship job description helps to develop guidelines, provide basic company and job information, sets expectations, avoid incorrect assumptions, and attract qualified candidates.  The posting process in Frog Jobs will walk you through the necessary information including job description, qualifications, application instructions, pay and employment dates. Please take some time to develop your job description. Students read these carefully! Be sure to provide adequate information about your organization and what projects/activities the intern will be responsible for.

Time Commitment

Typically, students work 10-15 hours/week during the Fall and Spring semesters. Summer internships can be anywhere from 15 hours/week to full-time.

Paid vs. Unpaid Internships

In order to comply with the Fair Labor Standards Act, it is required that all employers that are for-profit pay their interns.  In a competitive job and internship market, student applicants will expect payment for their work.  The average pay (nationally) for bachelor’s level interns and co-op experiences was $20.82/hr in 2020-21. National Association of Colleges and Employers Internship Wage Data

There are some circumstances under which individuals who participate in government agency, non-profit organization, or “for-profit” private sector internships or training programs may do so without compensation. The determination of whether the internship or training program meets this exclusion depends upon the facts and circumstances of each program. Refer to the Department of Labor for guidance (Fact Sheet #71: Internship Programs Under FLSA).

Academic Credit for Internships

While TCU does award academic credit for internships, the procedures and requirements vary among the colleges. Some departments will award up to three credit hours for internships, while others do not award any credit at all. In most majors, internship credits are an elective rather than a requirement and many courses are reserved for upper-level students who have completed their pre-requisite coursework. Please note that requiring academic credit for your internship may decrease the potential pool of candidates due to student eligibility or timing constraints of the hiring process.

The TCU Career Center does not award or arrange academic credit for internships. Employers should not make guarantees or offers of academic credit, as academic credit may only be granted by the institution and academic department.  It is completely the student’s choice and responsibility to pursue academic credit and seek approval through the appropriate department within their college. As an alternative, the TCU Career Center offers an Internship Certification Program. Students do not receive credit or transcript notification, however, the internship experience is pre-authorized and validated upon completion by an employer performance appraisal. Confirmation of the internship is provided to the employer through a letter of certification issued by the Career Center.

Determine the Right Supervisor

Selecting the right supervisor is essential to a successful internship experience for both the student and the organization. An intern should receive guidance and feedback from their work supervisor at regular intervals. With regular feedback, interns will be better equipped to meet employer expectations and learn from the experience. 

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National Member Organizations

National member organizations can offer excellent assistance and resources when establishing or refining your program:

National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE)
62 Highland Avenue
Bethlehem, PA 18017-9085
800-544-5272
610-868-0208 Fax
www.naceweb.org

National Society for Experiential Education (NSEE)
19 Mantua Road
Mt. Royal, NJ 08096
856-423-3427
856-423-3420 Fax
www.nsee.org

Post Your Position  

TCU students actively search our centralized database, Frog Jobs, for internship opportunities. By posting your position in FrogJobs Powered by Handshake, it can be viewed by current students and alumni. View instructions for posting to FrogJobs Powered by Handshake here.

Screen and Interview Candidates

In your job posting, you will determine how the student is to apply for the position. If you wish to come to campus to interview at one of our career centers, request your interview scheduled via Handshake or contact careers@tcu.edu

Choose the right candidate for you!

Provide the candidate with an offer and make arrangements for them to begin their internship assignment.

We are here to help you work through the development and implementation of your internship program. Our Employer Relations Team is dedicated to representing your business needs and connecting your organization to student talent and faculty. Team members are specialized by colleges to ensure their familiarity with student capabilities and program specialties.

Welcome Aboard

The first day on the job will set the tone for the rest of the internship. You want your interns to know you have put thought into their time at your organization. Please provide a friendly welcome for your new intern(s). Do not forget that they will need a chair, a desk, a phone and a computer in order to complete their work assignments. If you want to get a job done, you must supply the intern with the tools to do the job successfully.

Set up for Success

Be honest with your intern about what they can expect during their internship. If the job will require envelope stuffing at times, then make that clear. When you assign work, make sure you give the intern a detailed explanation. While the assignment may seem obvious to you, it may not be obvious to someone who has never done it before. Patience and a few extra minutes to explain in detail at the beginning will pay off in the end when your intern can produce good work independently.

Make sure that your interns have a mentor or supervisor to provide guidance. It would be helpful if it is someone who truly likes to teach and is given the time to intentionally mentor the intern.

Making a Contribution

Interns watch and learn. You may not find a staff meeting interesting, but they can learn a great deal from attending. Can they quietly join you on the next project meeting? Going to lunch with a few people from the office? Including them in the daily life of the office environment helps them feel valuable to the organization.

It cannot be said too many times that interns want to work and learn. An intern can help you get a job done that you might not have been able to do otherwise, right? Go ahead, blow the dust off that project on your shelf and see if they can get it done.

Remember that interns are students and they may not have the business skills and experiences that you take for granted. If your intern makes a mistake, just pull him or her aside and explain how the situation should be handled in the future.