York College Internship Program

Eligible students may receive academic credit for an approved internship by completing an Internship Application for Academic Credit Form. Directions for completing this form, as well as internship guidelines and procedures can be found by viewing the Internship For Academic Credit Guidelines and Procedures.

A minimum of 120 hours on-site is required in order to earn 3 credits in a given semester. A student may complete a maximum of 6 credits (two 3-credit internships) of internship credit as part of a bachelor's degree program, but the two experiences that comprise the 6 credits must be significantly distinct learning experiences.

Eligibility requirements for students to participate in an internship for credit are

1. student must have a GPA of 2.5 or better

2. student must have a minimum of 60 earned credits

3. student must receive the recommendation of his or her department

How to Advertise an Internship with the Career Development Center

For an experience to be considered an internship at York College, it must meet the following criteria:

1. The experience must offer the opportunity for students to enhance their professional preparation or expand their career opportunities.
2. The experience must contain meaningful, professional learning experiences (ie. an internship consisting solely of data entry, filing and answering phone calls without any additional projects/duties does not count as a professional learning experience).
3. There must be an on-site supervisor willing to assist and supervise the intern on a regular basis. This person must be a professional in the field in which the intern is working.
4. The site must meet basic legal standards for workplace safety and employee security.

If your opportunity does NOT meet these criteria, it is considered a part-time job. You may send it to abaldwin@ycp.edu and we will advertise it as such. If your opportunity DOES meet these criteria, there are two ways that you can get an internship position description to us so that we an advertise it to our students.

They are as follows:

• Spartan Career Path - Please follow these steps when posting an internship on Spartan Career Path.

• Complete this form and return it to the Career Development Center - Please include pertinent information about the position and requirements as well as employer contact information.

We advertise all internship positions in the following ways once we receive your position description:

• post them electronically on Spartan Career Path
• keep a hard-copy in occupation-specific binders in our office
• write a short advertisement in our weekly newsletter
• send an update regarding the internship to faculty who teach in related majors

Resources and Guidelines for Internship Supervisors

The following documents will assist you in your work with our internship program:

Starting and Maintaining A Quality Internship Program - This guide will assist you in developing a comprehensive, appropriate internship experience.

Guidelines for On-Site Internship Supervisors - This guide will familiarize you with York College's expectations for internship sites.

Common Questions:

Do you have to pay interns?

The U.S. Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), which applies to all companies that have at least two employees directly engaged in interstate commerce and annual sales of at least $500,000.00, severely restricts an employer's ability to use unpaid interns or trainees. It does not limit an employer's ability to hire paid interns.

You do not have to pay interns who qualify as leaders/trainees. The U.S. Department of Labor has outlined six criteria for determining trainee status:

• Interns cannot displace regular employees
• Interns are not guaranteed a job at the end of the internship (though you may decide to hire them at the conclusion of the experience)
• Interns are not entitled to wages during the internship
• Interns must receive training from your company, even if it somewhat impedes the work
• Interns must get hands-on experience with equipment and processes used in your industry
• Intern training must primarily benefit them, not the organization

What about workers and unemployment compensation?

Workers compensation boards have found that interns contribute enough to a company to make them employees. It is wise to cover interns under your workers compensation policy even though you are not required to do so. Student interns are not generally eligible for unemployment compensation at the end of the internship.

Finally, keep in mind:

Even if a student is working through a school program for which he or she is being given college credits, the student still has the right, under the FLSA, to be paid unless the employer is not deriving any immediate advantage by using him/her (see 6 points above). Paid interns make ideal workers as they are hungry to learn, eager to make a good impression and willing to perform a multitude of tasks. The relatively small amount of money employers spend on intern wages and benefits is a good investment because it often produces future, long-term employees. The employer should identify the specific terms and conditions of employment (e.g., dates of employment as an intern, including date the internship will end; compensation; organizational and/or reporting relationships; principal duties, tasks or responsibilities; working conditions; confidentiality; any other expectations of the employer), and should discuss these with the prospective intern so that there is no misunderstanding regarding the relationship. Also, it may make good sense to document such a discussion with a written agreement. Please note that compensation for internships is not regulated by York College in any way.

Finally, remember that interns must be treated fairly by your organization. If an intern is harassed at your organization and you do not do anything about it, your organization opens itself to the risk of lawsuits. Take time to advise your interns of appropriate workplace behavior, the organization's harassment policy and complaint procedures and other items that they may need to know while interning with you.

Internship Evaluation

There are several evaluations that must be completed throughout the internship experience. Below are links that you may use to view or download the evaluation forms.

Students Evaluation of Site

Evaluation of Faculty Advisor by Student - Student Evaluation of Faculty Advisor

Evaluation of Intern by Site Supervisor  - Site Supervisor Evaluation of Intern