Internship best practice: employer information

1. Remuneration

 In the UK, we expect private sector employers to abide by wage legislation, and we recommend that internship providers cover UK National Living Wage for interns. The UK Government webpages have a useful guide to an intern's legal status when it comes to pay. As the University of Oxford is a Living Wage Employer, colleges and departments offering internships must pay national living wage or above. International internship hosts will have to comply with local employment legislation; they should also provide remuneration similar to equivalent entry level roles within the industry.

Where appropriate, hosts are expected to provide good quality internships that are remunerated correctly for the work they expect interns to undertake 

Please see the Careers policy on unpaid opportunities for further details.

Internship Office Policy on Voluntary Development and Learning Opportunities

Students undertaking a learning and development opportunity like a micro-internship, volunteering for a charity or statutory body, or work-shadowing, may not be eligible for the National Living Wage. The organisation may provide reimbursement for travel and/or lunch expenses, but they aren’t obliged to do so.

Through the Micro-Internship Programme, the Internship Office facilitates voluntary development and learning opportunities with reimbursement of local travel and lunch expenses on submission of receipts. Due to the voluntary nature of micro-internships, their maximum duration is 5 days. If, following the micro-internship, the hosts wish to engage interns to undertake work or undertake a full internship, this arrangement should be made directly between hosts and interns. Hosts should remunerate students at least at the National Living Wage or above for this separate arrangement; the UK Government webpages provided useful information on wage policy and employment rights for interns.

2. Offer & Contract

Internship hosts should:

• Offer a clear description of the projects and tasks that the intern is expected to perform. If they have to be revised subsequently, it should be in agreement with the intern.

3. Learning & Content

As far as reasonably practicable, internship hosts should:

• Indicate what skills the intern could acquire during their internship
• Assign challenging tasks and projects with a high degree of responsibility
• Make sure that the intern is provided with formal and informal training so that they are able to undertake the projects and tasks to which they are assigned
• Limit the assignment of unskilled tasks

4. Supervision

Internship hosts should:

• Assign a supervisor to each intern, with a ratio not exceeding 3 interns to 1 supervisor
• Organise an introductory meeting with the intern to discuss mutual expectations, as well as learning and professional objectives of the internship
• Organise regular sessions at least once a week where the supervisor tracks the intern’s progress, gives feedback or provides support
• Structure the intern’s tasks within a work plan & a timeline (which can be revised with the intern)

5. Organisation Culture & Work Environment

Internship hosts should:

• Regardless if this is an in-person or remote-working internship, schedule some time to introduce the intern to colleagues and the new work place including facilities and health and safety procedures; explain the organisation’s objectives and values
• Acknowledge and value the intern’s contribution and achievements (e.g., public acknowledgement, name on publication, bonuses etc.)
• Provide each intern with an appropriate work station (desk, computer, software, etc.)
• Make the intern feel part of the team (include them in team building activities and celebrations)
• All interns should feel comfortable to fully express their religion as well as practices and beliefs at work
• Social and cultural events that are organised for interns should be accessible to all interns regardless of disability, gender, race, religion or belief, or sexual orientation
• Hosts should promote inclusivity at events and social gatherings by offering non-alcoholic beverages
• Hosts are encouraged to support and help to provide arrangements for religious observances, such as prayer times, where possible

6. Career Development & Employment

• Provide the intern with a reference letter detailing the work undertaken/completed, the skills and experience acquired
• Organise one or more meetings between the intern and the management of the organisation to discuss their future career prospects and potential support
• Help the intern develop a strong professional network by fostering their participation in meetings, interactions and projects with clients & partners, as well as networking events

7. Practical Help

If you can provide advice on finding accommodation, travelling around, and medical or safety issues that might arise, this is greatly appreciated by students (supporting interns is particularly important when they are not native to your country or city). What’s more, helping interns to settle in increases the likelihood of the internship succeeding, as interns will inevitably feel more confident. Some hosts provide accommodation as part of the remuneration package, others simply sign post students to cheap, good quality and safe accommodation.  Also, if the intern requires a visa to work in your country they will undoubtedly turn to you for guidance. It is also useful to put together an induction pack that you can distribute to interns as soon as they have been selected so they can get on and arrange all the logistics with your guidance.  Induction material could include:

• Contact details of key members of staff
• Organisation chart
• Health and safety information
• Practical information on the working environment and facilities
• Working arrangements related to office dress code, time, location, and patterns of flexible working
• Organisation's culture and value
• Local culture and places of interest
• Overview of local issues such as crime, scams that students should be aware of   

Internships come in all shapes and sizes.  They can be as short as one week or as long as three months.  They could involve working in international finance companies in Japan, teaching children in Thailand, developing sustainable projects in Brazil, or designing education projects for Oxford-based charities. While all these internships may seem very different, good projects share some common elements:

Challenging and engaging– the very best internship projects enable interns to get really involved. The more demanding the project, the more students will invest themselves in the professional or research experience. Oxford students also love to use their own initiative and apply their intellectual knowledge and creativity, so do ask them to suggest how projects can be developed.

Genuine contribution – the best internships allow students to feel they are making a positive contribution to the organisation. A key question all organisations should ask is whether the work you are asking the intern to undertake is a valuable and useful contribution to the organisation.  Are there tangible outcomes? It’s helpful to remember that internships are much more than simply work experience.

Learning and development opportunity – a good internship project offers interns the opportunity to learn professional/transferrable skills, and allows for personal development. Good internships offer students the opportunity to Develop Employability Skills.

Duration – students accomplish a lot during an internship, even if the timeframe is short. The question to ask is whether the duration is suitable for the project in question. 4-8 week internships are probably the most popular.

Over the years, many interns have successfully completed projects remotely, usually when face-to-face contact wasn’t essential. Now that online working has become the norm, organisations are adapting to new ways of communicating, managing projects, and maintaining professional life. We hope that remote internships will continue to be a valuable option, and we have put together guidance on how to set one up effectively.

Health and Safety for Managing a Remote Internship

Hosting an intern is a rewarding opportunity to bring new talent into your organisation and benefit from a fresh perspective. Managing them remotely will be different from having them in the office. Here are some tips to help ensure a successful experience.

Before they start: 

Make sure practical arrangements are in place so your intern can begin smoothly.

• Carry out health and safety checks with them. Put in place any necessary adjustments or equipment before they start.
• Ensure they have the equipment they need. If you are happy for them to use a personal laptop, confirm this with them beforehand. Arrange access to licensed or bespoke software and provide any required login details.
• Share your organisation’s guidance on remote working.
• Discuss possible barriers to working remotely (time zones, caring responsibilities, etc.) and clarify what you can accommodate.
• Invite them to an introductory call before the placement begins to agree on work patterns and project details.

Induction: 

Plan a clear induction, ideally with a checklist, to surface and address any potential issues early. This could include:

• Health and safety checks
• Access to required systems and software
• Contact lists and meeting arrangements
• Familiarisation with email and communication tools
• Training requirements
• Wellbeing support
• Processes for leave and illness

Objectives

Clear objectives are always important but are critical when working remotely. Set project and development goals using the SMART method, and use this as an opportunity to align expectations between you and your intern.

Embedding Organisation Culture: 

Without in-person contact, it takes extra effort to help an intern feel part of your organisation and to shift from a “student” to an “employee” mindset. You can:

• Assign more than one buddy.
• Arrange for colleagues outside the immediate project team to introduce themselves.
• Explain your organisation’s values, aims and objectives, and how the intern’s project contributes.
• Encourage them to arrange their own meetings with colleagues.
• Include them in virtual social activities (coffee breaks, book clubs, Friday socials, etc.).
• Add them to staff email lists.

Communicate:

Trust and rapport are essential when managing remotely. Decide early on how you will communicate. Video calls help build relationships by adding non-verbal cues. A daily check-in, whether by email or call, is recommended.

Time keeping and self-management:

Interns often want to develop these skills, and they are vital in a remote setting. Talk with them about potential barriers in their home environment so expectations are realistic. Be clear about deadlines, progress updates, and when you expect them to get in touch, especially if they are ahead or behind schedule.

Skills Development:
Discussing with your intern the skills they are developing will enrich their experience and help them to evaluate their skills. These are a few they may be developing:
• Communication
• Building an online network
• Demonstrating initiative
• Managing their time and workload
• Managing up and setting expectations (communicating challenges and success with you)
• Resilience
• Self-management
• Adaptability/flexibility

Encourage Reflection:
• What are they observing about your place of work?
• What do they think about the leadership demonstrated by businesses in your field?
• How do they feel about being a remote worker?
• How bonded do they feel to the team? Can you help with this?
• Have they made the adjustment from student to worker?

If you would like to discuss whether a project is suitable as a remote working placement, you can discuss your needs with the Internship Office by emailing us at [email protected].

What types of projects are suitable for remote working?

A suitable remote internship is one that does not require the intern to be physically present at the organisation in order to successfully complete the project. For example, if the project could only be carried out in a laboratory, then it would not be suitable for remote working. However, if the work is not dependent on a particular location or equipment, and remote working will not negatively affect the project, then the internship could be suitable as long as it meets our standard programme requirements. You may also wish to supplement remote working with some in-person days in the office to help ensure the intern does not feel isolated.

Differing time zones

Oxford is an international university with students coming from all around the world. We also work with many organisations that offer internships globally. Whilst working remotely, it is possible therefore that the student and the employer might be in different time zones. With this in mind, we suggest that a working day starts within 2-3 hours of the employer’s working day. Therefore, when advertising a remote internship, please include your time zone and working hours, so that the student can make an informed decision as to if they can apply.

Selection process

We encourage all hosts to undertake their interviews with their interns by telephone or via apps such as Zoom or Microsoft Teams.

Gold Standard Internship Host Award

All of our internship programme hosts are eligible to receive the Gold Standard Internship Host Award. Each year the Internship Office officially recognises the excellent internship experience our partners provide to Oxford students through the Summer, Micro and Crankstart Internship Programmes. The award is assessed on the following criteria:  

• Overall quality of feedback from interns
• Consistency of internship provision
• Level of responsiveness to communication from students and the Internship Office
• Responsiveness to constructive feedback
• Commitment to the Internship Office programmes, participating for a minimum of 3 consecutive years for the Summer Internship Programme, or 3 terms for the Micro and Crankstart Programme.

Employers who receive the award are considered first for any potential funding opportunities (if eligible) and receive a gold standard internship partner logo.