Internship resources for employers

An internship is a form of experiential learning that integrates knowledge and theory learned in the classroom with practical application and skills development in a professional setting. Internships give students the opportunity to gain valuable applied experience and make connections in professional fields they are considering for career paths; and give employers the opportunity to guide and evaluate talent.

In order to mitigate risk to host sites, students, and the university, NAU complies with the criteria set forth by the Department of Labor Fair Labor Standards Act (Fact Sheet #71) and the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) position statement on U.S. Internships when evaluating internship postings.

Internships can be paid or unpaid but must be a learning experience for the primary benefit of the intern. To ensure that an experience is educational, and thus eligible to be considered a legitimate internship, all the following criteria must be met:

1. The experience must be an extension of the classroom: a learning experience that provides for applying the knowledge gained in the classroom. It must not be simply to advance the operations of the employer or be the work that a regular employee would routinely perform.
2. The skills or knowledge learned must be transferable to other employment settings.
3. The experience has a defined beginning and end, and a job description with desired qualifications.
4. There are clearly defined learning objectives/goals related to the professional goals of the student’s academic coursework.
5. There is supervision by a professional with expertise and educational and/or professional background in the field of the experience.
6. There is routine feedback from the supervisor.
7. There are resources, equipment, and facilities provided by the host employer that support learning objectives/goals.

The following opportunities are not permitted to be advertised by NAU career offices:

• Multi-level marketing positions that require recruitment of other individuals for compensation
• 100% commission-based positions
• Positions that cannot guarantee the minimum student wage of $15.50/hour (current as of July 2024)

When determining an intern’s compensation, explore NACE’s Key Factors to Consider When Setting Intern Salaries, keep in mind recent court decisions and lawsuits, and review the U.S. Department of Labor Fact Sheet #71: Internship Programs Under the Fair Labor Standards Act. It is important to note that academic credit does not replace compensation.

International students can bring a wealth of knowledge and cultural capitol to your internship program, but it helps to be aware of the issues with unpaid internships for international students.

In the case of credit-bearing internships, NAU requires an Affiliation Agreement between the internship host and NAU/Arizona Board of Regents to aid in defining the relationship between parties. The agreement must be signed and on file prior to the intern’s first day at the internship site.

Affiliation Agreements are valid for five (5) years unless otherwise stipulated. In some cases, non-standard or multiple agreements may be needed if the duties of different internships require specific language or exceptions to the universal Affiliation Agreement. This agreement will be provided to you by the student’s departmental internship contact.

Students at NAU can complete both credit-bearing and non-credit-bearing internships, and both are equally valuable. Some degree programs require students to earn credit for fieldwork or internships, but others offer credit for these experiences as an option.

Follow these steps to advertise your internship to NAU students.

Step 1 – Craft the Internship Description

The first step is to craft a job description for the internship(s) that are clear about the intern’s duties and what they will be learning from their experience with you, as well as any other information regarding application requirements, deadlines, compensation, etc. NAU Career Development has created an Experiential Learning Description Template to aid you in this step of the process.

Step 2 – Advertise your Internship

NAU Career Development offers a variety of ways in which employers and recruiters can advertise their internship positions to our students:

Handshake – Handshake is the #1 tool that students use to find jobs and internships. The platform allows NAU students to connect with employers who post opportunities for part-time jobs, full-time jobs, internships, and other experiential learning opportunities. You’ll want to first ensure that your company or organization has an account on Handshake. Here are helpful Handshake resources to support creating a high-quality employer profile and how to post a job.

Career Development Center Advertising – The NAU Career Development office has a career bulletin board where we post a variety of job, internship, and experiential learning opportunities available to students from employers that are affiliated with us on Handshake. If you are approved and connected with us through Handshake and you’d like us to advertise your opportunity on the bulletin board, please send us a one-page 8.5″ x 11” flyer with all the necessary information.  The more visually appealing, the better! Note: Flyers that exceed one page, do not include the required information, or are not from approved employers on Handshake will not be displayed.

Career Coffee Corner (CCC) — Every Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, we invite one employer/organization to visit on-campus in the University Union to table and meet with students to recruit and provide information for opportunities. Employers who participate in CCC can utilize the space in any way that will meet recruiting needs, including utilizing our Career Development interview room for same-day group or 1-1 interview sessions. The University Union is centrally located and has a great flow of student traffic which can provide the opportunity to advertise and create awareness for your organization at NAU. CCC includes tabling vendor space rental, advertising, parking, cookies, coffee, and NAU Career Development staff support. Visit our website to view more information about CCC, view the schedule/available dates, and sign up! (Note: A date with ‘TBD’ means that this slot is available.)

Career Fairs – 5 times a year, we host in-person and virtual Career Fairs for our students to meet directly with community organizations, companies, and institutes for career-related opportunities. These events are usually attended by 1000+ students in our University Union Fieldhouse from a variety of majors. You can view details and pricing for upcoming career fairs and find the registration link(s) on our Career Events webpage.

Step 3 – Post-selection process

If the internship is not-for-credit, no additional paperwork is necessary, simply have the student complete the internship and evaluate their performance. You can use our Intern Supervisor Performance Evaluation Form and Intern Performance Self-Evaluation Form to facilitate the feedback process.

If the student wishes to gain credit for the internship with your organization, the student will need to contact the departmental internship coordinator or faculty member in the appropriate academic program. (If they are unsure who to contact, have them contact tyler.lawhead@nau.edu

The student will have additional paperwork that must be completed to gain credit; paperwork may vary by department.

You will need to verify that a signed Affiliation Agreement is on file with NAU (or update your Affiliation Agreement with the student’s department, if necessary). The Internship Coordinator (tyler.lawhead@nau.edu) can verify Affiliation Agreements on file.

Crafting an Internship Description  

• One-Page Internship Description 
• Handshake Posting Checklist  

Supervision

Tips for Supervising Interns

Evaluation templates

Below are recommended templates that can be used as is or adjusted as needed. Just remember that evaluations need to offer questions or prompts that allow for thoughtful and critical evaluation of the student’s perceptions and work, and provide information that can be built upon to strengthen the learning experience.

• Intern Supervisor Evaluation Form 
• Intern Performance Self-Evaluation