Internships can truly enhance students’ education by expanding skill sets and exposure to real world situations. It is no longer a question of whether or not a student should do an internship during their college careers, but rather how many. This page provides a number of resources for us as faculty and staff to support students in their preparation and search for internships, as well as information on how to hire an intern for your departments.
► What is an Internship?
Internships located in home-based businesses.
Situations where 100% of the work is done remotely or virtually.
Positions in which the intern displaces a regular employee.
Positions that require door-to-door canvassing, cold-calling, or petition gathering.
“Independent contractor” relationships that require the intern to set up his/her own business for the purpose of selling products, services, and/or recruiting other individuals to set up their own business.
Family-owned businesses or positions supervised by a family member.
Positions in which the student is required to pay the employer for any part of the experience (fees for training, etc.).
Increase marketability to employers. On average, only 30% of graduating seniors have job offers before graduation; however, after completing an internship, that figure rises to 58%.
Evaluate specific companies or specific careers prior to committing to full-time employment—a “try before you buy” type experience.
Increase opportunities within a company for faster advancement and growth.
Facilitate a higher starting salary than non-interns. In a recent study interns received, on average, $2,240 more than non-interns for starting salary.
Have resume-building experiences while applying academic concepts and principles.
Have opportunities to fund college education.
Have personal growth experiences and exposure to different job opportunities.
Have hands-on opportunities to work with equipment and technology that may not be available on campus.
Provides learning experiences that are more valuable than case studies and lectures.
Connects faculty to current trends within their professional field.
Develops more competitive and employable graduates.
Increases program credibility and student excellence as well as stronger ties with alumni in the professional fields.
Validates the university’s curriculum in a working environment.
Improves post-graduation statistics for the university.
May accelerate corporate fund-raising efforts.
Gives the opportunity to evaluate prospective employees virtually risk free.
Saves money since an intern receives less pay and fewer benefits than a full-time employee.
Functions as flexible, cost-effective work force without long-term commitments.
Frees up professional staff to pursue more creative projects.
Offers a year-round source of highly motivated pre-professionals.
Garners quality candidates for temporary or seasonal positions and short-term projects.
Brings new and innovative ideas to an employer.
Presents an excellent way to find new, energetic, and skilled employees who bring latest industry knowledge fresh from lectures and other campus resources.
Seamlessly converts student interns to full-time employees who can be immediately productive.
Strengthens the bond with the university and projects a favorable image in the community.
Allows the employer the opportunity to have an impact on molding the lives of students.
SLCD offers students a variety of career-related programs, events, and appointments that can help students in their internship preparation, search, and experience. Learn more below or contact our staff for additional details.
Invite us into your classroom to provide career development related content to meet the needs of your students. Pick from our extensive menu of existing programming or suggest a new topic for your class. Below are highlighted presentations to help your students be successful in their internship search.
Visit our in-class presentation page to view all of our offered presentation topics and to submit a request.
Through generous donations by benefactors on and off campus, WOU has funding available for students scheduled to participate in internships. This funding program is intended to alleviate the costs incurred by a student as a result of participating in an internship crucial to their career success. Typical costs may include clothing/shoes or transportation/gas.
To learn more about eligibility requirements and the application process visit our Internship Fund page.
Policies and procedures regarding internships for credit, are somewhat unique to each academic department at WOU. Most programs have a designated course of 1-12 available credits. The program or designated faculty member stipulates prerequisites as well as a process for creating learning outcomes, reflection and supervision. In order for an internship or an experiential learning activity to be eligible for academic credit, several individuals must work together: the student, faculty advisor, and the site supervisor. Below you will find general guidelines helpful in getting started.
Faculty advisors are responsible for abiding by departmental internship policies, guiding students through the learning process, and supervising all assigned coursework, in addition to providing a final grade.
Faculty advisors will be expected to sign off on departmental internship forms before the student can register for the course.
Faculty are frequently asked by students to help in making networking contacts during their search for internship opportunities. Alumni are a great resource, as well as any organizations or companies that your department works with on projects or invites into the classroom as guest speakers.
The WOU Community Internship Program (WOU CiP) connects students to paid internships on-campus at no cost to departments. SLCD provides consultation on establishing an internship, guidelines, and training on the use of internship contracts and evaluations. If your department is interested in hosting an intern through WOU CiP, please submit an internship proposal for consideration by the WOU CiP advisory committee.
What are the Benefits of Hiring an Intern?
Interns are professionally minded, they have goals, and they are eager to learn and apply their learning. This opportunity is more than a job; it is the beginning of their career and they will take their work more seriously than a part-time student employee might. An intern does not replace a person on your staff, but can accomplish projects on your to-do list, help design a program, or allow you to offer services differently.
Internship vs. Part-Time Job: What’s the Difference?
What makes internships unique is the focus on student learning. This is an opportunity for the student to apply skills learned in the classroom or elsewhere, that tie to the student’s academic, career or personal goals. While the student might perform some roles that are not for their learning, the goal is for them to explore and practice their professional identity under supervision and with mentoring.
An example could be a student wanting to apply their writing skills and learn professionalism by writing press releases for a department. The expectation is that the student needs some coaching and guidance and not be expected to accomplish the task perfectly on the first try. With gentle feedback, however, the final output will be professional, well written and offer a fresh, student oriented perspective that relates to your audience.