Interested in hiring an NYU Intern? See below for our internship sponsor responsibilities & guidelines!
Employers who do not meet these guidelines will not be able to advertise their positions directly to our students.
- An intern should not solely exist to make an employer’s life easier.
An internship is supposed to be a learning experience, and taking on an intern is a responsibility that should not be taken lightly. An internship includes one-on-one mentorship, guidance and support and that mentorship might even sometimes slow down operations of your company. The goal is that an internship is mutually beneficial to an employer and an intern.
A good test is to ask yourself “Why do I want an intern?” If the first answer that pops into your head is “Because I would like cheap or free assistance on a project” then you are likely not in a good position to offer an internship at this time. Not being able to afford a production assistant / entry level staff member is not a reason to take on an intern.
- Safety and respect of all interns is paramount.
Show your interns respect. Be cognizant of the power dynamic you are in with an intern, and act professionally and respectfully at all times. Additionally, do not put your interns in dangerous situations, or ask them to take part in risky activities - both in the office and outside of it.
- Discuss your intern's objectives & responsibilities in the Agreement Packet.
During the first week of the internship, if your intern is interning for academic credit, they should bring you an Internship Agreement Packet. You should sit down with your intern during their first week of work and complete the packet together. Use this opportunity to be clear about your expectations for the role, and to create a working relationship that makes sense for both the internship site and the intern. If your intern is not interning for credit, we still recommend having a similar meeting in the first week of their internship for goal & expectation setting purposes.
- Basic office tasks are expected, but cannot be the entirety of the internship.
It is expected that, especially at the beginning, interns will be fulfilling basic tasks to support the rest of the staff. However, supervisors should be thoughtful about offering educational opportunities whenever possible. Having a pitch meeting? Have your intern sit in. Visiting a set? This would be a good time to ask your intern to shadow. It is your responsibility as a supervisor to be balancing educational opportunities with office tasks.
- Work should occur primarily in-office with a supervisor present.
Our students are often balancing multiple responsibilities and jobs at any given time. Knowing this, their work should primarily be completed in person under the supervision of staff. The majority of the internship cannot be remote, and must include office time, except in extreme circumstances. Additionally, asking interns to repeatedly work outside their set work hours should be done sparingly, especially if they are not being compensated. **Due to COVID19, we are encouraging employers & students to work remotely if suggested by local officials**
- Interns should work under a supervisor with training in the area they are working in.
Interns should be learning from their supervisors, and it’s expected that their supervisor will have experience in the area the intern is working in. For example, if a company has an editing intern, that intern should be working primarily under an editor or assistant editor who is a professional in their field.
- Having an issue with your intern’s performance? Talk to them.
If your intern is not meeting your standards, you should give them feedback respectfully and constructively. Use the conversation as a learning experience - they are, in fact, there to learn.