The Importance Of Internship

2505 Words6 Pages

Everyone is familiar with what they think is an intern. In past decades hiring a Junior or Senior college student for a summer of work for some big company for no pay was what you aspired for, a right of initiation into the corporate world and a step up in your fledgling career.
In general, that’s how a lot of internships have worked. The company got free labor for a few months and the intern got some experience, a nice line for their resume and hopefully a leg up over other applicants for highly coveted positions. But that’s not exactly in line with the intention of the law and in 2010 the U.S. Department of Labor clarified exactly how they interpret the law.
The main issue here really is pay. The law is actually very clear on a few points relating to interns. First, The Fair Labor Standards Act requires that individuals that are “suffered or permitted” to work are required to be compensated for their work. (DOL 71) If a for-profit company has a person doing work for them and contributing to the business, they should be paid.
So, do you have to pay interns? What are the requirements? The U.S. Department of Labor has given 6 criteria that must be present to classify to have a legal unpaid internship in a for profit company.
The internship, even though it includes actual operation of the facilities of the employer, is similar to training which would be given in an educational environment;
The internship experience is for the benefit of the intern;
The intern does not displace regular employees, but works under close supervision of existing staff;
The employer that provides the training derives no immediate advantage from the activities of the intern; and on occasion its operations may actually be impeded;
The intern is n...

... middle of paper ...

...any. Secondly, by promoting their internship program as a valuable step for students to pursue. Finally, by helping to restore Fox Searchlight’s brand with the universities.
Getting the staff involved in career action programs within the universities. At these programs the company can have a presentation on the overview of the company and its internship programs. During this presentation they will show what is expected of interns, and explain the details of each type of internship and how they work. Another step of these programs where the company can be involved is during mock interviews and elevator speeches. These will help students be more prepared for what to expect when trying to apply for jobs with the company. In all, these steps are here to restore Fox Searchlight’s brand while trying to bring in the most talented students to intern for the company.

Open Document