Hosting Internships
Internships provide pre-professional experiences with opportunities to develop and enhance educational and professional goals. It is an excellent opportunity to provide practical experiences and promote careers within state government.
Why Host an Internship?
- Accomplish special projects you would not otherwise take on
- Increase the connections between your agency and the community
- Recruit and assess potential employees
How do I get started?
Internships differ from part-time jobs in that employers are committed to providing training related to the student’s studies through practical application of skills. An internship has a clear set of goals and objectives which typically include project work within a specific timeline.
- Define your internship. Determine the scope of project, time frame, goals and objectives, and knowledge, skills and abilities to perform the work.
- Make financial arrangements. If you are supporting a paid internship, you will need to ensure you have a temporary position assigned. All paid interns are coded as Pay Grade 05 and can be paid at any step level on the pay grade 05 scale, usually based on experience. Your Field HR Administrator may be able to assist you with questions related to establishing positions for internships and the pay structure.
- Prepare a position description. The position description includes a description of the internship opportunity, qualifications, estimated hours per week, compensation, intern supervisor name and contact information.
What are the General Guidelines for Posting Internships?
In order to post an internship, you will need to log in to VTHR and create a job opening. Please refer to the instructional aid provided in the Forms & Documents section of this page. Once your job opening is created it will follow the assigned approval path within the VTHR system. Once approved by the Appointing Authority and Field HR Administrator, the job opening will be reviewed, finalized and posted on the State of Vermont Careers page by the Primary Recruiter assigned to your department or agency.
Candidates for internships are not screened or routed through VTHR. Applicants will be directed to submit resumes directly to the contact provided in the posting. You may contact applicants at any time to discuss the opportunity. It is highly recommended that a status of the position be communicated with all interested applicants. The selected applicant will be offered and hired outside the VTHR system through PAR. Please speak with your Field HR Administrator for more details regarding the onboarding process and requisites.
There is a posting deadline associated with internship job openings posted in VTHR, at which time the posting will not be available on the website for additional applications. If you select an applicant prior to your posting deadline, please notify your primary recruiter to remove the posting. If you have not selected an applicant prior to your posting deadline, contact your primary recruiter to discuss extending or re-posting your opportunity.
Eligibility and Legal Considerations
Internships must comply with state and federal law, including Child Labor laws and the Fair Labor Standards Act. The Department of Labor is an excellent resource for questions about these requirements, as well as your HR Administrator.
As Internship Supervisor it is also your responsibility to verify applicant eligibility. Special eligibility requirements such as age requirements due to the nature of the work involved should be included in the internship posting.
Academic Credit for Internships
Students interested in receiving credit for an internship opportunity will initiate the conversation and coordinate the process. The student, internship supervisor and educational institution are key participants in academic internships. As part of an academic internship, expectations, goals, activities, outcomes, evaluations and time frame are defined and created. Many times a contract or formal agreement is created between the student, institution and internship supervisor.
Resources & Tools
Click on the forms and documents box below for resources, forms, and other tools available to assist you with developing, posting, and managing your internship .
- Supervisor’s Handbook-State of Vermont Internships - A guide to developing, posting and managing internships, including an intern handbook, sample orientation, evaluation forms and more.
- How to Post Your Internship in VTHR - A desk aid providing step by step instructions and screen shots to guide you through the job opening creation process for internship postings.
- Internship Agreement - This internship agreement can be utilized for internships and can be kept as part of the personnel file for the intern. Many institutions will have their own contracts or agreements for academic (credit associated) internships.
- Academic Bulletin Board - A list of academic institutions that can be utilized to advertise your internship opportunity.
Contact Us
Do you have questions or concerns regarding preparing and/or posting your internship? Contact us at DHR.internships@vermont.gov