IMPORTANT NOTE FOR STUDENTS:
In the wake of the current publicity on paid versus unpaid internships, students must educate themselves on the different types of internships that are available. A student doing an internship for credit does not preclude them from getting paid for the internship as well. On the other hand, employers requiring students to receive credit for their internship does not necessarily mean that the internship meets the criteria set forth by the Department of Labor of an unpaid internship. Interns must legally be paid at least the federal minimum wage for services they provide within the “for-profit” or private sector if an internship qualifies as a paid position. Students must also be paid overtime if they work over 40 hours per week. Both regulations fall under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).
The U.S. Department of Labor has developed six criteria that an employer must use to determine whether an internship legally qualifies to work without compensation. To learn more, please review theFact Sheet #71: Internships underthe Fair Labor Standards Act, from the U.S. Department of Labor Wage and Hour Division, April 2010.
New Ruling by 2nd Circuit Court, July 2, 2015
A new ruling passed on July 2, 2015 by the 2nd Circuit Court offers information and a new 7 prong “test” for employers to use when evaluating if an opportunity meets the qualifications to be considered an unpaid internship. The core of this new ruling specifically states that student must be the “primary beneficiary” of the internship. Employers must be clear on how the internship will help the student meet both their educational and future career goals, and must provide the student with specific information about the internship and cannot promise that the intern will be hired for employment once the internship is completed.
LIABILITY
Students interested in doing an internship for credit should check with the Office of Academic Advising for guidelines and to obtain the required paperwork. Bodily injury or property damage arising out of an academic credit internship is covered under Skidmore’s insurance policy. Students doing an internship in a professionalsetting (for example - any health care setting, engineering or accounts) the College's Limited Professional Liability insurance would cover those internships but students must contact the CDC so they can contact with Business Services to ensure that the student will be covered. Students doing an internship that is not for credit should consider obtaining a policy to cover personal liability. The College does not maintain any insurance coverage for internships without academic credit.
Internship/Job Posting/Company Verification Disclaimer
The Career Development Center’s web site contains links to other web sites which are not under the control of Career Development Center; consequently, the CDC is not responsible for the contents of any linked site. The CDC makes no guarantee about the positions listed on the web site and is not responsible for the safety, wages, working conditions, or other aspects of employment.
To ensure a student’s privacy and protection when applying to an internship/job online, it is advisable that students do not provide their social security number to a prospective employer, provide credit card or bank account information, or perform any sort of monetary transaction.