For Employers and Recruiters

Here's how an internship for a typical Butler student plays out:

• You post an internship opportunity on Handshake, our online employment portal. You include as much information as you can, including the anticipated number of hours spent on-site by the student, the nature of the work, and to whom they'll report. (Please see the following "How to Create an Internship" dropdown.)
• A Butler student finds it as they're preparing for the next semester or summer term.
• If the student is looking to receive college credit for completing the internship, they take the posting to Butler faculty/staff members to petition that it count for credit in a specific area of study (e.g., "CH" credit for Chemistry, "JR" credit for Journalism, etc.).
• If they're not looking to receive college credit, they might not consult a faculty/staff member at all.
• Regardless, the student goes ahead and applies to the internship either directly in Handshake or by clicking through to your external application site.
• If you offer the position to the student, they're seeking credit, and Butler faculty/staff feel the internship is missing elements, then they and the student will reach out to you to see if the opportunity can be adjusted. (If not, then the student could in theory still complete the internship—they just wouldn't receive college credit along the way.)
• Whether you want to pay student interns is up to you. The compensation rate must be stated clearly in the internship posting. A typical Butler student earns a minimum $12–15 per hour at their internship. You may find it helpful to read the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) guidelines for unpaid interns in for-profit companies.
• If the internship is for credit, you should anticipate being contacted during the term by Butler faculty/staff to gauge the educational experience for the student and how they're developing professionally.
• At the end of the term, if the internship is for credit, Butler faculty/staff will determine a grade for the student's transcript, taking into account your opinions and observations.

As you think about the qualifications of an ideal intern, consider factors other than GPA, grade level, and total years' experience. Overly strict criteria could cause you to miss out on the perfect applicant. Read IndianaIntern.net's tips on what to look for in an intern.

Internship Guides

IndianaIntern.net has great resources when it comes to building/improving an internship program:

• Read the article "Building a Quality Internship Program."
• Download Indiana Intern.net's free Employer Guide.

Best Practices

• Read an article detailing 15 best practices for internship programs from the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE).
• Read how to provide professional development opportunities to interns.

FLSA Guidelines

You can read the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) guidelines for unpaid interns in for-profit companies.

Documenting ROI

Your internship program can't achieve return-on-investment if you don't have a clear road map. Read what aspects of your internship program to document on an ongoing basis to help you clarify what you do, how you do it, and why you do it.

What Butler Faculty are Looking for in an Internship

Below are some examples of information needed by faculty and staff in order to approve an internship for credit.

College of Communication (CCOM)

• The name and address of the company/organization.
• What the student would be doing in the internship.
• What skills would the student need for the internship? Writing? Video editing/shooting? Design?
• If technical skills are necessary, what kinds of software or equipment are already in place at the internship site? Our students are not allowed to use our cameras or any other CCOM owned gear for internships. That equipment is only used for class assignments and projects.
• Approximately how many hours per week would the student be interning?
• Does the internship pay? If so, how much?
• What materials should a student include in an application? Resume' and cover letter sufficient?
• Name and email address of the contact person.

Lacy School of Business (LSB)

• Internships must contain at least 240 on-site hours (Note: due to COVID-19, the minimum for Fall 2020 and Spring 2020 internships has been reduced to 120 on-site hours)
• Students must submit all internships to the CaPS LSB career development team for approval
• Students must have already earned 60 credit hours to complete an internship for credit, including at least 12 LSB credits at the 300 level or above
• Students must have completed the first 300-level course in their major
• Students must complete LSB 401 (3 cr.) or LSB 402 (3 cr.)
• Grades are determined by class assignments and professionalism, which is partly based on employer evaluations
• View our guidelines for public Accounting firms