Supervisor’s Information

What is required from an internship site supervisor (employer)

Supervisor’s Role:

The Department of Communication in the School of Communication & Information is guided by federal regulations on what constitutes a paid or unpaid internship.  http://www.dol.gov/whd/regs/compliance/whdfs71.htm.

Rutgers University Career Services provides a range of information for employers at https://careers.rutgers.edu/employers-mentors.

The internship supervisor is expected to provide the intern with experiences and guidance that will help the intern develop their competence and expertise while learning about the nature of professional work. Rutgers University and the School of Communication & Information provide the academic component that carries academic credits.

As part of this general expectation, we ask that the supervisor:

• Provide the intern with an offer letter (in PDF format) on your organization’s letterhead and with your signature.  They need this in order for them to complete their application to the School of Communication & Information, Department of Communication Internship Program and to formally register for the course.  This letter must include the following:

• The general professional area in which the internship takes place. For example: Advertising and marketing, Communications management, Social Media, Television production.
• Organization name, street address and website address
• Supervisor information:   Please provide contact information for the supervisor (email, phone number, supervisor’s company profile/bio) and the name and contact information of one additional employer representative.
• Title of the position being offered
• Specific Description of the position:
• What kind of work will the intern be involved in?  What types of assignments will the intern be responsible for?
• What will the intern learn at your organization? How does the organization provide mentoring for the intern?
• To whom will the intern directly report?
• What is the agreed upon start and end date?  How many hours will the intern work during the semester?(Please note the course requirement for 3 credits is 100 hours)
• Requirements for the position:  Clarify expectations, required experience or skills
• Compensation?Specify type of compensation:
• Does the internship offer pay?  Is there any stipend for travel or meals?
• If the internship is unpaid please indicate that the U.S. Fair Labor Standards Act criteria provided below have been reviewed and confirm that these criteria are being met at this internship. Specifically, all six of the following criteria outlined by the U.S. Department of Labor must be true in order for the internship to be unpaid:
  1. The internship, even though it includes actual operation of the facilities of the employer, is similar to the training which would be given in an educational environment.
  2. The internship experience is for the benefit of the intern.
  3. The intern does not displace regular employees, but works under close supervision of existing staff.
  4. 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.
  5. The intern is not necessarily entitled to a job at the conclusion of the internship.
  6. The employer and the intern understand that the intern is not entitled to wages for the time spent in the internship.
• Ensure that the intern completes the minimum number of hours for the number of credits for which the student has applied.

• Provide regular, specific feedback to the intern so they may grow and improve over the course of the internship.

• Complete and send the Letter of Evaluation for the intern by the deadline indicated in the letter from the instructor confirming the student’s registration in the course.
• Communicate any comments/suggestions you might have regarding the internship program to the Communication Internship Coordinator at the School of Communication & Information, Department of Communication.  rucommintern@gmail.com

This website provides an overview of the Internship in Communication Course (04:192:369).