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Employers
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Industry benefits from the fresh views and youthful exuberance provided by interns.
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Do your part in helping prepare the workforce of the future while at the same time benefiting from the fresh look and exuberance provided by our local talented youth. We've arranged this section in a question-and-answer format to make it easy to find the information you're looking for.
How will my company benefit from working with interns?
"The business community must invest in our next-generation workforce — student intern programs are a good start. In working with interns in Sonoma County, I have found that the students' intense desire to learn about real-world business drives them to academic achievement and career path success."
Curt Wheeling
Advanced TelCom Group (ATG)
"Students need opportunities to broaden their concept of learning, to integrate and connect it to real-life challenges, and to know that learning is not just something you do at school but is a lifelong endeavor. At Autodesk we are putting students in the most critical areas of our company to broaden their exposure in the workplace and give students an increased sense of accomplishment and self esteem."
Carol Bartz
CEO, Autodesk
"Interns are valuable to Kaiser Permanente because they bring youthful thoughts and ideas, they question, challenge and refresh us... but more importantly, internships are an opportunity to enrich our kids' lives. Internships are a responsibility that just happen to payoff big by creating mentoring relationships that can last a life time."
Patricia Kendall
Kaiser Permanente
Where do I source interns for my North Bay company?
The North Bay is favored with a number of excellent internship programs serving diverse industries and educational levels. Most of these programs offer helpful personal attention in helping your company define your internship opportunity and matching a pre-screened candidate to your opening.
- College of Marin — Offers an academic internship program for students of print/production (desktop publishing) and multimedia studies. Contact Lawrence Tjernell at 415-883-2211 x 8228.
- Dominican University — Offers academic credits to Dominican students interning in employment related to their major field of study. Dominican also posts openings from employers directly on their website.
- Marin County School-to-Career Partnership — Offers career exploration opportunities for Marin County high school students through internships, job shadows, work site visits and career presentations.
- Santa Rosa Junior College — Offers an intern program designed for the student who has decided on a major, has taken classes in the major, and is ready for on-the-job experience.
- Sonoma County School-to-Career Partnership — Offers career exploration opportunities for Sonoma County high school students through internships, job shadows, work site visits and career presentations. Online postings of intern resumes and opportunities.
- Sonoma State University — Offers an internship program for SSU students awarding credit for work activities in a field related to a student's academic or career goals. Some online postings available.
What should be expected of the intern?
The intern should fulfill pre-agreed responsibilities and tasks while learning about the workplace and gaining important job skills. The intern should be willing to listen to constructive feedback and learn from successes and challenges that, coupled with support and flexibility from the employer, will help them succeed. The intern is expected to resolve problems and work within company policy, exhibiting the same discipline as any regular employee.
What should NOT be expected of the intern?
They will NOT know how to do everything right away! (Although they will bring a valuable fresh perspective immediately.) Interns are neither temp workers nor regular paid adult employees. They are students who are learning what it means to hold a job — so repetitive, boring assignments for prolonged periods of time in isolation are not appropriate. By the end of the internship, the intern may be ready for more difficult work, but they should not be set up for failure — especially ruled out is any important high-profile work right from the beginning. Mistakes are inevitable — part of the value of the internship is learning how to understand when something was done incorrectly, and how to learn from the mistake.
Will the student be able to handle the job?
While many students have previous work experience already, all bring enthusiasm for work and the ability to learn and follow directions. Working through existing regional internship programs can help you define your requirements and match you with pre-screened candidates, whom you can interview before making a final decision. Plus, full participation with schools can help to steer potential internship candidates into coursework that will enhance their work readiness for your workforce.
How much do I pay the intern?
Most, but not all, internships are paid at rates similar to other typical student job opportunities.
What about rules, regulations, and permits?
Generally, the intern is subject to the same rules and regulations that govern any other employer-employee relationship.* In addition, child labor laws must be followed.
Teen work rules (pdf)
Workers between 14 and 18 years of age who have not yet graduated from high school need a valid work permit that they secure through their school or regional educational authority.
Work permit request form (pdf) (To be completed by student, employer, and school.)
*In certain cases working through an educational authority, the educational authority may be deemed the employer. Discuss this with your educational authority.
What happens if the student needs to be terminated from the internship?
Your school-to-career or other educational authority can help you resolve any differences if possible. Otherwise, the employer may terminate the student, subject to applicable labor laws.
Where can I find best practices information?
BaySCAN, a Bay area School-to-Career network, has published a list of resources
on their website, including Best Practices for Employers (pdf). Massachusetts School-to-Career has published the helpful guide Mentoring and Supervising Teenagers (pdf).
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