Your step-by-step guide to developing an internship program

An internship program is a formal arrangement between an organization and a student or early-career individual, designed to provide supervised, time-limited work experience. Internship programs often run for one academic semester or over the summer, ranging from part-time to full-time hours depending on the role and the organization.

Unlike informal job shadowing or volunteer arrangements, a structured internship program includes defined roles, documented learning objectives, assigned supervision, and a formal evaluation process. These elements make the experience more meaningful for the intern and productive for the organization.

The steps below cover how to start an internship program from the planning stage through post-internship evaluation. Each step focuses on clear structure, consistent execution, and a positive learning experience for interns.

Before you start recruiting or designing roles, clarify what your organization hopes to achieve. Common goals include:

Making sure your team’s leadership and hiring managers are on the same page helps you all develop shared expectations, clear budgets, and the support you need to run a strong intern program.

A clear framework for your program helps interns and managers understand timing, workload, and pay expectations before the internship begins. Key decisions to make include:

A clear job description sets expectations for both the intern and their supervisor. Strong internship role descriptions include:

Roles with defined deliverables, rather than open-ended task lists, give interns a clearer sense of purpose and make it easier to evaluate their contributions at the end of the program.

A consistent plan for sourcing interns helps you reach a broader range of candidates and time your searches with academic calendars. Common channels for finding interns include:

Posting internships 3–4 months before the intended start date gives candidates enough time to apply and complete any required screening steps.

Intern screening often mirrors the process used for full-time employees—verifying their identity, checking references, and running role-appropriate background checks. The specific checks employers use typically depend on the nature of the role. For example, an intern working with financial data may require a credit check, while one who would be driving for the business may need a motor vehicle record (MVR) check.

A fast, transparent screening process also sets a positive tone for the intern’s experience before day one. Checkr supports compliant, role-appropriate background screening for intern cohorts, including built-in FCRA workflows, e-consent, and mobile-friendly candidate workflows with real-time status updates.

Effective onboarding covers the practical and cultural elements that interns need to get started. A written first-week plan helps interns know what to expect and reduces confusion early in their role. Typical onboarding steps include:

Making sure your team’s leadership and hiring managers are on the same page helps you all develop shared expectations, clear budgets, and the support you need to run a strong intern program.

Each intern pairs with a dedicated mentor or supervisor who provides guidance, context, and regular check-ins throughout the program. Mentors help interns navigate the organization, connect with colleagues, and develop professionally.

Work assignments should align with your team’s goals and include measurable outputs so they know exactly what to focus on. Projects with defined deliverables, rather than open-ended support tasks, give interns a clearer sense of contribution and make it more straightforward to evaluate their performance over time.

A midpoint review captures the interns’ progress, identifies the support needs they might have, and allows for any adjustments before the program ends. During the final review and exit interview, gather feedback from your interns and discuss the change to full-time employment when applicable.

Some helpful questions for exit interviews include:

The following practices help support your business as you develop a strong internship program, including communicating well, documenting information, and welcoming interns into your company events and culture.

Paid internships expand your reach, potentially helping you recruit candidates from a wider range of skills and backgrounds. Consistent pay for interns includes:

An intern handbook organizes all your policies, expectations, and resources in one place. Typically, intern handbooks cover:

Weekly one-on-ones between interns and their mentors keep projects on track and help identify any blockers early. Many programs add a midpoint review and a brief end-of-week sync for time-bound summer cohorts. Action items and main discussion points from each meeting should live in a shared document that both the intern and their supervisor can reference.

Interns benefit from being included in day-to-day operations and broader learning opportunities. Examples of this include:

Tracking a small number of clear metrics helps your business evaluate whether your internship program is meeting its goals and where adjustments are needed.

Collecting this data consistently across cohorts makes it easier to spot trends, measure your business against your industry’s norms, and make a business case for continued investment in the program.

Legal compliance for internships starts with federal wage and hour rules. The US Department of Labor uses the primary beneficiary test, a multi-factor analysis that evaluates who benefits most from the arrangement. When education and training primarily benefit the intern, unpaid status may apply. When productive work primarily benefits the organization, the intern should generally be treated as an employee under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).

Keep the following in mind when determining whether to pay your interns:

Background screening for interns follows the same expectations of the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) that governs employment background checks. The FCRA requires a standalone disclosure, the candidate’s written permission to conduct the check, and specific notices if adverse action is taken based on the results of a consumer report. Checkr's platform includes built-in FCRA compliance steps, like disclosures, e-consent, and adverse action workflows, for screening interns and employees alike.

Creating an internship program involves many moving parts, from defining goals and designing roles to recruiting candidates, running background checks, onboarding your cohorts, and measuring the program’s outcomes. A clear, step-by-step approach helps organizations of any size build a program that works for interns and your business alike. Checkr supports the screening side of that process with fast, compliant background checks built for modern hiring workflows. Get started with Checkr to see how easy intern screening can be.

Intern pay varies by industry, location, and the expectations of the internship. $30 per hour is generally considered above average for most internship positions in the United States, though compensation in fields like finance, software engineering, and consulting may exceed this amount.

Unpaid internships are permitted under federal law only when the arrangement meets the Department of Labor's primary beneficiary test, which requires the experience to primarily benefit the intern through education and training rather than the employer through productive work output.

Most internship programs run 10–12 weeks during the summer or align with the length of a fall or spring academic semester. Part-time internships during the school year may run longer to accommodate reduced weekly hours. Some internships in certain fields run for 6 months.

Remote internship programs are a viable option for many organizations. Effective remote programs include structured projects, regular virtual check-ins with mentors, clear communication tools, and documented expectations for working hours and deliverables.

The types of background checks used for interns depend on the role. Common checks include a national criminal search, Social Security number (SSN) trace, and employment or education verification. Roles that involve driving, handling financial data, or working with vulnerable populations may require additional checks such as an MVR or drug testing.

About the author

Checkr is the data platform that powers safe and fair decisions. We’re a technology company that helps our customers assess risk, modernize hiring, and cultivate trusted relationships in their workplaces and communities.