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  • How to Classify Returning Interns Who Also Worked Part Time

    April 29, 2019 | By NACE Staff

    Internships
    An intern working at an internship.

    TAGS: best practices, internships, nace insights

    Spotlight for Recruiting Professionals

    A member of the NACE Community who works in URR posted a scenario: A summer intern is hired who will not be graduating the following year and is thus eligible for a second internship. The student is local to the company and continues working part time for the company throughout the school year. The student is now classified as a part-time worker, not an intern.

    “When the following summer rolls around, do you re-classify the student as an intern and have him or her go through all of the intern onboarding again, even though [he] never left and are by this time fully embedded in their team?” the original poster asked.

    The question sparked several responses from her colleagues.

    One company that has approximately 100 returning interns per summer requires them to come to attend a portion of its student/new employee orientation; the returning interns are also required to sit through the company’s security briefing again.

    A URR professional at another company says that the organization typically has several interns who return for a second summer. The company classifies them as interns and requires them to attend intern orientation again. Ideally, the responder notes, it's a great refresher and ensures returning interns are kept in the loop on any changes or updates to the internship program. It also gives them an opportunity to meet and connect with the organization’s other interns.

    An organization with a defined internship program classifies returning interns as interns for the following summer to make sure they pull into all intern-related reports. This ensures these interns receive all programmatic updates and invitations to social and developmental opportunities. It also ensures that they go through the organization’s summer evaluation process and are considered for future opportunities at the end of the internship.

    Another company strongly encourages its managers to extend summer interns into what it calls “year-round interns” on a part-time basis. The company tracks the number of interns it extends into year-round interns, so if their internship ends at the end of the summer, the company terminates them in the system. However, if they qualify for a second internship—if they are still enrolled in school the next summer—the company brings them back as a re-hired intern and has them join the onboarding process.

    Join the discussion in the NACE Community.