Skip to main content

Internship Resources for Supervisors

The objective of the Salt Lake County Internship Program is to provide a streamlined process for agencies to accept interns. The Internship Program should help divisions achieve their goals while providing interns with opportunities to gain valuable hands-on work experience or academic credit, develop networking opportunities, and gain firsthand knowledge of County government and potential public sector careers.

The Internship Program will offer a beneficial experience for the Intern and enhance year-round internship recruiting through better marketing of the County and by exposing students and others to the many facets of Salt Lake County.

Resources

Internship Process Overview

Manage the internal internship process by completing the following steps:

  1. Identify an internship coordinator for the agency.
  2. Determine the type of internship(s) needed (paid or unpaid).
  3. Clearly outline the internship project, role, learning objectives, and goals for the intern.
  4. Define beginning and end dates for the internship assignments.
  5. Assign a supervisor or mentor to each intern.
  6. Contact Talent Acquisition to initiate the recruitment of interns.
  7. Provide Talent Acquisition detailed information on the internship requirements before recruitment (job description/project, length of internship, and type of internship).
  8. Ensure the Salt Lake County Internship Agreement is filled out correctly and signed by the intern and agency.
  9. Track all required training records for the intern.
  10. Ensure unpaid interns are affiliated with a school contract or receive academic credit.
  11. Confirm new hire paperwork is complete and submit a copy of the Salt Lake County Internship Agreement is forwarded to Human Resources.
  12. Ensure the intern onboarding process is completed. Refer to the Learning Launchpad for additional resources.
  13. Provide the intern with networking opportunities within Salt Lake County agencies.
  14. Give constructive feedback regarding learning objectives and goals to the intern.
  15. Provide resources, equipment, and facilities to the intern.

Manage the internship recruitment process and webpage by completing the following steps.

  1. Guide agency on proper internship recruitment, selection, and hiring processes to mitigate potential employment risks.
  2. Ensure all interns (paid or unpaid) are hired and tracked through HR’s applicant tracking system and in PeopleSoft.
  3. Ensure the completion of the Salt Lake County Internship Agreement, required training, and intern feedback form.
  4. Market the County internship opportunities to the public (through the Jobs listing website, career fairs, and college & university resources)
  5. Share internship best practices within agencies.
  6. Maintain an internship webpage with any updates and relevant documentation.

Paid Interns

Paid interns are trained under the supervision of an experienced and high-performing employee while learning a profession or trade for a defined period. Paid Interns are set up in the system through the same process as temporary employees. Paid Interns are covered under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) regulations, must be paid at least minimum wage, and receive overtime for any hours “worked” over 40 in the workweek. Paid Interns are not considered to be benefitted, regular employees; they are considered “at will” and may be terminated without notice or a pre-termination hearing. Paid interns cannot be guaranteed employment following their internship. They must work less than 129 hours per month during their measurement period. Paid interns must complete the County Internship Agreement.

Unpaid Interns

Unpaid Interns participate with the County in an educational or academic capacity designed to provide students with professional experience in continuing their education and training. Unpaid Interns are not covered under FLSA regulations and are not entitled to wages for the time spent in the internship. The internship experience is for the benefit of the unpaid intern; the provider or agency that trains the intern derives no immediate advantage from the activities of the unpaid intern.

The unpaid intern is not guaranteed employment during and following their internship and is not required to maintain a particular schedule or work a minimum number of hours except as required to obtain academic credit. Unpaid interns must complete the County Internship Agreement.

Temporary Employee

Temporary employees are covered under Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) regulations, must be paid at least minimum wage, and receive overtime for any hours worked over 40 in the workweek. Temporary employees are not considered to be benefited, regular employees; they are considered “at will” and may be terminated without notice and a pre-termination hearing. Temporary employees cannot be guaranteed merit, benefitted employment following the end of their temporary employment. They must work less than 129 hours per month during their measurement period.

Volunteers

Volunteers help the County for civic, charitable, or humanitarian reasons, without promise, expectation, or receipt of compensation for services rendered. Volunteers are not covered under the FLSA regulations and are not entitled to wages for the time spent on a volunteer assignment. Although volunteers can receive no wages, they can be reimbursed for expenses or receive nominal compensation. Volunteers must offer their services freely and without pressure or coercion, direct or implied, from an employer. Volunteers must not be employed by the same agency, to perform the same type of services for which they volunteer. Volunteers must complete the Salt Lake County Volunteer Form.

Seasonal Employees

Seasonal employment is temporary employment in which the employee may work more or less than 30 hours per week but must work for less than 6 months. Seasonal employees must have a break in service for 13 weeks before being rehired. The break in service is obtained through processing a termination workflow at the end of the seasonal assignment. Seasonal employees are covered under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) and must be paid at least minimum wage and receive overtime for any hours worked over 40 in the work week. Seasonal employees are not considered to be benefited, regular employees; they are considered “at will” and may be terminated without notice and a pre-termination hearing. Seasonal employees cannot be guaranteed benefitted regular employment, following the end of their seasonal employment.

Interns will apply for the internship program through the County website and have their application reviewed by the Talent Acquisition team or Agency.

External Recruitment

  1. Before the internship begins, the agency should provide a brief description of the primary duties and responsibilities of the internship as well as the minimum qualifications for the position. See the Intern Job Description template.
  2. All interns must submit a resume and complete the online application.
  3. Once the application is accepted, the participating agency’s internal placement procedures will be followed. 
  4. Agencies may accept intern resumes and select an intern without announcing the internship. In this case, the agency will contact the Talent Acquisition team to assist with hiring the intern.

Internship Job Description Template

Every intern will be required to complete the following:

  • Conflict of Interest Disclosure Statement
  • Salt Lake County Internship Agreement Form
  • Any additional documentation required by the division/department

  • All interns are required to complete Sexual Harassment Prevention & Ethics training
  • Paid interns are required to complete New Hire Orientation
  • As appropriate and approved by the agency, all interns are eligible for the following optional County sponsored training:

    • Diversity training
    • Defensive driving (if applicable)
    • Any training offered by Learning and Development based on agency needs

Each agency has the discretion to develop selection procedures appropriate to their needs.

Frequently Asked Questions

There are short and long-term benefits to hiring an intern. An internship program is a year-round recruiting tool, an effective way to test-drive talent by providing a closer look at prospective future employees; to increase productivity and business efficiency through short-term support and gain the perspective of people who are in school, recent graduates, or those who are new to the industry; to increase employee retention, and to increase County employment branding and community support to students.

Internships can be either paid or unpaid. This will depend on the hiring agency's needs, budget, and internship agreement. The paid status of an internship will need to be determined before recruiting for it. Contact your Talent Acquisition Partner if you have any questions.

Internships are available for students in high school, career and trade programs, as well as undergraduate and graduate programs. Internships are also available for post-graduate students.

Currently, Salt Lake County has internship program agreements and contacts with public and private colleges and universities. Human Resources participates in job fairs throughout the year where internship opportunities are promoted to students. When internships are posted, the County works with partner institutions to recruit applicants.

Contact your Talent Acquisition Partner or your HR Coordinator.

The length of internships varies. Often, internships for academic credit will last for the duration of the intern’s school semester and/or the needs of the agency. The length of paid internships is variable and dependent on the hiring agency’s needs and budget.

Paid Interns can work 29 hours or less per week (129 hours or less per month). Interns who are working 6 months or less may work more than 29 hours per week but must have a break in service of 13 weeks before being rehired. This will be determined by the hiring agency. This requirement is based on compliance with the Affordable Care Act.

Academic requirements that require special circumstances will be reviewed by Salt Lake County Human Resources.

Yes. The internship supervisor must provide guidance, feedback, and performance evaluation regularly to facilitate the learning process.

Yes. You should provide a job description outlining the primary duties and responsibilities as well as the minimum qualifications for the position. See the agency responsibilities on the Internship Process Overview.

All available internships positions will be posted on the internship page found on the Salt Lake County Human Resources Jobs Page.

All interns, paid and unpaid, have to fill out an online application through the Human Resources applicant tracking system.

Yes, dependent upon the division’s policy. The combined work hours of the intern including the existing job and the internship must not exceed 40 hours a week. Please contact your Talent Acquisition Partner for guidance.

Yes. Paid interns are considered employees and are required to complete an I-9 form.

No. Unpaid interns are not considered employees and therefore are not required to complete an I-9 form.

Paid interns are required to complete all documentation and training as any Salt Lake County employee, including, but not limited to, the following:

  • Salt Lake County Internship Agreement Form
  • New hire online orientation
  • Sexual Harassment Prevention & Ethics training
  • Conflict of Interest Disclosure Statement
  • Any additional training and documentation required by the division/department

Unpaid interns are required to complete all documentation and training including, but not limited to, the following:

  • Salt Lake County Internship Agreement Form
  • Sexual Harassment Prevention & Ethics Training
  • Conflict of Interest Disclosure Statement
  • Any additional training and documentation required by the division/department

Yes. The agency may determine if interns need internet access and/or a County email address. This will be provided as needed.

All interns, paid and unpaid, may seek mileage reimbursement from the county at the county mileage rate. Refer to Countywide Policies 1350- Vehicle Policy 16.3

An internship, by definition, must include a specific learning objective and for the benefit of the intern. The intern must gain knowledge, skills, networking opportunities, and/or further understanding of a particular industry from on-the-job experience. In some cases, some interns might also earn academic credit. The intern does not displace a regular employee. Temporary employees replace or fill in for a merit employee.

Volunteers - perform service for the county for civic, charitable, or humanitarian reasons, without promise, expectation, or receipt of compensation for services rendered. Volunteers are not employees under the FLSA regulations and are not entitled to wages for their time volunteering.

Unpaid Interns - participate with the County in an educational or academic capacity designed to provide students with professional experience in the continuance of their education and training. Unpaid interns will be affiliated with a school contract and/or receive academic credit.

Unpaid Interns are not employees under the FLSA regulations and are not entitled to wages for the time spent in the internship. The internship experience is for the benefit of the unpaid intern; the provider of the internship derives no immediate advantage from the activities of the unpaid intern.

Unpaid Interns do not displace or cover for regular employees but work under close supervision of existing staff. The unpaid intern is not guaranteed employment following their internship and is not required to maintain a particular schedule or work a minimum number of hours except as required to obtain academic credit.