Internship Information for Hosts

An internship is more than ‘work experience’ for the student. It is professional and personal development designed to enhance the student’s academic studies and employability. 

• A student or group of students will attend your workplace for approximately 20 days (between 120-140 hours, which is equivalent to about two days per week over a university semester).
• You will have the opportunity to negotiate the exact days and times with your student/s.
• Students should be supervised and mentored by an appropriate supervisor, who is regularly available to provide guidance and feedback on the learning objectives agreed to at the beginning of the internship.
• The student/s undertakes a workload of relevant and meaningful tasks for the full period - ideally equivalent to a graduate level position.
• The organisation provides facilities appropriate to the role, such as desk, computer etc. 
• The supervisor completes a final report on the student’s performance.
• Internships can be paid or unpaid.
• Students are covered by University insurance in most cases, however we do require our hosts to also have public liability insurance of at least $10M.

At a minimum we ask that you:

• provide supervision by a suitably qualified person within an organisation consisting of more than 5 employees. (Note engineering students must be supervised by an accredited Engineer)
• provide relevant tasks and activities appropriate to the student’s level of skill and competency, for the duration of the internship
• provide the student with guidance and advice both verbally and in formal regular feedback sessions throughout the internship
• provide a safe and supportive working environment that enables students to develop their knowledge and employability skills
• provide the student with access to facilities and equipment appropriate to their role and responsibilities (for example, a desk and computer)
• provide the student with an orientation at the start of the internship/complete a host feedback form at the end of the internship
• maintain adequate Public Liability insurance for the duration of the internship and provide a copy of the insurance certificate of currency
• host your intern according to the following legislation:
  • Fair Work Act 2009 (Cth)
  • Fair Work Act 1994 (SA)
  • Equal opportunity laws relevant to South Australia
  • Privacy Act 1998 (Cth)
  • WHS Act – Sections 19, 20 and 21, and WHS Regulations – Chapter 3 which requires hosts to:
    • provide and maintain a safe working environment
    • provide safe systems (methods) of work e.g. procedures
    • provide safe plant, equipment and substances
    • provide information, instruction, training and supervision to ensure safety in an understandable language and form (including WHS policies and procedures)
    • manage hazards and provide information on any safety control measures including any personal protective equipment
    • consult workers and their representatives about WHS issues.

Before committing to hosting a student intern, please carefully consider:

• What time of year? Is the internship during semester or during the break?
• Full-time or part-time? Full-time is based on a 35 hour week from 9am to 5pm. A part-time commitment during semester is a maximum of 14 hours for a student who is enrolled full-time.
• What is the area of interest? What do I and the business want to achieve during an internship?
• What level of capability should the student have? Both undergraduate and postgraduate students can participate in internships. Encouraging students to undertake placement towards the end of their studies enables them to apply their academic learning and knowledge in the workplace.
• Is it paid or unpaid? All students signing a University Student Internship Agreement participate in unpaid internships in keeping with the Fair Work Act. However, a small allowance may be paid to the student for incidental costs (travel/lunch/clothing) incurred during the internship. Note: students engaging in a paid internship fall under an employment contract. Further information regarding average entry level salaries in Australi can be found on the PayScale website.

In regard to payment, we recommend stipends are paid in (one or a few) instalments only since its not intended to be a wage. Please refer to the Student Internship Agreement for available payment methods, noting the payment options are only applicable to full-time students. Part-time students may contact their School for advice regarding stipend payments.  Please refer to the below table as a guide to possible stipend amounts. These figures are broadly based as a percentage of an entry level annual salary of $65K and flexibility may be applied depending on the student’s need.

All students are advised to undertake a placement in the penultimate or final year of their program of study. It is common for students to take up internship opportunities during the summer break and a variety of options are available during the semester breaks throughout the year. 

Our systems allow great flexibility, enabling our students to go on internship at any time throughout the year, for a period of time that best suits both the student and the host. We are also conscious of ensuring students balance their study obligations with their placement commitments, so ideally:

Arrangements are dependent on the requirements of the organisation and the availability of the student.