Hiring an intern can sound like a win-win situation; the intern gets an opportunity to learn and boost their career, you get some extra help generally at a lower wage rate than regular employees. However, it is important to first think about if an intern would be right for your company before you make the commitment.
Ask yourself why you need an intern:
If you’re looking for an intern for a short-term solution to help with your daily tasks, think about if it would really be the best solution before putting up a job ad. Hiring an intern also means that they should be trained and monitored, which also takes up resources and time. Additionally, interns nowadays often want to do more than admin tasks such as getting coffee. A good internship usually means that the intern gets industry experience and mentorship.
Consider remuneration:
If an intern is hired in accordance with the law, then they do not always require compensation. Think about what kind of tasks they would do, how much they would work and their academic and professional experience to help you decide on appropriate remuneration. Many companies choose alternatives to regular payment, such as gift cards, free lunches, public transport remuneration or free company products.
Think about resources:
Do you have the time and resources to train and mentor an intern? Often, interns are part of educational programs which means they may also have to commit to their studies as well as the internship. This requires more flexibility as to which days they can work each week, as well as periods they wish to take off to study for exams. It is therefore important to think about if you have enough resources to not become dependant on the intern for certain tasks.
