Free Internship Agreement Template

An internship agreement sets terms between an organization and somebody joining for a fixed period to learn. It records what the intern will do, who supervises them, how long it runs, and whether you pay them.

The learning purpose is what separates an internship from an ordinary job. A placement that looks and functions exactly like a junior role is a junior role, whatever the paperwork calls it.

That distinction carries consequences. Whether a placement can lawfully run unpaid depends on federal and state rules and on the arrangement itself. Getting it wrong creates back-pay exposure.

Interns are also often young, and sometimes still at school. That brings requirements ordinary hiring does not carry.

Write the agreement before the start date. Placements are short, so terms settled in week three cover very little of the time.

The agreement also protects the intern. Somebody early in their working life benefits most from knowing exactly what to expect and who to ask.

This single question shapes everything else in the document. So resolve it before drafting the rest.

Why It Matters

An intern later found to be an employee may claim back pay, and penalties can follow. The cost of getting this wrong far exceeds the cost of paying properly.

A Legal Question, Not a Label

Calling somebody an intern does not settle their status. The analysis looks at the substance of the arrangement. Federal and state rules differ, and some states take a stricter line than the federal position.

Take Advice Before Running an Unpaid Placement

Treat this as a real legal question rather than a formality. Confirm your position with an employment attorney or your state labor department before the placement begins.

The Simpler Route

Paying at least the applicable minimum wage removes most of the uncertainty. Many organizations choose that for precisely this reason.

Stipends and Expenses

Where you offer a stipend, say what it covers and when it pays. Also confirm whether you reimburse travel, meals, or equipment. Note too that offering a stipend does not by itself settle the status question.

An internship agreement earns its name in this section. Without it, the document is just a short employment contract.

Named Supervisor

Name the person responsible for the intern day to day, and a backup. Placements drift when nobody owns them.

The Learning Plan

Write down what the intern should learn and by roughly when. Vague development promises produce disappointing placements.

Balance of Work and Training

Describe the mix of hands-on tasks, observation, and structured instruction. Real work suits an internship well, provided learning stays the point.

Not Filling a Vacancy

An internship should not simply cover a role you would otherwise hire for. That pattern undermines the learning purpose and sharpens the status question.

Time With Other Teams

Arrange short sessions outside the intern’s immediate team. Exposure to how the wider organization works is often the most valuable part.

Feedback Points

Set review conversations partway through rather than only at the end. Short placements leave no room to correct course late.

Projects and Deliverables

Where the intern owns a piece of work, describe the scope and who signs it off.

Placements run to a calendar that somebody else often controls.

Start and End Dates

Fix both. An open-ended internship raises questions you would rather avoid.

Weekly Hours and Pattern

State the expected hours and days. Then say what happens if the intern needs to vary them.

Coordinating With a School

Where the placement carries academic credit, name the institution contact and any reporting they require. Evaluation deadlines arrive faster than expected.

Exams and Study Time

Agree upfront how you accommodate coursework and assessment periods.

Ending Early

Say how either side ends the placement, and who tells the school where one takes part.

Holidays and Closures

Decide what happens if the workplace closes during the placement. Short placements lose a meaningful share to an unnoticed shutdown week.

Whether a Job Follows

State plainly whether the placement implies any offer of employment. Usually it does not, and saying so prevents a difficult conversation later.

Interns see real information and produce real work. Both need covering.

Confidential Information

Define what stays confidential and for how long. Keep the scope proportionate to what a short placement actually exposes them to.

Ownership of Work Created

Say who owns what the intern produces during the placement. Silence here causes arguments precisely when the work turns out well.

Portfolio and Public Use

Interns want to show their work. Agree in advance what they may include in a portfolio and what stays private.

Policies and Site Rules

Confirm which policies apply and who walks them through the ones that matter. Nobody absorbs a handbook on day one.

Equipment and System Access

List what they receive, what access they get, and when both come back. Give the minimum access the work needs rather than a standard staff bundle.

Social Media

Set expectations about posting from or about the workplace, and keep them reasonable.

Where the intern is under eighteen, additional requirements apply. Handle these before the start date rather than during week one.

Age, Permits, and Documentation

Requirements for employing minors, including work permits and age certificates, vary by state and by age. Check with your state labor department before confirming a start date.

Restricted Hours and Tasks

Rules limit when minors may work and which tasks they may perform, and they differ by age and by industry. Confirm the specifics for your setting rather than assuming.

Parental Consent and Contact

Where the intern is a minor, obtain written consent from a parent or guardian and record an emergency contact.

Safety Induction

Run the same safety briefing you would for any new starter, and record that it happened. Inexperience raises risk rather than lowering it.

Insurance and Coverage

Ask your insurer whether cover extends to interns, paid or unpaid. Do not assume existing policies extend to them automatically.

Records to Keep

Retain the signed agreement, consents, permits, hours worked, and evaluations together.

Good placements come from clear expectations rather than good intentions. Set them out in an internship agreement template before the first day.