Company address, phone number, e-mail address will be required as standard, but we’ll also need to know what you are looking for in regards to potential interns. We need to know what sector they will be working in and a basic outline of the work tasks they are likely to perform. Ideally having a designated staff member to work with us on the internship program would make the process much more streamlined. Often companies will assign this to someone in HR or the operations manager may take the lead. Sending through the direct contact details of this staff member would also be extremely useful in order to maintain direct contact.
We know that in modern business getting the right candidate for the right position is hugely important. To help us make sure that we get a great match between our intern and your company we will need to know whether you have any specific requirements. This could be as simple as wanting a good level of English, or as detailed as needing knowledge of specific software. The majority of our students are of graduate level, and many have some previous work experience. It is important to remember that they are still learning and some will be finishing their studies. As such you will need to be realistic with your requirements to reflect this.
Our professional team will take all the information you have given us with regards to your requirements and the positions/sectors you have available. They will then search through our incoming student database and select the best matched candidates for your company. You will then be sent CVs and placement for any students we feel would be a great fit for your needs. We will outline the length of the internship required and also provide you with information on being a host company. You can of course reject candidates at this stage, however we do ask that in making a decision to take on a candidate or not, that you keep in close contact with our team and respond as quickly as possible so student deadlines are met.
There is no obligation to meet with or interview a candidate before they start work with you. All their information will have been communicated to you beforehand by a Partnership International staff member and this is often enough for many companies. However if you require a meeting/interview with the candidate before committing to their placement we fully understand and can arrange one. Normally the participants don’t arrive in the country until very close to their start date so we would recommend allowing us to arrange a Skype or telephone interview pre-arrival if you require one. If you do need to see the candidate face-to-face then you can arrange to take them on provisionally and we will organize an initial meeting when they arrive in the country. The intern will then be accompanied to the meeting by one of our dedicated staff members to show them how to get to your place of business and to help provide any additional information that may be required.
Congratulations! You have just confirmed to us that you would like to take on one of our interns, and we couldn’t be happier for you! Once we receive confirmation from you we will send through the host company terms & conditions and any other information pertinent to the placement. At this stage if you have any company rules and regulations, a dress code or a program you want the intern to be aware of, then please send them through to the Partnership International project manager who made contact with you. You will then be contacted by our team to organize a start time for the interns first day. They will be brought to your place of business by a Partnership International project manager which will give you a chance to ask any last minute questions you may have!
So everything is going fantastically, and the intern is working out amazingly right? Of course! Just in case though we will check up regularly with you during the placement to ensure everything is working out and that all parties are happy with the arrangement. We do our best to match the intern to your requirements in the selection process and make sure that the interns are fully aware of their own commitment before starting work. It’s extremely rare that there are issues, but if they do arise, no matter how small do let us know and we can discuss them with you, and if necessary the intern. The intern is bound by the same rules and codes of conduct as any other employee, and whilst there may be some leniency if there are issues they must be dealt with properly. You are under no obligation to keep the intern on for the duration of the period if serious concerns do arise and we’re on hand throughout to provide advice and help with any difficulties.
When the internship is coming to an end there may be some documentation that requires a signature from the intern’s supervisor or the manager/owner of the company. We will provide these forms for you with the areas clearly marked. Some projects may also require a certificate from the company – often simply a document on headed paper outlining the period of internship at the company. We can help by sending you examples of these if needs be. Finally, whilst you are under no obligation to give one, some interns may request a reference. It is entirely up to you to decide whether to give one, but we would suggest that if their work has been of a high quality then you may want to give a reference as it could significantly boost the intern’s chances of gaining work and starting a career.
For further information please read our pages on ‘Information for Host Companies‘ and ‘About Our Interns‘.
Ready to kick-start a career? Register with us now and you’ll be helping out a young person in no time!