Before you make an offer
Settle these first. Each one becomes a line in the letter.
- What the intern will work on and learn, and who will supervise them.
- The dates, the hours a week, and where they will work.
- Whether it is paid, and if so how much, when and how.
- What you will provide, such as a laptop or software accounts.
- How either side can end it early, and what they receive at the end.
A note on stipends
Say plainly in the letter whether the internship is paid. If it is, give the amount, how often it is paid, the date it is paid by and how (a bank transfer leaves a record for both of you). Say whether costs such as travel are repaid. Then pay on the date you promised.
Whether tax should be deducted from a stipend, and whether employment or labour rules apply to the arrangement, depends on the facts and on where the intern works. Ask a chartered accountant or a lawyer before the first payment.
If the internship is unpaid, say so plainly, keep it about learning, and ask a lawyer whether that is right for the work you need done.
On Vizdea, an internship has to say whether it is paid, offers equity or is unpaid, so people know before they apply.
When they start and when they finish
- On the first day, introduce them to the team, set up their access, and agree a weekly check-in.
- Give feedback as you go, not only at the end.
- At the end, give the certificate you promised, remove their access, and offer an honest reference if they ask for one.
The letter
Replace everything in square brackets, and delete the options that do not apply.
[Company name] [Registered address] [Date] Dear [Intern's name], Internship offer: [Role title] We are glad to offer you an internship at [Company name] on the terms below. 1. What you will do. You will work on [the work], supervised by [supervisor's name and role], who will meet you at least [weekly] to review your work and answer your questions. 2. Dates. The internship starts on [start date] and ends on [end date], unless it ends earlier under point 8. 3. Place and hours. You will work [from our office at (address) / remotely / partly from our office and partly remotely], for about [number] hours a week, [days and usual times]. 4. Stipend. [We will pay you a stipend of ₹[amount] a month, by bank transfer, by the [day] of the following month.] [or: This internship is unpaid.] [We will also repay (travel or other costs) against receipts.] 5. What we provide. [A laptop, software accounts, a desk.] You will return anything we lend you when the internship ends. 6. Confidentiality. During the internship and after it, you will keep confidential what you learn about [Company name], its customers and its plans, unless it is already public. 7. Your work. What you make for [Company name] during the internship belongs to [Company name]. Work you made before the internship stays yours. 8. Ending early. Either of us may end the internship by telling the other in writing [number] days ahead. 9. Certificate. When the internship ends we will give you a certificate saying what you worked on and for how long. This letter offers an internship only. It is not an offer of employment after the internship. To accept, please sign and return a copy by [date]. For [Company name] [Name, role] Signature ____________ Date ____________ I accept the internship on these terms. [Intern's name] Signature ____________ Date ____________