What are my responsibilities?

As an employer, you should ensure that any internship opportunity conforms to legal requirements.

It’s also good practice to provide a structured environment in which graduates will work, and to treat interns with the same fairness and respect as you would other employees.

In order to foster healthy working relationships between you and your interns, it is necessary to ensure you understand what the law expects of you. You will get the best from interns who are treated fairly and equitably.

You have certain responsibilities with regards to:

• Payment - Interns who are performing a worker role must be paid the National Minimum Wage.
• Equal treatment - There are certain protected characteristics in law which you must ensure you do not base important decisions upon.

Find out more about treating candidates fairly.

In addition, you have other responsibilities which will affect the relationship between you and your interns. These include:

• Hours, rest breaks and the working week - Interns are like any other worker in that they must be allowed adequate rest, a minimum amount of time for a break, and their weekly hours must not exceed certain maximums.
• Health and safety - You must ensure that you provide a safe and healthy working environment for your staff, especially if your workplace is a high-risk environment (e.g. your employers work with chemicals or machines).
• Sticking to your contractual agreements - When you offer your interns a contract of employment, you must ensure that you stick to that contract to the letter unless both parties agree to the change.

Find out more about healthy working relationships