Unpaid Internship questions

3959635

Hi All - we are a small mfg company in Michigan. Due to our niche industry, we are doing well and greatful for it. We are looking having a non-paid internship position in our marketing area.

Can anyone help me out with this? I am not clear if there are restrictions and do we need to have a contract/terms with this person etc.

Appreciate your feedback

Dutch2

I ran across the following in another HR site:

INTERNS

"A six-factor DOL test can be used to determine if an intern must be paid. For an intern to be unpaid, all of the following factors must be present:

1. The training is similar to training the student would find in a vocational school;
2. The training is for the benefit of the student/intern;
3. The training doesn't replace the work of regular employees;
4. The intern is not entitled to a job at the end of the internship;
5. The intern understands he or she is not entitled to wages for the training;
6. The employer that provides the training not only doesn't benefit from it, but in fact,
the training may hamper normal business functions.

"Example: if you are taking time out of your regular operations to sit & train the student on various aspects of your business, then the presence of the intern is actually keeping you from doing your job, and is not benefiting the company. This intern may be unpaid. As opposed to an intern who is answering calls, filling out forms and providing actual work. Since the business would be benefiting from the work produced by the intern, the intern must be paid."

Basically if the intern is doing anything that an employee would be paid to do, then they to should be paid.

Good luck.

3959635

Thank you - huge help!!!