DEPARTMENT OF RECORDING INDUSTRY

Middle Tennessee State University, Box 21, Murfreesboro, TN 37132

PHONE:  (615) 898-2578      FAX (615) 898-5682

ABOUT OUR INTERNSHIP PROGRAMS

Coordinators:

Purpose: The purpose of our Internship Program is to provide students with an opportunity to put their classroom knowledge to use in a “real world” situation and to provide qualified workers to the profession.  It is also an excellent opportunity for them to gain experience, make contacts in the industry, and increase their professionalism and self-reliance.

Benefits to Internship Providers: Providers have the opportunity to utilize the intern’s skills and talents within the scope of the business.  While federal law prohibits the replacement of a regular employee with an intern, the provider has the benefit of the extra help an intern can provide.  The provider can also evaluate the student’s performance while they intern, with the option of hiring them as regular employees.

What can an intern do?   Students applying for internships must meet certain requirements set by our department.  They must have senior standing and have completed the primary courses in their major with a minimum grade point average.  Additional screening by faculty also takes place.  Therefore, they should be prepared to be an asset and active participant within your organization.  Students look for a place where they are given real responsibilities, exposure to operating procedures, and the opportunity to learn as much as possible.

Internship Payment: Wages, stipends, or other forms of payment, are not required as long as the student is officially enrolled in an internship course.  The receipt of college credit for internship participation satisfies federal labor laws.  Most internships are not paid, however those that are, are in high demand.   Providers may opt to reimburse students for commuting or living expenses or provide a stipend to offset the cost of tuition.  Due to the potential for conflicts of interests, the MTSU internship coordinators are will not become involved in discussions regarding student payment.

How do I obtain an intern?  Complete and return the Intern Request and Information form.  If you wish, your organization will be added to our computer database.  Our students will use the database to select potential internship sites and will then contact you in order to request an interview.  The more information you can provide about your organization and positions available, the better.  If several departments are involved, please include individual supervisors and job descriptions when applicable.

Internship Provider Responsibilities: We ask the following of the all internship providers:

• A personal or telephone interview prior to accepting a student for an internship.  This gives everyone involved the opportunity to get to know one another, define the opportunity and expectations, make sure adequate duties and responsibilities are available, verify the student has the appropriate skills for the position, and to address other issues important to both the student and internship provider. 
   

• The student needs to be involved in meaningful activities.  One of the goals of the internship program is to provide a growth experience for the students.  While interns might be expected to perform some basic tasks like answering the phones, taking out the trash, and so on, we ask that they are also involved in more substantial activities as well.  Asking “what will they learn from this” is a good means of measuring the value of the duties.  We understand that the student activities will vary greatly from organization to organization, from semester to semester, and from student to student.
   

• We require that someone within the organization be identified as the intern’s supervisor.  While the student may work with others, it is important that there is one person to whom the student should report, who will fill out the required paperwork, and be a contact for the MTSU internship coordinator.

• We ask that the provider assesses the intern’s work and provides meaningful evaluation to the student and MTSU.  The feedback to the student is vital to their development, but does not need to be overly formal.  The feedback to MTSU is done via periodic phone calls to the supervisor and a single page evaluation form to be completed at the end of the term.
   
• We require that all internship activities be within the official scope of the business for which they are interning.  With the understanding that they are students, we ask that the students be treated like any another employee.

• We require that all internships be conducted within accordance of all Federal, State and Local laws.  So that all parties are aware of guidelines concerning unpaid workers, the following is a overview of Federal regulations as they pertain to student interns:

FEDERAL FAIR LABOR STANDARDS ACT

TRAINEES:  The Supreme Court has held that the words “to suffer or permit to work,” as used in the Act to define “employ,” do not make all persons employees who, without any express or implied compensation agreement, may work for their own advantage on the premises of another.  Whether trainees or students are employees of an employer under the Act will depend upon all the circumstances surrounding their activities on the premises of the employer.  If all of the following criteria apply, the trainees or students are not employees within the meaning of the Act:

1. The training, even though it includes actual operation of the facilities of the employer, is similar to that which would be given in a vocational school; 
2. The training is for the benefit of the trainees or students;
3. The trainees or students do not displace regular employees, but work under their close observation;  
4. The employer that provides the training derives no immediate advantage from the activities of the trainees or students and, on occasion, its operations may actually be impeded;
5. The trainees or students are not necessarily entitled to a job at the conclusion of      the training period; and
6. The employer and the trainees or students understand that the trainees or students are not entitled to wages for the time spent in training.

The easiest way for you to ensure that your intern is registered for internship credit is to make and keep a copy of his/her tuition receipt for the current semester.  It will list all classes in which the student is registered. 

Interns must work the following on-the-job hours to receive college credit:       

The provider’s ability to provide number of hours should be negotiated at the time of the interview.

Interns are not required to work a set number of hours per week as long as the total number of hours are completed by the end of the term.

Other Restrictions:

• Interns must work in commercial facilities.  Work in private residences or homes is strictly prohibited.
   
• Interns may work with independent professionals (engineers, producers, artist managers, etc.) provided that all work is performed in commercial facilities.
   
• We do not guarantee we can place an intern with your organization.
   
• We cannot guarantee that we can place a particular intern with your organization.

Procedures: The following is a step-by-step procedure for working with an intern.

1. Interview: Please conduct a thorough interview with each potential intern.  This will help assure that appropriate expectations are set for all parties involved.  This will also provide the students with an interview experience.
    
2. Completion of the Confirmation of Internship form.  The student will have this form and we ask the supervisor to complete it with them.  The more detail regarding the intern’s duties and responsibilities, the better.  However, we are aware that the student’s activities will not necessarily be restricted to this description.
    
3. The student will keep a Monthly Log of Internship Activities.  We ask that the supervisor reviews this for accuracy and signs off once a month.  The student will return it to MTSU.
    
4.  The MTSU coordinator will call periodically to keep track on the student’s progress.
    
5. At the end of the term, the MTSU coordinator will send an Internship Evaluation Form directly to the internship provider.  We ask that this is carefully considered, filled out, and returned directly to the MTSU coordinator.  While we suggest that this form is reviewed with the student, we ask that it is not given to the student to return to MTSU.  This form is vital in regard to assigning student grades.  Please keep in mind that this is a Pass/Fail class and no A, B, C, or D grades are  assigned.  The provider may request that this form remains confidential and kept private from the student.  This is typically necessary only in extreme circumstances.
    
6.   Please make copies of all internship forms are included for your information.

Conclusion: We hope that you will find that working with interns from the Department of Recording Industry to be a rewarding and mutually beneficial experience for all involved.  We want our students to learn from being assets to your organization.  We find that when the above procedures are followed, the chances of success are greatly enhanced.

Further information can be obtained at: http://www.mtsu.edu/~record or http://rim/mtsu.edu

Please contact us if we can answer any questions!

Thank you for your time and consideration.                                                                                  

Rev. 10-06            Download This Document