University Professional Internship Program

Note: Fall/Spring position date ranges are from the start of classes until the last day of classes.
 

An internship is an academically recognized work experience related to a student’s major or field of interest. The following must be satisfied for participation in this program.

• UPIP internships are meant to be a learning experience for undergraduates. The internship should be specifically and intentionally beneficial to the educational goals of the student. Learning objectives will be required as part of the posting submission. Note: an internship should not displace a regular university employee or be predominantly clerical/administrative duties.
• UPIP interns must be enrolled full-time (12 credit hours or more), be sophomores – seniors in a first-time bachelor’s program, and in good standing with the university.

All UPIP positions must be submitted for approval and posted in the Hire-A-Niner system and be open to all eligible students.

UPIP requires a full-time UNC Charlotte faculty/staff member to serve as a mentor to EACH intern. This is a commitment to our students, please make sure this is realistic for your department.

UPIP interns may not work more than 15 hours per week, during the weeks' university classes are in session. Fall and Spring terms for UPIP internships coincide with the first and last weeks of the semester, excluding university holiday and other days classes are not in session. UPIP interns may not work on Reading Days or during final exams. The host department will reimburse UPIP for any hours beyond the 15 hours per week maximum. Maximum internship hours for each semester are between 150-225 depending on approved application. Any overages will be reimbursed by the UPIP site.

UPIP works in partnership with our mentors. Confirmation of student eligibility for this program is conducted. Host departments who make offers to ineligible students (i.e. graduate students, part-time students, etc.) will have their internship canceled.

UPIP follows all guidelines set forth by UNC Charlotte’s Human Resources. Students are expected to monitor their own eligibility for the program and for University pay. Specifically, students are expected to disclose other employment on campus to UPIP mentors to ensure that they only have one UPIP internship at a time and do not exceed the University maximum of 20 hours per week of total on-campus employment. Also, students seeking academic credit are responsible for contacting their college prior to the start of the internship to discuss requirements.

Step 1: Secure supervisor’s permission to participate in the program and locate appropriate funding source (50% of student’s salary).

Step 2: Have an idea for an internship? Create an account in Hire-A-Niner as an “employer”. Once your account is approved, you can submit your UPIP proposal for review and approval.

Step 3: Recruit, interview, and select a student by the last day of the semester. Applicant materials can be reviewed in your Hire-A-Niner account or you can set up the system to have them emailed directly to you. You can make the offer directly to the student. Inform UPIP of the selection. Once you're ready, submit your request for approval in Experience.

Submit your UPIP in Experience

Step 4: Complete all required paperwork to include I-9 and the HR Hiring Packet. Information, along with proof of ID, should be taken to Human Resources in the King Building by appointment (Please have your student visit the HR website for the packet). Hiring department is required to complete the Student Temp Wage form and send directly to UPIP for final signature and processing.

Step 5: BEGIN WORK! Work with your new hire on a work schedule, mentorship session scheduling, and remind the student to submit hours in the Web Time Entry system at the end of each month. You will need to approve their hours/the time sheet in order for the student to be paid.

Approved departments will pay 50% of the $12/hour intern salary with a cap of 15 hours per week each semester. The UPIP program will contribute the remaining 50% up to the 15 hours per week maximum each semester. The department will be responsible for any salary above this maximum.
 

Fall/Spring UPIP positions:

• Estimated department contribution at 15 hours per week = $1440 max
• Estimated department contribution at 12 hours per week = $1152 max
• Estimated department contribution at 10 hours per week = $960 max
• Maximum internship hours for each semester are between 150-225 depending on approved application. Any overages will be reimbursed by the UPIP site.

Student Responsibility:

The student completes an electronic I-9 and the HR Hiring Packet. Then, they bring the completed Hiring Packet along with the required I-9 verification documents to King 222 (by appointment only). (Accepted formats include original and unexpired US Passport, student ID, driver’s license, Military ID, Social Security card, or birth certificate.) HR will provide the student with a Verification Card.

International Student New Hires will need to make an appointment with the ISSO to attend an I-9 Session.

Returning student workers who have worked on campus and have not had a year or more break in service will not need to repeat this process.

Mentor Responsibility: 

Once you see the Verification Card (meaning the student has completed the HR process), the UPIP mentor will start the Student Temporary Wage form (available on the HR site). Scan and email a signed copy (PDF format, unlocked) of the Temporary Wage Form AND the I-9 Card to UPIP-career@uncc.edu. Our team will add the UPIP fund and sign and then take to HR to process.

The UCC will also check the student’s eligibility at this time (sophomore/junior/senior seeking first Bachelor’s, enrolled full-time, in good standing with University). Students may only have one UPIP internship at a time and must not exceed 20 hours of work total for all on-campus employment.

Each intern is paid bi-monthly. Students submit timesheets in Banner web time entry every other Friday, which is then approved by the supervisor. UNC Charlotte requires all employees to enroll in direct deposit, which can be done under Banner Self-Service. You can learn more about getting paid on the Human Resources' website. Payroll's website offers a how-to guide for Web Time Entry.

Contact your student and let them know:

1. When you want them to begin and settle on a regular weekly schedule as soon as you are able. (You might need to wait for his/her academic schedule to be settled.) UPIP internships run along class schedules, so semester assignments begin the first week of classes and must be completed by the last day of class. No students should work during Reading Day, exams or other days classes are not in session, unless they would prefer to. Hours worked per week may not exceed hours listed on approved student temp wage form.
2. Agree on when you will have face-to-face meetings with your intern (weekly? bi-weekly?) so you can review tasks and progress.
3. Ask your student if they will seek academic credit for the internship so you both know what is expected.
4. Let your student know they will log hours on Web Entry daily and submit bi-weekly for approval. You will receive an email when hours have been submitted so you can approve them. Students are paid via direct deposit on the 15th of each month.
5. Remember to contact students you did not select.
6. Orient your intern to your office culture. Invite them to a staff meeting, make introductions, explain office procedures and culture, discuss topics like lunch breaks and office attire, and be sure to let your intern ask you questions!

Student Temp Wage Form

One form is needed for EACH UPIP intern; send completed forms directly to UPIP-career@uncc.edu.

As you prepare to interview for your UPIP intern, keep in mind:

Be sure to go into the interviews with a clear understanding of your goals for the UPIP position and what you are looking for in a candidate.

1. Recruit colleagues to join you in the interviews.
2. This may be the very first interview a sophomore or junior has had. The Career Center offers resources, including practice interviews with feedback, though not everyone takes advantage of our services. At the very least, you should expect your candidate to be professionally dressed and to treat this interview seriously.
3. They are checking you out, too, so be sure to outline how working for your department will benefit them as well.

Structuring the interview:

• Start the interview by getting to know the candidate, what they are studying, and building rapport. Include an overview of your department and the role. Be specific about the internship, what they will learn, details of the project, outcomes, who they would report to, and how they will be evaluated.
• Start with a solid list of questions you plan to ask each candidate regarding key dimensions of the projects/internship to ensure some consistency in the information you gathered for each candidate.
• Ask students to provide examples from classes, hobbies, or past jobs/internships. (The Career Center teaches students Behavioral Interviewing skills, which focus on outlining situations, tasks, actions, and results of experiences.)
• Interviews will likely be around 30 minutes. Invite the candidate to ask questions at the end. A candidate should always have something to ask!

Here are some questions you can consider asking:

• Why did you apply for this internship?
• Why do you think you would be a good fit for this role and what do you hope to learn? (Listen to see if the student researched your department and truly wants the position.)
• How do you think this internship will help you further your academic and career goals?
• Why do you think you will be successful in your chosen field of interest?
• Tell me about a time when you had a heavy course load. How did you manage your time? Is there anything you would change if that happened again?
• How do you think your campus involvement relates to skills you can bring to a professional workplace?
• Explain a challenge you had to overcome and how you did it.
• Can you share an example in which you had to manage multiple projects at once?
• What has motivated you to do well in the past?
• What makes you stand out as a candidate?
• Tell me about a time when you had to complete a project and feared failure. How did you complete the project and what did you learn about the experience?
• Describe a time when someone criticized your work. How did you handle the criticism? What would you do differently if presented with a similar situation?
• Tell me about a group project you completed in which teammates were not fulfilling their requirements. How did you handle the situation?

Interns are like other employees in the sense that they will be most successful and productive when they feel like they are a part of the team. Interns should also feel comfortable enough to ask questions and seek clarification. Here are a few tips to help you create a successful, welcoming environment for your intern.
 

1. Notify staff before intern begins. Make sure your team knows you have interns starting, who they are, what they’ll be working on, and who they will report to. This will help everyone feel involved and avoid awkward “who are you?” moments. You can also encourage staff to take the first move and introduce themselves to the students.
2. Make introductions. Introduce interns to the rest of the team, preferably on an individual basis. You can follow up with a group “get-acquainted” session that allows interns to ask employees for information on the department and culture and employes to ask interns about their interests. This dialogue helps bridge the gap between interns and employees.
3. Consider multiple interns. If it is an option, consider hiring more than one intern at a time to build a culture that embraces student contributions. Students can feel more at ease when they aren’t singled out, too.
4. Assign tasks based on intern skills and interests. You might have a student who shines in an area you weren’t anticipating but could really use help in. Don’t be afraid to talk to your students about their interests and what they might like to contribute to the office, even if it means tweaking their job description.
5. Balance the mindless work with project work. Part of learning about the “real world” is learning that it isn’t all glamorous. Sometimes we all have to do menial tasks, and it’s okay to ask an intern to help, but be sure to balance these tasks out with the educational project-based tasks for which the intern was hired.