How to Write an Intern Job Description (with Examples)

Updated 1/22/2024

Are you looking to bring on an intern for your company? Step one is to create a comprehensive job description that will attract the most qualified candidates.

We have provided you with templates of an intern job description that is both informative and appealing. We also have tips on what to include in your posting. We’ll finish off with some examples of intern job descriptions that are tailored toward both temporary and permanent positions. Let’s unlock your internship success!

Internship vs. Part-Time Job: What’s the Difference?

Internships are unique professional learning opportunities typically reserved for college students or recent graduates. They are often unpaid (a CNBC showed that around 40 percent of internships are unpaid), and they give young adults the opportunity to experience what it’s like working in a certain industry, often one they want to work in during their professional careers.

It became legal for companies to offer unpaid internships in the 1940s when the Supreme Court ruled that certain people are considered “trainees” and weren’t guaranteed a wage. It then became accepted that young professionals would be completing internships without the expectation of getting compensated. Thankfully for college students, there has been a stronger push from the 2010s on to make sure that interns are paid a wage, given internships can be time consuming.

Part-time jobs offer guaranteed, hourly pay and no work restrictions, unless the company sets a limit.

Internships are also unique compared to apprenticeships, which are paid, lengthy, individualized trainings that lead to employment in the field the person has trained in.

Best Practices for Intern Job Descriptions

The following are essential to include when creating a job description for an intern:

The job title
Your company name
Location of the internship
Weekly hourly requirements
Salary, benefits, housing arrangements, etc. the intern(s) may be eligible for
Age or school year requirement
College credit opportunities (if applicable to your organization’s offerings)

Beyond that, you’ll want to give a brief overview of what the intern will be doing day-to-day. This includes any sort of task that the intern will be trained on throughout the duration of the internship. You may also want to list any specific requirements or preferences for your intern, such as a particular major in school or skillset.

Your job description should be full of all necessary details. When you provide as much information as possible, you allow the candidate to make an informed decision on if they’re a good fit for what you’re looking for, while avoiding any confusion about what the job entails.

Two tips you may consider when writing a job description for interns that could optimize your job description to land you the best candidates:

State clear Expectations of the Role: You want to highlight what the intern will do and how you will help them gain professional skills. Detail skills or experience the intern will learn, and avoid any cliches that jumble what the intern will actually do. This information will help candidates determine if they are interested in the position and can also help them gauge how much time they would be committing to the internship.
Win Them Over: Let candidates know why your company is the best to intern for by describing company culture, values, and perhaps even success rates your company has had with its previous internship programs.

Requirements and Qualifications

Most companies have different criteria and expectations for their interns, but some requirements that are commonly listed include:

Excellent research and writing skills
Strong communication abilities
Experience with certain platforms or software
Good time management
Critical thinking skills
Self-starter

Some of these are hard skills that candidates may have learned or developed in school, but others are soft skills that are interpersonal. Internships allow students and recent graduates to apply these skills in real-world scenarios and prepare them for the professional settings they may encounter after graduation.

Job Description Templates

Now that we’ve covered the basics of writing an intern job description, try creating your own! Take a look at these templates to help get you started.

Template #1: Software development Intern

Internship Description

We are looking for a software development intern to join our team for an eight-week period lasting from late August to early November. The internship requires 20 hours of on-site work per week.

The ideal candidate will have base-level knowledge in Java or Python and be enrolled in an undergraduate or graduate degree program in computer science. Our paid software development internship provides an opportunity for students to gain practical experience with current software development techniques and train under professionals with dozens of years of experience in the software development field. The intern will work with a team of developers to design, develop, and test software applications for our company.

Responsibilities

Assist the design team with accomplishing tasks related to the development of new software that streamlines customer sales and relationships
Test software applications that the development team builds for efficiency and note any bugs
Document application development processes
Participate in code reviews with experienced web developers

Requirements

Entry-level experience with Java or Python
Enrolled in undergraduate or graduate degree program in computer science or a related field
Familiar with software development
Excellent verbal and written communication skills

Benefits Of This Internship

Practical experience with current software development techniques
Shadowing, mentoring, and training opportunities with experienced developers
Opportunity to participate in code reviews for software used by thousands of employees
$15/hour salary and free lunch every day
Proper paperwork offered to fulfill course credit for an institution

Template #2: Accounts payable clerk Intern

Internship Description

We are looking for an accounts payable clerk intern to join our team from May to July over an eight-week period. The ideal candidate will have experience with basic accounting skills and be enrolled in an undergraduate or graduate degree program in business administration or finance. The internship is not paid but we do offer course credit for required for necessary college or university requirements. Our accounts payable internship provides an opportunity for students to gain practical experience with billing, invoicing, and accounts receivable on-site. The intern will work with a team of accountants to process payments, invoices, and receipts. The internship is 15 hours per week.

Responsibilities

Assist team members in gathering invoices and receipts from employees
Review and approve receipts following company process
Enter data into our internal accounting software
Handle basic customer inquiries about invoicing and billing

Requirements

Enrolled in undergraduate or graduate degree program in business administration or finance
Familiar with basic accounting formulas and terms
Excellent communication skills
A desire to learn and take initiative with problem solving

Benefits Of This Internship

Practical experience with billing, invoicing, and accounts receivable
Shadowing, mentoring, and training opportunities with experienced accountants and an accounting department that services over 2,000 employees
Opportunity to enter data into accounting software and interact with and help solve real-time problems employees face
Flexible with which five-hour shifts the intern works during the week
Free parking on-site and a weekly lunch on Wednesdays
Proper paperwork offered to fulfill course credit for an institution

Template #3: Social media Intern

Internship Description

We are looking for a social media intern to join our 10-member team for the winter. The internship pays $2,000 over 10 weeks from January to March, with $1,000 paid on February 1 and the remainder paid at the end of the internship. The internship is remote and requires 15-20 hours per week depending on the workload of a certain week. The ideal candidate will have experience in managing a Twitter, TikTok and Facebook feeds and be enrolled in an undergraduate or graduate degree program in communications or marketing. Our social media internship provides an opportunity for students to gain practical experience with a social media presence of over 150,000 followers. In addition, the intern will work with a team of professionals to manage our company’s social media accounts.

Responsibilities

Help execute a strategy for the company’s Twitter, Facebook and TikTok accounts
Monitor social media analytics for the team’s social media accounts
Opportunity to establish a presence on Snapchat and Instagram

Requirements

Working knowledge of Twitter, Facebook and TikTok
Enrolled in undergraduate or graduate degree program in communications or marketing
Understanding of basic social media analytic measurements
Excellent verbal and written communication skills
Ability to handle a flexible work schedule based on workload

Benefits Of This Internship

Practical experience with current social media techniques and platforms
Mentoring with a social media manager with over four years experience
Opportunity to help grow a brand with over 150,000 followers
Internship pays $2,000 across the duration of the program and is fully remote
Proper paperwork offered to fulfill course credit for an institution

Template#4: Sales Associate Intern

Internship Description

We are looking for a sales associate intern to join our team from June to August. The ideal candidate will have working knowledge of market research and data entry platforms and processes and be enrolled in an undergraduate or graduate degree program in business or economics. Our business internship provides an opportunity for students to gain practical experience with basic sales processes in the healthcare IT space. The intern will work with a team of professionals to help establish communication with new clients and assist sales managers with leads.

Responsibilities

Conduct cold calls and learn market research tools to help establish lines of communication between the company and new clients
Enter data into Hubspot, a customer relationship management software. (There is no prior experience necessary but prior experience helps.)
Shadow sales managers on pitches and meetings to learn sales procedures for the company

Requirements

Interest in sales and market research
Enrolled in an undergraduate or graduate degree program in business or economics
Must be heading into junior or senior year or are a recent graduate
Familiar with Microsoft Excel spreadsheets or similar spreadsheet software
Excellent verbal and written communication skills

Benefits Of This Internship

You’ll get to learn sales procedures with professionals who have locked down more than $600,000 in sales
Will get to conduct sales calls and lead a sales meeting by the end of the internship
Receive real-time feedback from mentors of how to best lock down sales meetings and accounts
Role is compensated at $12/hour over 20-25 hours per week

If your organization has developed a rewarding internship program, you want to advertise that! The more transparent and informative you are, the more likely you will be to attract candidates who look forward to dedicating their time to professional growth within your company.