Internship Overview for Employers

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Employer Services – Internships Overview

Internship programs are highly beneficial for both employers and students. They are one of the most effective and rewarding ways for employers to engage with our talented, sought-after students. Well-structured internships support early career development and provide inroads to permanent employment. Berkeley Career Engagement is here to support you at every stage, from developing an internship program to recruiting for it.

Benefits of Internships for Employers

Direct access to eager learners with fresh perspectives – motivated to perform, gain hands-on experience, and are highly adaptable
Attract top talent and build sustainable talent pipelines to support recruiting goals
Train talent and future leaders for your industry
An opportunity for an “extended interview” – evaluate talent over time, see how they think, collaborate, grow
Reduce onboarding friction when hiring talent who previously interned – faster time to contribution and lower first year attrition
Build positive brand awareness and relationships on campus – early engagement fosters loyalty and brand equity, showcases organization’s commitment to workforce development and builds credibility among the next generation
Leverage professional development and leadership opportunity for current staff

Creating a Well-Structured Internship Program

A well-structured internship program ensures students get the most out of their time with an employer, and that the employer makes the most of the opportunity. A well-structured program includes key elements such as:

Clear Timeline: A set duration and schedule – usually a semester or summer with specific part-time or full-time hours
Good Mentorship: Support from a dedicated staff member, structured projects, and resources needed to succeed
Career Growth: Meaningful work aligned with intern’s career interests, focused on skill-building and professional development
Feedback: Regular chances to check-in, review progress, and get formal feedback or performance evaluation
Compensation: Paid or unpaid (unpaid roles must follow FLSA/legal guidelines) and may include housing or transit assistance
Networking: Opportunities to connect with peers, explore different departments, and build professional network

Resources

Starting or Evaluating an Internship

Recruiting at Cal

There are a variety of ways to engage with students and establish a presence on campus. Check our Recruit at Cal page for a collection of resources from learning about campus and getting started to building your brand on campus. You’re also welcome to attend a #HireCal recruiting information session.

Contact Information

If you’d like support with developing your internship program, want to learn more about recruitment, or have any additional questions, please contact Employer Relations at (510)-642-0464 or by email.

Internship FAQ

An internship is a form of experiential learning that lets students gain real-world work experience that often directly relates to the student's major field of study or their career interests. Internships can be paid or unpaid, and can be held throughout the school year, though summer is the most popular time. Unlike regular jobs, internships are structured and education and exposure focused opportunities intended to benefit participating students.
Internships are considered a high impact, high value activity due to the abundance of career benefits. Internships allow students to explore, gain experience, and build social capital in their field of interest. Through interning students can:
- Gain work experience to build/augment to be competitive in your job search or further educational pursuits
- Acquire and strengthen relevant technical and soft skills
- Apply academic theory and knowledge gained from coursework to real-world situations
- Earn money and/or academic credit
- Explore career options and field of interest, first-hand
- Help establish and grow your professional network
- Access to mentorship, to receive constructive, honest feedback and guidance
- Potential full time job offer conversion
Why it matters: The National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) notes that internship experience is a top factor in hiring decisions. Many employers use their internship programs to find future full-time staff - developing their talent pipeline by offering permanent job offers to intern.
This is completely up to the discretion of the employer. As with full-time salaries, intern wages vary based upon things such as experience, academic major, position, and geographical location. We recommend for intern salaries that employers pay 75% of the full-time rate for business and 75-100% of the full-time rate for technical positions.

For insight, students working on campus typically earn at or above minimum wage for the city of Berkeley ($19.61 per hour as of July 1, 2026)

According to NACE, in 2024-2025 academic years, the average hourly wage for bachelor's level interns was $23.35.

NOTE: California intern waves may be higher than the national averages. In 2026, Indeed.com published average salary for an intern in California was $24.46, however San Francisco is reported having an average of $28.74, Santa Clara has an average of $44.17, and San Jose $34.79 per hour.
At Berkeley Career Engagement, we align with the National Association of Colleges & Employers' (NACE) position on unpaid internships.

Though many unpaid internships lead to meaningful experiences, we encourage internship experiences to be paid. If an employer does host an unpaid internship, it's important that it abides by state and federal labor laws, like that of the Fair Labor Standards Act.

Alternatives to hourly salary pay for internships include:
- Internship for academic credit
- Internship stipend (for things like housing and commuting expenses)
- Project-based micro-internship
Yes, it is possible for students to receive academic credit for their internship, but not in all cases.

Only academic departments can offer credit, and policies differ greatly from one department to the next. If you are willing to help a student obtain academic credit, work with them to make arrangements through their academic department or through Berkeley Career Engagement’s U.S. Independent Summer Internship Credit Option program.
Students are available to intern throughout the entire year. During the academic year students usually work part-time (20 hours per week or less). Most students opt to intern in the summer on either a part-time or full-time basis.
Look beyond a student's major or class level. Consider how a student's overall profile and experience match the qualities, skills and other requirements of the position.

Much of this information can be found in the student profiles on Handshake. For the most efficient and effective way to connect with students, we encourage employers to attend career & internship fairs, and other events that we offer throughout the year. If you'd like to learn more , you can contact Internship Program Staff by email at ccinternships@berkeley.edu.
The easiest way to start recruiting at Cal is posting opportunities on Handshake. It's free! For directions on posting on Handshake, check our Post a Job page.

We also encourage you to attend fairs and events offered through the Berkeley Career Engagement. For the most effective ways to engage and recruit at Cal, check the Berkeley Career Engagement resources.
The University of California at Berkeley does not enter into formal internship partnerships with employers or sign internship liability waivers or contracts of any kind. Berkeley Career Engagement does not create and/or manage internship programs for, or in partnership with, employers.

However, if you'd like to learn more about recruiting at Cal, you're welcome to contact our Internship Program Staff at ccinternships@berkeley.edu.