Advertising internships

The MA takes a positive view of internships and their value to the sector and to people wanting to gain relevant experience to help get them into employment.

Each internship should provide the organisation with a short-term resource to deliver meaningful work which is of value to the organisation and at the same time provide the intern with a satisfying learning experience.

Internships can be paid and unpaid and we have designed the following checklist to ensure that all internships advertised with the MA are in line with best practice guidelines, being of benefit to both the organisation and the intern.

Before advertising your internship on our website, please read through and complete the checklist below. The MA will only advertise internships that meet all six points.

All internships advertised with the MA must:

• Where the internship is unpaid, pay reasonable work-related expenses and give interns reasonable access to staff benefits (such as free tickets to exhibitions or events).
• Where the internship is paid, pay in line with your organisation’s pay policy or as a minimum the National Minimum Wage and give reasonable access to staff benefits (such as free tickets to exhibitions or events).
• Be planned and structured with a clear brief, specific job content and a named line manager or supervisor.
• Give a clear outline of what they are offering to interns, and what they expect from the intern.
• Provide a specific training and development plan, setting out what learning opportunities will be offered and supporting active participation.
• Ensure that potential interns are told whether there is a realistic chance of the internship leading on to employment.
• Be of a minimum of 2 weeks, and a maximum 6 months (if paid) and a maximum of 1 month (if unpaid, unless part of an academic course).

You can download a copy of the checklist to sign below.