THIRD SECTOR INTERNSHIPS SCOTLAND BEST PRACTICE GUIDE
www.3rdsectorintern.org.uk
[email protected] @3rdsectorintern
Third Sector Internships Scotland offered students from all Scottish universities the opportunity to make a meaningful contribution to third sector organisations by completing a specific project, paid at the Living Wage. Over the course of the project, TSIS facilitated 349 internships. We supported employers through the development of their job description, the full recruitment process and appointment, during the internship and on to post-internship reflection and review. The TSIS experience has led to the legacy of a suite of documents to support employers to continue to employ paid student interns. The information provided is a step-by step approach to recruitment, which employers can use and adapt to suit their organisation’s requirements. This guide provides an overview of the process and documents, all of which are available to download on the TSIS website at: www.3rdsectorintern.org.uk and on the SCVO website at: www.scvo.org.uk/TSIS
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Designing your internship There are many advantages in employing a student intern, but it is important to consider what impact this will have on the organisation in both the short and long term. In this section we discuss some of the factors to consider when designing an internship, including organisational readiness and appropriate job descriptions.
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Recruitment
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Pre-internship
Embarking on a formal recruitment and selection process can be a daunting prospect for any organisation, but particularly for smaller organisations where resources or experience may be limited. The templates and guidelines in this section offer practical examples to support this process, avoiding some of the possible pitfalls along the way.
In this section we consider the various pre-employment processes that ensure a smooth transition from successful appointment at interview, to the arrival of your new employee. This includes preparing accurate information for the offer of employment, calculating leave and ensuring the intern has the appropriate Right to Work documents.
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When the internship starts It is important to help interns settle in quickly to the organisation and provide reassurance that the project has clear aims and objectives. At the start of an internship, this can be achieved by guiding your intern through an appropriate induction, jointly formulating their work plan and reflecting on how they feel about starting their role.
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During the internship
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End of/post-internship
A structured approach to support and supervision will enable both intern and employer to review individual and project progress. The guide offers templates for a review meeting as well as reflective questions for both the intern and their supervisor to monitor the progress achieved.
A successful internship can be a very positive experience for the intern, supervisor and the organisation: but what if there were some hiccups along the way? In this final section, we consider the value of an exit interview and the chance to reflect on the internship’s impact.
The following documents can be downloaded at: www.3rdsectorintern.org.uk and www.scvo.org.uk/TSIS
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Designing your internship • Guidelines: Things to Consider When Planning an Internship • Review: Organisation Checklist: Are you Ready to Employ an Intern? • Review: Internship Planning Flowchart • Guidelines: Job Description and Person Specification • Template: Job Description and Person Specification
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Recruitment • Template: Application Form • Template: Shortlisting Matrix • Template: Interview Arrangements • Guidelines: Presentations and Interview Questions (for Applicants) • Guidelines: Interview Questions • Template: Interview Question Matrix • Guidelines: Interview Protocol • Templates: Interview Feedback
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Pre-internship • Template: Reference Request • Guidelines: Pre-Employment Checks • Guidelines: Preparing Employment Documents • Template: Written Offer of Internship • Guidelines: Pro-Rata Leave • Review: Pre-Internship Employer Questions
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When the internship starts • Template: Induction Checklist • Template: Work Plan and Work Plan Review • Template: Timesheet • Review: Intern Reflection: Getting Started • Review: Internship Checklist
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During the internship • Guidelines: Support and Supervision • Template: Support and Supervision • Template: Review Meeting • Review: Intern Reflection: On the Internship • Review: Employer Reflection: On the Internship
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End of/Post-internship • Guidelines: Exit Interviews • Review: Intern Reflection: Post-Internship • Review: Post-Internship Employer Questions
Design: everyonelovescake.co.uk
Third Sector Internships Scotland was delivered by Queen Margaret University, The Open University in Scotland and Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations, funded by Scottish Funding Council as part of the Learning to Work 2 initiative.
