An intern who spends week one waiting for a laptop and a login learns that waiting is normal here. On a twelve-week internship that is 8% of the engagement gone, and the habit is difficult to undo afterwards.
Almost all of the work is pre-arrival. This list is ordered so that by the time the intern walks in, nothing is outstanding.
Two weeks before
One week before
Day one
Week one
Week four — the check that catches the failures
Frequently asked
What should be ready before an intern's first day?+
Equipment, every account, tested access to the specific systems the project needs, a written project scope, a first-week calendar, an assigned buddy and a welcome email. If access is not ready, the intern spends week one waiting — which is 8% of a twelve-week internship.
How do you onboard a remote intern?+
The same list, with two changes: ship equipment to arrive two days early and confirm it works before day one, and schedule more short calls in week one rather than fewer long ones. Remote internships fail from silence rather than from distance.
What should an intern do on day one?+
Paperwork and equipment in the morning, then a real conversation with their mentor about the project in the afternoon, and a clear instruction about what to do tomorrow morning. What they should not do is read documentation with nothing to apply it to.
Should interns get the full employee induction?+
They need the policy, safety and grievance content in full — that part is not optional. The role-specific induction should be shorter and far more hands-on: a small real task on day two teaches more than four days of presentations.
What is the point of a week-four check?+
It catches the two failures that are still fixable at week four and are not at week ten: a project that has drifted from what the JD described, and a mentor who is not actually available. Ask the intern rather than the mentor — the answers differ.