The quality of an internship programme is determined almost entirely by decisions made before the intern arrives.
Before sourcing
What is the project, who is the mentor, what does success look like, and what is the conversion intent. If any of these is undecided, the internship will drift and the conversion decision will be arbitrary.
Before the offer
The start and end dates, the stipend, the first-fortnight plan and the conversion decision date. Candidates ask about all four, and vague answers cost acceptances.
Before day one
Access provisioned, workstation ready, the first task defined and the mentor's calendar adjusted. An intern who spends week one waiting for access has lost a sixth of a twelve-week programme.
Before the end
The conversion decision made two weeks early, the feedback written, and a demo scheduled. All three matter for conversion; the demo also matters for how the programme is described on campus next year.
Key takeaways
- Decide project, mentor, success criteria and conversion intent before sourcing.
- Have dates, stipend, first-fortnight plan and decision date ready before the offer.
- Provision access before day one — week one is a sixth of a twelve-week programme.
- Make the conversion decision two weeks early and schedule a demo.
Questions
What is the right internship length?+
Long enough for the intern to own something end to end — typically eight to twelve weeks. Shorter programmes rarely produce enough evidence for a confident conversion decision.
How many interns per mentor?+
Two at most, and one if the mentor also has delivery commitments. Mentor availability is the binding constraint on programme quality.