Internships for Credit

Here's a question I just got from a student:
Q: Wanting to apply for an unpaid internship that is open to freshman,
but that requires the school to give me academic credits, I am
wondering if you can help me out since I do not meet any of the
prerequisites for any of the school's departments. Give me your advice. In addition, I would like to learn more about the issuance of academic credits for unpaid internships - for instance, how many credits do I get per internship
and the breakdown of hours per week and the respective credits.

A: Why is it that employers ask students to receive credit for internships? This often mystifies students. A great explanation is available at http://chronicle.com/weekly/v54/i28/28a03601.htm
Students often guess that the employer thinks they're compensating you via college credit. In reality, there's a specific legal reason employers require students to get credit. College credit is typically a way for employers to try to avoid violating the Federal minimum wage requirements (otherwise known as the Fair Labor Standards Act or FLSA).

The rules of the FLSA as it relates to unpaid "trainees" (they don't actually use the word "intern") read as follows:
* The training, although it includes actual operation of the facilities of the employer, is similar to that which would be given in a vocational school.
* The training is for the benefit of the students.
* The students do not displace regular employees, but work under the close observation of a regular employee or supervisor.
* The employer provides the training and derives no immediate advantage from the activities of students, and, on occasion, the operations may actually be impeded by the training.
* The students are not necessarily entitled to a job at the conclusion of the training period.
* The employer and the student understand that the student is not entitled to wages for the time spent in training.

Sound like your internship? Probably not, especially the "derives no immediate advantage" part! But if an employer can get your college to acknowledge that your internship is an official part of your studies-- i.e. a professior is actually providing you academic credit for your experience-- then it goes a long way to making sure the employer won't get sued for not paying you.

There are other problems with college credit for internships. A biggie is that, like any college course, there are prerequisites to fulfill, which you might not have met. Or, your college might not even offer credit for internships at all. So you might have to look into getting credit creatively, by either creating an independent study course or trying to get credit through another college.

Looking on the bright side, receiving credit for an internship gives you two important advantages. First, you have a professor to turn to if you have questions about your internship, need advice, or want to reflect on your learning experience. Second, you can use your professor as leverage with your employer. If you're not learning enough, you can always politely approach your employer and say "I'm really enjoying this internship, but because I'm receiving college credit, my professor says I need to get a learning experience. Could I work on the ____ project so I have more to report back to my professor?" Hopefully a smart employer will see this as an advantage and let you take the initiative to learn more.