Internships

BUILD partnership program

What is the process of hiring a student in BUILD? +

The best way to begin is to reach out to one of our internship supervisors to express an interest in the possibility of providing an internship for a student in the BUILD program. If you are available to attend our internship fair, it is a great opportunity for both you and potential student interns to figure out if there could be a good match for an internship experience in your place of employment.

As we approach the start of each semester, you will hear from one of our internship supervisors so you can coordinate with them about who you’d like to hire. You may also ask any follow-up questions you might have after attending the fair.

You and the internship supervisor will communicate about which student could be a good fit for your office or position, the basic job duties that will be required, and details like the timing and length of shifts.

How many hours do students in BUILD need to work at their internship each semester? +

Beginning their second semester at Bethel, students in BUILD are required to work 60 hours at their internships each semester. This breaks down to about five per week. This can be split across internships if there are not enough job duties to fill five hours per week.

How long do I need to commit to having a student in BUILD in an internship? +

One semester. Commitments are made semester by semester. While we would love to continue partnering with your department or organization longer term, reassessing and deciding whether to host another student is always part of the process.

Would I pay the student in BUILD? +

If this is traditionally a paid position, then the student in BUILD should also be paid. If the position is created specifically to provide a meaningful opportunity for the student but isn’t traditionally paid, the student would not be paid.

Additionally, the BUILD program will cover the cost of a mentor, whether or not the student in BUILD is paid.

Do I have any say in which student in BUILD we have as an intern? +

Definitely. Each year, partners are invited to participate in our internship fair. This is an opportunity to meet and interview students in the program. Internship partners have shared that there has been significant value in attending the fair to be able to share which students would be the best fit for the role. Students also choose which places they would like to interview with, ensuring their internship feels meaningful and aligns with their goals.

What if we are not sure we have enough work and tasks to provide a meaningful internship experience? +

In some cases, students can have multiple internships to fulfill their required hours. Even working one to two hours a week could still be invaluable for the right student, depending on their professional goals. Please reach out to let us know you’re interested in partnering—we would be happy to work with you to explore possibilities.

Do I personally need to provide ongoing support to students in BUILD during all of their internship hours? +

Each student will have a mentor, paid by the BUILD program, who will work with them during each shift to ensure job duties are accurately completed to the expected standards.

If you and the internship supervisor agree that a student is ready to work independently, a plan can be developed to phase out the mentor’s support.

What if we already have all the student workers our department needs? +

(For on-campus internship partners)

You could hire a student in BUILD as your student worker and assign one of your current student workers to serve as the job mentor. In this case, the BUILD program would pay your current student worker. The bonus? You get to keep your wonderful student worker, and they can train and support the student in BUILD.

What if we do not currently have student worker positions? +

That’s just fine! We can work with you to create ideas for what a meaningful internship could look like. If you are creating a role specifically for a student in BUILD, the internship would not be paid.

If I am willing to provide an internship opportunity, what other responsibilities would I need to fulfill? +

If possible, RSVP to attend the BUILD Internship Fair. Before the internship begins, you’ll sign an onboarding contract and create a list of basic job duties. At the end of each semester, we’ll ask you to fill out a feedback form to help us understand the student’s strengths and areas for improvement.