Internship Supervisor Guide

Definition of internship

The internship is part of the academic and training process of a student. The welcoming and integration of an intern within a group of employees will allow the student to develop skills and competences to enhance the university training process. In addition, an internship will also be the perfect way for the student to reinforce the in-depth comprehension of theoretical aspects learned in class and their application in a real-life context. The learning process involves, for example, the implementation of a supervised project through observation and learning from experienced workers, knowledge transfer and discussions with other team members. The internship is bound by requirements that are unique to each study program.

Responsibilities of the parties involved

Service du développement professionnel

• Guides student in the internship with their university recruitment strategies and the welcoming of interns.
• Helps the employer and supervisor with university recruitment strategies and the welcoming of interns.
• Ensures that student meet the eligibility requirements for an internship and approves internship agreements.
• Oversees the assessment of the internship througt the mid-internship follow-up.
• Advises student and supervisor in case of problems.

Faculty, Department and Academic Managment Unit

• Develops the pedagogical and practical pathway of the curriculum.
• Deals with the academic process and evaluation of all internships.

The Employer

• Respects the agreements, both written and verbal, made with the intern concerning the length of the internship, the salary, and the internship description, etc.
• Offers a safe and stimulating working environment.
• Must quickly train the interns to prevent risks related to the internship.
• Complies with applicable laws and regulations regarding equity, health and safety at work (CNESST in Quebec), namely personal protective equipment, overtime, vacation pay, etc., as well as the policy on psychological or sexual harassment as defined by Université Laval.

The Supervisor

• Provides a clear internship description and set of tasks, which meet the learning objectives and represent a challenge for the intern, based on his competencies and skills. If required, please feel free to look at some suggestions of tasks (in French only).
• Informs the intern of the regulations regarding the work ethics and confidentiality of the organization.
• Implements optimal learning conditions throughout the internship:
  • Offers adequate availability or refers student to a third-party in case of questions or needs;
  • Guides the student in the application of the theory of the development of new skills or competencies;
  • Supervises and validates the work of the intern;
  • Provides constant feedback throughout the internship;
  • Fills out all mandatory evaluation and assessment forms as requested by Université Laval.
• Does not encourage the intern to drop out of school by offering full-time employment before graduation.
• Promptly consults with the Service du développement professionnel concerning :
  • Any changes modifying the internship agreement (changes in mandate, tasks, supervisor, starting or ending periods, student's absence, etc.);
  • Any problems with the intern.

The Intern

• Must respect all the rules of the organisation and training environment where internship is held, and thoe of Université Laval. See the "obligations du stagiaire" (in French).

Before the internship

An internship agreement has been signed between your organization and your intern. Do not hesitate to refer to it throughout the internship. The evaluation will be done on this basis. Please inform the Service du développement professionnel if any changes occur.

If you are hosting a student with a disability, you may wish to consult a guide (in French only) that provides guidelines to help you identify possible accommodations within your organization.

Preparation in welcoming the intern

• Inform the team of the arrival of the intern and briefly explain the mandate.
• Before the arrival of the intern, prepare the working station (desk, office supplies, computer, email address, phone and Internet access, security card) OR the equipment to be delivered to him/her for teleworking.
• Add the intern's information to your existing internal lists (emails, phones).
• Gather all documents which will be useful for the intern.
• Plan weekly meetings with the intern as well as training and observation sessions.

During the internship

Welcoming and guidance

• On the first day, be available for most of the day to go around the office with the intern to ease the integration process.
  • Discuss about the internship with the student, talk about your and him/her expectations regarding supervision and deadlines.
  • Inquire about the intern own objectives and try to find a way to balance botch of your visions of the internship.
  • Ask the student to provide you with all the mandatory information concerning the assessments and evaluations of the internship.
  • Go through the formal and informal rules of the office (health and safety, parking, schedule, cell phone policies, meals and break times, dress code, overtime,e tc.).
  • Take the intern on a tour of the office and introduce him/her to other members of the team.
• Invite the student to attend informal activities to ease the integration process (happy hour in person or virtual, team sport, dinners, onlin games, etc.).
• Propose different training or observation periods with several members of your team (in-person training or videoconferences, tutorials, etc.).
• Offer regular feedback through planned meetings, including one during the integration follow-up and the other for an end-of-training assessment.
• Acknowledge the end of the internship through a special recognition or a more formal activity (appreciation lunch or happy hour).

Integration follow-up

The Service du développement professionnel offers support throughout the internship process. Therefore, the employment counsellors must be aware of any difficulties encountered in the internship to intervene in an appropriate manner and propose optimal solutions for both parties. In order to ease the internship process and make sure it runs smoothly, a follow-up assessment with both you and your intern will be done between the first-third and half portion of the internship. The main purpose of this follow-up is to ensure that the intern's integration goes as planned, both personnaly and professionnaly. The assessment is done to get an overview of how the internship is going and no official mark is awarded at that time.

The type of follow-up may vary from one faculty or program to another or if the internship takes place in a remote region. The follow-up assessment can be done through :

• email (a short form to filled out online);
• by phone*;
• by videoconference*;
• in person (directly at your office)*.

*The Service du développement professionnel will send you an email to plan a day and time.

Evaluation of the internship

Towards the end of the intership, it is the responsability of the intern to inform and provide the supervisor with the requirements of the final evaluation. For manu internship courses, the supervisor will have to evaluate the student. A form will be sent to him/her for this purpose by the student before the end of the internship.

We strongly recommend planning an internship summary meeting with the intern to discuss the final evaluation. It is a good opportunity to provide the intern with your overall appreciation of the internship, to acknowledge the positive aspects of the internship and to mention the aspects that need to be improved.

After the internship

Self-evaluation

Whether or not it is your first experience as a supervisor, we believe you should take time to evaluate yourself as a supervisor once the internship is over. You can write down what has worked well in the process or what must be changed upon your next internship supervision to help you enhance your competencies as a supervisor.

Communication and problem management

Communication: the key to integration

Arriving at an internship and integrating into a new team is a stressful time for many students. Teleworking can accentuate this feeling, as well as reduce opportunities for interaction. To facilitate integration and communication, determine quickly and clealy with your intern which technological tools to use (Teams, Slack, texting, etc.) and the practices associated with them (disconnection policy or other). Do not hesitate to check in regularly and include them in meetings and discussions.

Constructive feedback in three easy steps

     1.  Mention the positive points of the work done so far.

     2.  Suggest some elements which could be improve.

     3.  End the meeting with a general positive appreciation.

How to deal with problems

The performance at work or behaviour of your intern is not up to your expectations? Have you thought about these simple solutions?

• Plan for a moment and proper place where you can meet and discuss with the student about the problems.
• Share your own perceptions with the student.
• State what your expectations are and identify ways for the student to reach them.
• Double-check that the student's comprehension meets your expectations by asking to reformulate the objectives and ways to reach them.
• Prepare the follow-up meeting to assess improvements.

You can communicate with Service du développement professionnel anytime during the internship. Do not wait until the mid-internship follow-up if you have any question or if you need help.