Internship agreement template
An internship agreement sets out what the intern will do, what they'll learn, who supervises them, and whether and how much they're paid. This template covers paid and unpaid internships, school credit, schedules, confidentiality and ending early. Read it below, then fill in the details and send it to your intern, with a copy to their school if they're earning credit.
Updated November 5, 2026 · 3 min read
The contract
Gray blanks are yours to fill in before you send. Each signer fills in the blanks in their color.
- You, before sending
- Intern
- Company supervisor
Internship Agreement
This Internship Agreement (the "Agreement") is made on Agreement date between Company name (the "Company") and Intern name (the "Intern").
1. Position and dates
The Intern will serve as Internship title in the Team or department team from Start date to End date. The internship ends on the end date unless both parties agree in writing to extend it.
2. Schedule and location
The Intern will work about Hours per week hours a week, on this schedule: Weekly schedule, at Work location. The schedule will be adjusted around the Intern's classes and exams when the Intern asks in advance.
3. Pay
Hourly rate: Hourly rate, paid on the Company's normal payroll schedule, with overtime where the law requires it. Stipend: Stipend amount, paid Stipend schedule. If neither is filled in, the internship is unpaid and section 4 applies. A paid Intern is an employee of the Company for wage and tax purposes during the internship.
4. Unpaid internships
If the internship is unpaid, the Intern and the Company both understand that the Intern is not entitled to wages for the time spent; that the internship is designed around the Intern's education and gives training similar to an educational setting; that the Intern will not replace or do the regular work of paid employees; and that the Intern is not entitled to a job at the end. If the Intern's duties change so that this is no longer true, the Company will start paying the Intern.
5. Learning goals and projects
During the internship the Intern will learn and practice: Learning goals. The Intern will work on these projects: Projects.
6. Supervision and evaluation
The Intern's supervisor is Supervisor name, who will meet with the Intern at least Check-in frequency to review progress and answer questions, and will give the Intern a written evaluation at the end of the internship. If the Intern is earning academic credit, the supervisor will complete any evaluation forms the school requires.
7. Academic credit
School and program, if the Intern is earning credit: School and program. The school's coordinator will receive a copy of this signed Agreement. The Intern is responsible for meeting the school's own requirements for credit.
8. Conduct, safety and fair treatment
The Intern will follow the Company's workplace policies, including its safety, attendance, technology and anti-harassment policies, which the Company will give the Intern on the first day. The Intern has the same right as employees to raise concerns and to be free from harassment and discrimination, and should report any problem to the supervisor or to HR contact email.
9. Confidentiality and work product
The Intern will keep the Company's non-public information confidential during and after the internship, except as the law allows. Work the Intern creates for the Company belongs to the Company. The Company may let the Intern describe their projects, and show work samples it approves in writing, in a portfolio or a school report.
10. Ending early
Either party may end the internship before the end date by giving Days of notice to end early days' notice, or immediately for serious misconduct. A paid Intern will be paid for all time worked through the last day.
11. Emergency contact and details
Intern phone: Intern phone. Emergency contact name and phone: Emergency contact.
This Agreement is the full agreement about the internship, can be changed only in writing signed by both parties, and may be signed electronically.
I have read this Agreement, including section 4 if my internship is unpaid, and I understand that it does not promise me a job.
Intern
For the Company (supervisor)
Opens it in SignMaster as a template you can edit and send.
A starting point, not legal advice. Have a lawyer review it for your state and situation.
On this page
Paid or unpaid: decide first
At a for-profit business, whether an intern can go unpaid depends on who benefits most. The Department of Labor uses a primary beneficiary test: an unpaid internship holds up when it's tied to the intern's education, gives them training like they'd get in a classroom, doesn't replace paid staff, and both sides understand there's no pay and no promise of a job. If the intern does productive work you'd otherwise pay someone for, pay at least minimum wage.
Different rules apply to nonprofits and public agencies, and many states add their own. For most small businesses the safe rule is simple: if in doubt, pay. The template has blanks for an hourly rate and a stipend; fill in what fits and leave the rest empty.
What the template covers
- Dates and schedule: start and end dates, hours per week, and a schedule that works around classes.
- Pay: an hourly rate through normal payroll, a stipend, or an unpaid internship with a plain statement of what that means.
- Learning goals: what the intern will learn and the projects they'll take on.
- Supervision: a named supervisor, regular check-ins and a written evaluation at the end.
- School credit: the school, the program and the coordinator, who gets a copy of the signed agreement.
- Conduct and safety: the policies the intern follows, and the same protection from harassment as employees.
- Confidentiality and work product: what stays private, and who owns what the intern creates.
- No promised job: the internship ends on the end date unless both sides agree to more.
Mistakes to avoid
- Calling a job an internship. If the intern spends the day answering phones or covering for a missing employee, they're an employee and must be paid.
- No end date. An open-ended internship looks like employment; tie it to a semester or a summer.
- Promising a job at the end. An unpaid internship relies on both sides understanding there's no entitlement to one.
- Skipping the learning part. Write down the training and projects, and make sure the supervisor actually holds the check-ins.
- Letting a minor sign alone. If the intern is under 18, add a parent or guardian as a signer in the template editor, and check child labor limits on hours and tasks.
How to send it with SignMaster
- 1
Open the template
Choose Use this template above. The intern signs first and the company supervisor second, and the school coordinator is set up as a CC who receives the finished copy.
- 2
Describe the internship
Fill in the gray blanks: dates, hours, pay or stipend, the supervisor and the learning goals. Be specific about the projects; schools often ask.
- 3
Add the coordinator
If the intern is earning credit, enter the coordinator's name and email in the CC slot. They get the signed agreement without having to sign anything.
- 4
Send it to the intern
They fill in their phone and an emergency contact, tick that they've read the agreement and sign from their phone. No account needed.
- 5
Countersign
The supervisor signs last, and the intern, the supervisor and the coordinator each get the signed PDF with its certificate of completion.
A whole summer cohort at once
Bringing on a class of interns? Bulk send creates one agreement per intern from a spreadsheet, and columns such as Start date, Hourly rate and Supervisor name fill each person's copy. Bulk send is on paid plans, up to 250 rows per send on Solo. If the sheet comes from Excel, save it as CSV UTF-8.
Questions? Answers.
Do interns have to be paid?
At a for-profit business, generally yes, unless the internship passes the Department of Labor's primary beneficiary test. Many states have their own rules too. When the intern does productive work for you, pay at least minimum wage.
Can an intern be paid and get academic credit?
Yes, they aren't either-or. Credit can help show an unpaid internship is educational, but it doesn't make an unpaid internship lawful by itself.
Is an intern an employee?
A paid intern is an employee for wage and tax purposes, so run them through payroll. An unpaid intern who passes the primary beneficiary test isn't an employee under federal wage law, though some states protect interns from harassment anyway.
Can a minor sign an internship agreement?
A minor can usually back out of a contract, so add a parent or guardian as a second signer in the editor when the intern is under 18. See how to get a parent's signature.