Student Intern Positions

The County offers a mixture of paid and unpaid internships depending on the position and budgetary constraints of each sponsoring department. All appointments are part-time hourly, and work in an at-will status at the discretion of the appointing authority. Student Interns only receive benefits offered to TAP employees as outlined in the TAP Handbook.

Student Interns may not be substituted for candidates who have qualified for a County position through examination and are awaiting appointment from an employment list.

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Eligibility

The County offers a mixture of paid and unpaid internships depending on the position and budgetary constraints of each sponsoring department. All appointments are part-time hourly, and work in an at-will status at the discretion of the appointing authority. Student Interns only receive benefits offered to TAP employees as outlined in the TAP Handbook.

Student Interns may not be substituted for candidates who have qualified for a County position through examination and are awaiting appointment from an employment list.

Hours

The County’s primary interest is to ensure that the student’s education is a coequal priority. Work performed in the student’s internship should not negatively impact the student’s academic progress and academic qualifications by the assigned work hours. Student Interns may work a maximum of 20 hours per week during “regular academic sessions” (see definitions). Student Interns may work up to a maximum of 40 hours per week during school holidays if work is available and the Department approves the temporary work schedule.

Recent graduates may work up to a maximum of 40 hours per week.

Supervision and Program Monitoring

Departments are to provide adequate supervision at all times.  In addition, program monitoring can be accomplished with regular evaluations of the student’s performance and progress towards the goals of the internship. Assessment is an ongoing process and an essential part of supervision. It is helpful for supervisors to reflect on "how is the intern doing?" while observing day-to-day work. This not only provides a sense of progress the intern is making, but provides specific incidents for discussion. Depending upon the nature of the incident and its importance to the intern's overall development, these discussions may take place during the regular meetings between the supervisor and the intern. They may also be used to document growth and/or areas for continued improvement in the final evaluation conference.

Supervisors are encouraged to download the “Supervisor/Mentor Guide” for detailed information on how to supervise and evaluate student interns. 

Recruitment and Selection

The following procedures are to be used by departments for the recruitment and selection of Interns. Departments may participate in outreach events and/or refer a particular candidate(s) to the Educational Support Program for verification that they meet the internship qualifications, or they may request that the Educational Support Program advertise, recruit, and provide initial screening for all applicants.

A. Departments Referring a Particular Candidate(s):

1. If the department has already identified the candidate(s) they would like to hire, they are responsible for submitting a requisition into the new Online Hiring Center (OHC) through NeoGov. A limited number of representatives have been assigned to submit requisitions for each department. Department staff who are unable to submit a requisition and are unsure of he assigned representative can contact their HR Business Partner for further information.

2. Once a requisition has been created and ESP has received notification, a ESP team member will contact the candidate(s) for further application instructions and request any required documentation (i.e., resume, unofficial transcripts, enrollment verification, diploma, etc.) to verify eligibility.

3. Once the application has been submitted, documents have been received, and eligibility has been established, ESP will contact the candidate(s) to begin the on-boarding procedures (described below). 

B. Departments Requesting an Internship Recruitment:

1. To request an intern recruitment, please submit a requisition into the new Online Hiring Center (OHC) through NeoGov. A limited number of representatives have been assigned to submit requisitions for each department. Department staff who is unable to submit a requisition and are unsure of the assigned representative can contact their HR Business Partner for further information.

2. Once a requisition has been created and ESP has received notification, ESP will review the requisition and conduct an intern position evaluation with the department for additional information.

3. ESP will market the position utilizing advertising methods, including college electronic job boards and the County of Riverside Human Resources job announcement webpages.  In addition, an email marketing campaign will be distributed to ESP’s established university program contacts.  Postings are generally open for two weeks to allow students time to apply.

4. Once the posting has closed, ESP will review the resumes and identify top candidates depending on how many students the department would like to interview.  The resume review process can take 3-5 business days.

5. A referral list with the most qualified candidates will then be created and submitted through NeoGov and available for viewing by the Hiring Manager(s) indicated in the requisition. At this time the hiring department can schedule interviews and make a selection through NeoGov. If requested by the hiring department, ESP will interview the candidates and make a selection.

6. Once the selection(s) have been made, ESP will contact the selected candidate(s) to begin the onboarding procedures (described below).

Onboarding Procedures

The candidate will be contacted by ESP to complete the following steps:

1. Schedule a meeting to conduct a Live Scan background check (fingerprinting) and complete hiring paperwork. Live Scan results from the Department of Justice and FBI are typically received in 48 hours but occasional delays can take up to 30 days.   

2. Upon clearance of the background check, the candidate will be given instructions on how to schedule a physical examination with the Occupational Health Office.  The physical requirement can be waived for unpaid interns in a strictly clerical/administrative internship. Clearance for the physical exam can take anywhere from 1 day to 1-2 weeks depending on the student’s availability. 

3. Upon clearance from the background check and physical exam (if required), ESP will contact the department and student to determine a start date.

Note: All offers of employment for a student internship are contingent upon the results of the background check, which will include, at a minimum, a criminal records check through the California Department of Justice and the FBI.  In addition, where required, the offer is contingent upon a satisfactory drug and alcohol screening test and physical examination to determine physical ability to perform the duties of the position offered.  The background check and physical exam must be completed prior to employment commencing.  Applicants who fail the drug test component of the physical examination, where required, will be ineligible for employment with the County of Riverside for one year, in accordance with Board Policy.  

This is a summary of the the program guidelines. Please see the Student Internship Guidelines for complete program details.