For Employers

Employers should satisfy the criteria for acceptable unpaid internships as established by the United States Department of Labor (DOL). Employers and organizations offering unpaid internships may post these opportunities in Handshake provided the posting clearly states the internships are unpaid.

The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) requires for-profit private sector employers to pay all employees at the rate of not less than current minimum wage. Employers and organizations seeking to post unpaid internships in Handshake must apply the following six criteria when making the determination not to compensate interns:

1. The internship, even though it includes actual operation of the facilities of the employer, is similar to training which would be given in an educational environment.
2. The internship experience is for the benefit of the intern.
3. The intern does not displace regular employees, but works under close supervision of existing staff.
4. The employer that provides the training derives no immediate advantage from the activities of the intern; and on occasion its operations may actually be impeded.
5. The intern is not necessarily entitled to a job at the conclusion of the internship.
6. The employer and the intern understand that the intern is not entitled to wages for the time spent in the internship.

Sources: Department of Labor, FLSA Fact Sheet #71 (PDF); NACE (National Association of Colleges and Employers), Position Statement on U.S. Internships

Eligibility: 

• Domestic undergraduate students who have completed at least one semester at BU and have at least one semester left at BU after Co-op ends.
• Co-op is not an internship, it is a FULL-TIME (40 hours per week) position. 
• Students cannot be enrolled in classes while participating in Co-op. (NO EXCEPTIONS). Often students delay graduation by one semester or occasionally take summer classes if they want to graduate on time.
• Not eligible to apply:  International students, first-year students (freshmen or transfers) or graduating seniors

Financial Aid and Housing: 

• Co-op is a non-credit-bearing experience. Students cannot be enrolled in classes while doing the Co-op,  therefore they also can’t utilize financial aid during the semester they are doing Co-op.
• Students CAN utilize on-campus housing

NACE (National Association of Colleges and Employers) has published an advisory opinion that advocates for setting reasonable deadlines for job offers. They note, “Experience shows the best employment decisions for both students and employers are those that are made without pressure and with the greatest amount of information and transparency. Students given sufficient time to attend career fairs, participate in on-campus interviews, and/or complete the interviewing in which they are currently engaged are more likely to make good long-term employment decisions and may be less likely to renege on job acceptances.”

Accepting a job offer is a big step in a student’s career development. They will need time to consult with family members, faculty, and career services staff. We recommend that employers avoid exploding offers and short decision timelines. We suggest an offer decision timeline of 3 weeks, and to grant reasonable requests for extensions.

For more information about fair and equitable recruiting and extending offers, please refer to the NACE advisory.

COM Career Services reserves the right to decline any internship, job posting, recruiting event or company which are not compliant with the BU Center for Career Development’s policies, the NACE Principles, or State/Federal law.

Although possession and use of marijuana (cannabis) are legal under certain conditions in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, it is not currently legal under federal law. The Drug Free Schools and Communities Act 1989 (DFSCA) provides, “as a condition of receiving funds or any form of financial assistance under any Federal program, an institution of Higher Education must certify that it has adopted and implemented a program to prevent the unlawful possession, use, or distribution of illicit drugs or alcohol by students and employees.” Further, under the DFSCA, institutions of Higher Education must employ “standards of conduct that clearly prohibit, at a minimum, the unlawful possession, use, or distribution of illicit drugs and alcohol by students and employees on its property or as part of its activities.”

To ensure compliance with federal law, the BU Center for Career Development (CCD) will not promote internship or work opportunities at companies where a student may come into contact with marijuana products (including work with a company’s clients, attendance at marijuana conventions, etc.). Dispensaries (i.e., retail shops), cultivators, or manufacturers of THC-infused edibles are examples of businesses that directly work with marijuana.

Some businesses fall into a gray area, including ancillary businesses (e.g., a grow-light manufacturer), real estate leasing businesses, consumption device, and consulting businesses). Other opportunities may arise with entities focused on compliance, regulation, research, and development within the cannabis industry. CCD will work with the Office of General Counsel on an as-needed basis to ensure compliance with University policy and state and federal law.

In compliance with federal and state law, Boston University does not permit the use of work authorization, visa status, or citizenship data on our online job board, Handshake. This action is in compliance with a Department of Justice determination which reads as follows:

The Immigration and Nationality Act prohibits citizenship status and national origin discrimination with respect to hiring, termination, and recruiting or referring for a fee. 8 U.S.C §1324(a)(1)(B).

Employers may not treat individuals differently because they are, or not, U.S. citizens or work authorized individuals. U.S. citizens, asylees, refugees, recent permanent residents and temporary residents are protected from citizenship status discrimination. Employers may not reject valid employment eligibility documents or require more or different documents on the basis of a person’s national origin or citizenship status.

Any postings which require U.S. citizenship only will be accepted if your organization is required by law, regulation, executive order, or government contract to do so.

More information is available from the Department of Justice.

In order for third-party recruiting firms to be approved to recruit at BU, their Handshake profile must clear state that they are a third-party recruiter. Positions posted (in Handshake) by third-party recruiting firms will only be approved if the external client name is disclosed in the job description.

For further details, please refer to NACE’s Principles for Third-Party Recruiters and Handshake’s third-party recruiter guidelines.

BU adheres to the NACE’s Principles for Professional Practice and requires that all individuals who participate in recruiting activities abide by these standards.