The Changing Way Of Internships

This time of year many employers are interviewing prospective candidates for summer internships - and perhaps feeling good about giving a young person who plans on entering the business world a chance to learn on the job. 

It seems like a win-win, doesn't it? The student gets some experience to enhance his or her résumé and the employer gets an extra employee for a few months, perhaps at lower cost. It is that latter expectation, however, that can cause serious problems. 

The law regulating internships can be so confusing and complicated that some well-meaning employers could altogether stop offering these opportunities simply to avoid the potential legal costs and exposure. In these economic times, when companies are increasingly lean and students are finding it difficult to land a job, that result would represent a lose-lose proposition for everyone.