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Notes for use
These notes accompany the template and explain the drafting choices, the compliance points and the mistakes most often made with this document. They appear as a final page in the Word file, intended to be deleted before the document is executed.
Substance decides, not the label
If an intern works fixed hours on ordinary production work, under direction, in place of an employee, and the Company depends on the output, the relationship is employment in substance however the letter is worded. The consequences follow automatically: an appointment letter is required, wages must meet the statutory floor, social security contributions apply, and the person accrues statutory entitlements. Before using this template, ask honestly which arrangement is being described.
Structure the learning, and record it
Section 1 is what distinguishes a genuine internship from a cheap hire. Named learning objectives, a mentor, and review points are also what an institution requires and what makes the completion certificate meaningful. An internship letter with no learning content is evidence that the engagement was really employment.
Stipend is not wages, but a low stipend does not make it an internship
Calling a payment a stipend does not change the character of the relationship. Equally, paying nothing does not make an engagement an internship. The test is the substance of the work and the supervision, not the amount paid. Where the arrangement is employment, the statutory minimum wage for the category and State applies.
Apprenticeships are a separate regime
Where the engagement is an apprenticeship under the applicable apprenticeship framework, a different set of requirements applies, including registration, prescribed contracts, stipend rates and record-keeping. Do not use this template for an apprenticeship; use the prescribed contract.
Interns are protected against sexual harassment
The protection under the legislation on sexual harassment at the workplace extends to interns and trainees whether or not they are employees. Clause 2.5 says so expressly, and the intern should be told at induction how to make a complaint and to whom. This is one of the most frequently overlooked points in internship programmes.
Intellectual property and academic use
Clause 2.7 assigns work product to the Company, which is standard. Where the intern needs to submit the work, or a description of it, for academic assessment, agree that in advance and record what may be disclosed and what may not. An intern who cannot submit anything, having spent a semester on confidential work, has a real problem, and it is easily avoided by discussing it at the start.
Minors
Where the intern is below eighteen, obtain the signature of a parent or guardian, check the restrictions applicable to the employment or engagement of young persons, and obtain verifiable parental consent before processing personal data. Certain kinds of work and certain hours are prohibited for young persons regardless of consent.
Safety obligations apply
An intern present at the workplace is owed a duty of safety. Provide an induction, a named contact, and the same safety training given to employees doing comparable work. Where the work involves any hazard, the obligations are the same as for an employee.
Do not promise employment
Clause 2.1 and the acceptance both state that the internship confers no right to employment. Verbal encouragement during an internship that a job will follow, where it does not, causes avoidable damage. If the Company intends to make an offer, make it properly, in writing, at the end.
Give a real certificate, promptly
The completion certificate is often the intern’s only tangible record and is used in applications for years. Naming the actual projects, rather than issuing a generic template, costs nothing and is far more useful. Issue it on the last day rather than leaving the intern to chase.
Data protection
Interns generate personal data like anyone else, and frequently have access to the personal data of others. Include them in the data protection induction, restrict access to what the learning requires, and revoke credentials on the last day.
Verify your State’s position
The treatment of interns, trainees and apprentices, and the applicability of establishment registrations and record-keeping obligations, differ between States. Confirm the position for the State of the place of work before running an internship programme at scale.
Current as of
Reflects Indian law current as of {{DATE OF USE}}. The classification of interns, apprenticeship requirements, minimum wage floors and restrictions on young persons all change — have the programme reviewed by an employment adviser before it is run at scale.
This is a ready-to-use template provided for convenience. Laws and requirements change, and every situation is different — please have it reviewed by a qualified professional (a lawyer, company secretary, or chartered accountant as relevant) before you rely on it.