The question that decides everything here is whether the intern is an employee. Calling an arrangement an internship does not make it one: where a person works under a contract of service, the Employment Act applies regardless of the label, which means key employment terms, itemised payslips and, for citizens and permanent residents, Central Provident Fund contributions.
Internship Agreement
[COMPANY NAME] and [INTERN NAME]
The question that decides everything here is whether the intern is an employee. Calling an arrangement an internship does not make it one: where a person works under a contract of service, the Employment Act applies regardless of the label, which means key employment terms, itemised payslips and, for citizens and permanent residents, Central Provident Fund contributions.
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Intern | [NAME], [NRIC / FIN] [NUMBER] |
| Age | [AGE] (additional restrictions apply to young persons — see the notes) |
| Institution | [SCHOOL OR UNIVERSITY] |
| Course and year | [DETAIL] |
| Internship required by the course? | [Yes — credit-bearing / No] |
| Nature of engagement | [Employee under a contract of service / Structured training placement — see the notes] |
| Work pass required? | [No — citizen or permanent resident / Yes — Training Employment Pass or Work Holiday Pass / Exempt — confirm] |
| Period | [DATE] to [DATE] |
| Allowance or salary | S$ [AMOUNT] per month |
| Supervisor | [NAME], [DESIGNATION] |
1. Engagement
1.1The Company engages [INTERN NAME] as an intern in the [DEPARTMENT] function for the period stated, and the Intern accepts.
1.2The internship is for a fixed period and ends automatically on the end date without notice, unless extended by written agreement.
1.3This engagement is conditional on the Intern holding any work pass required, on the Intern being enrolled at the stated institution where the placement is course-related, and on satisfactory verification of identity and right to work.
1.4The internship does not create an expectation or promise of employment at the end of the period.
2. Learning Objectives
An internship should have a defined learning purpose. Complete this properly — it is what distinguishes a placement from unpaid junior labour, and it is what the intern and the institution will assess it against.
| # | Objective | How it will be developed | How assessed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | [SKILL OR KNOWLEDGE AREA] | [PROJECT, TASK OR EXPOSURE] | [METHOD] |
| 2 | [OBJECTIVE] | [METHOD] | [METHOD] |
| 3 | [OBJECTIVE] | [METHOD] | [METHOD] |
| 4 | [OBJECTIVE] | [METHOD] | [METHOD] |
5 more pages in the Word file
This is page 1 of the Word document, exactly as it appears when you open it. Fields shown like THIS are placeholders for you to complete.
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.
Where a person works under a contract of service, the Employment Act applies whatever the arrangement is called. Indicators of employment include set hours, supervision and control over how the work is done, integration into the team, and performing work of value to the business rather than observing. A placement described as an internship but structured as a job is a job.
Key employment terms within fourteen days, itemised payslips every salary period, salary within seven days of the period end, Central Provident Fund contributions for citizens and permanent residents, Skills Development Levy, statutory leave, and due inquiry before dismissal for misconduct. Employers frequently apply none of these to interns, which is the most common compliance gap in this area.
A foreign student cannot simply be taken on. Depending on the circumstances there are specific pass routes for training placements and for eligible students and young people, and some arrangements are exempt. Confirm the correct route before the start date — discovering it afterwards cannot be fixed retrospectively.
Young persons and children are subject to restrictions on the type of work, the hours, and the industries in which they may be engaged, with notification requirements in some cases. Check the position before engaging anyone below 18, and obtain parent or guardian consent as the signature block provides.
Where the intern is doing work of value under a contract of service, salary obligations apply and an unpaid arrangement is not compliant. Genuine observational placements structured around learning, with no productive work required, sit differently. Most arrangements described as unpaid internships in practice fall on the wrong side of that line.
Section 2 asks what the intern will learn and how it will be assessed. This is not a formality: it is what distinguishes an internship from cheap labour, it is what the institution will evaluate, and it is what makes the placement worth the supervisor’s time. An internship with no objectives produces a bored student and a useless certificate.
A post-internship non-compete on a student would be extremely difficult to justify as reasonable and, because an over-broad covenant fails entirely in Singapore, attempting one risks the confidentiality protections drafted alongside it. Clause 6.5 says so expressly. Confidentiality and intellectual property assignment are sufficient and are enforceable.
Where the intern must submit work to the institution based on the placement, agreeing the position at the outset avoids a conflict at the end between the Company’s confidentiality interest and the student’s degree. Clause 6.3 requires review, not veto, and the Company should not withhold consent unreasonably — a student unable to submit is a serious outcome.
Work injury compensation insurance and general liability cover do not automatically extend to non-employees, and some institutions require evidence of cover before a placement begins. Check the policy wording rather than assuming, particularly where the intern is not being treated as an employee.
Interns are young, temporary, and dependent on the supervisor for a reference and often for course credit. That combination makes them among the least likely people in an organisation to report a problem. Clause 7.4 names a contact outside the reporting line for exactly that reason.
Midpoint and end feedback are in the agreement and should actually happen. An intern who receives nothing until a one-line certificate has learned little, and the institution will notice. This is also the cheapest recruitment channel most companies have.
Clause 1.4 is deliberate. Implying that good performance leads to an offer, and then not making one, is a poor outcome for a student who may have declined other opportunities. If there is a genuine prospect, say what it depends on and when a decision will be made.
Interns are provisioned quickly and deprovisioned slowly, and their accounts frequently remain active long after they leave. Item 13 of the checklist diarises revocation at the point of provisioning.
Annexure A asks for the actual work, the tools used and the output. A student will use this document for years. A certificate that says only that they "completed an internship satisfactorily" tells a future employer nothing and reflects on the Company as much as on the intern.
Reflects Singapore law current as of {{DATE OF USE}}. Pass routes for foreign students and trainees, restrictions on young persons, Central Provident Fund rates and Employment Act coverage all change, and a review of the Employment Act is under way with proposals expected in the second half of 2026 — confirm the pass position and the employment status with an adviser before engaging an intern.
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, corporate secretary, or accountant as relevant) before you rely on it.