Know Your Rights & Responsibilities

Know your rights & responsibilities:

The University of Utah maintains a Student Code to ensure everyone’s safety while in a learning environment. Likewise, your internship host employer may have their own policies and guidelines that you need to be aware of about acceptable behavior in the workplace.

All students should also know that there are Utah State Laws that protect individuals from workplace impropriety and various forms of discrimination. The Labor Commission’s Employment Discrimination website includes guides, forms, and other useful information.

Unpaid internships:

Unpaid internships can be an option for students. There is, however, confusion surrounding whether or not interns working for “for-profit” employers are entitled to minimum wages and overtime pay under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).

There is a seven point primary beneficiary test to determine if an intern or student is an employee under FLSA, but all seven factors DO NOT have to be met. The purpose of this test is to determine which party – the intern or the employer – is the primary beneficiary of the relationship.

An article from the Society for Human Resource Management provides additional clarity on this topic. Please schedule an appointment with the Internship Coordinator, Ned Khatrichettri, if you have additional questions.