Hire an Intern

Queen's Undergraduate Internship Program (QUIP)

What is QUIP?

The Queen’s Undergraduate Internship Program (QUIP) offers employers an opportunity to hire interns for a 12-16 month period.  During the internship, students can apply their Queen's classroom and co-curricular knowledge and skills, while making a valuable contribution to your organization.

• Internships are 12 to 16 months, paid, professional work experiences
• Students are eligible to participate after completing their 2nd or 3rd year of undergraduate studies
• The program is open to students from Engineering, Computing, Arts & Sciences, and Health Sciences

​Why hire an intern through QUIP?

• 12 to 16-month work terms maximize return on training and minimize recruiting costs
• QUIP offers employers a flexible hiring schedule with internship start dates in January, May, or September
• Students bring fresh ideas and a creative energy to your team
• Returning interns spread the word, raising your organization's profile on campus
• Employers in Ontario who hire QUIP interns may be eligible for the Ontario Cooperative Education Tax Credit
• Additional Hiring Incentives (e.g., wage subsidies and funding) are available through government programs designed to offer support to employers who hire students. 

Hear from a QUIP Intern - article from What's Next? magazine (PDF, 494 KB)

How does QUIP work?

• Post internship positions at any time of the year (see our recommended recruitment schedule below)
• Receive and review student applications
• Request interviews through the QUIP office
• Extend job offers through the QUIP office
• Provide interns with meaningful, career-related work
• Assign a supervisor or mentor to the intern
• Complete 3 performance evaluations over the course of the internship

Recommended Recruitment Periods

*Note: Students at Queen’s tend to sign housing leases in early January.  We have found that some students feel pressured to decide between searching for an internship and re-signing their lease. Therefore, we encourage employers to post positions in the Fall semester when possible.

How Does QUIP Make Hiring a Queen’s Intern Easy?

We offer support to employers throughout the entire internship process, from the recruitment to internship phase.

Recruitment Phase

• We follow a continuous recruitment cycle, so you can post internship positions, interview students, and extend offers when it is convenient for you.
• Our QUIP – specific job board is simple to sign up for to post your internship opportunities on, giving you access to hundreds of QUIP student candidates.
• QUIP offers assistance with posting jobs, scheduling interviews, and offer extension.
• We promote certain internship positions to campus partners (faculty offices/student groups).
• We create and promote opportunities for you to raise your profile on campus through career fairs, employer information sessions, advertising, and sponsorship packages.

Internship Phase

• We prepare students for the transition from academic study to work settings through 1-1 advising and professional workshops.
• We encourage student learning and skill development through reflection and evaluation components while on internship.
• The QUIP team is always available to offer support to employers and students – email quip@queensu.ca. 

Queen's Career Services is member of the Canadian Association of Career Educators and Employers (CACEE).  Visit the CACEE website for more information about the CACEE Guidelines for Ethical Recruitment

Employer Resources 

For full details of the QUIP program, please see the QUIP Employer Guide.

Employer Guide - 2022-2023 (PDF 2.6MB)  

Additional Resources:

• Sample Job Description - QUIP Employer

• Strategies for Promoting your Internship Opportunity

• On-boarding and Supervising Students - Tips and Resources

  • Queen’s Career Services Supervising Remotely Checklist (PDF, 167 KB)

  • CEWIL Canada’s Onboarding Remotely Tipsheet  (PDF, 169 KB)

  • CEWIL Canada’s Supervising Remotely Tipsheet  (PDF, 144 KB)

  • Supervisor Resources and References (PDF, 1.0 MB)

• New to working with students? Employing Student Talent (PDF, 5.23 MB) is a guide that will help you think about the skills students have and ways to integrate student talent into your workplace.

• Looking to raise awareness about your company? Learn about creating company and brand exposure at Queen’s Career Fairs and Info Sessions.

• Interested in funding support to hire student interns? Visit our Hiring Incentives webpage.

Note to Employers regarding COVID-19

Thank you for supporting the experiential learning of students. During this time of COVID-19, we appreciate you continuing to see the value of working with students. As always, the health and safety of our students is paramount. Extra considerations and actions are required by workplaces with onsite or hybrid internships to ensure interns are safe at work during this period. Thank you for understanding that the COVID-19 situation may create circumstances that may require adjustments to the intern's work location, schedules, etc. We encourage interns to collaborate with their managers/supervisors on solutions. Our team is available for any questions or assistance by emailing us at quip@queensu.ca