Internship Policies and Procedures
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Student rights and responsibilities
As an intern or student intern, students receive protections under the federal labour standards for interns and student interns. All federally regulated employers are required to follow the Canada Labour Code and meet the labour standards regarding occupational health and safety, standard hours, wages, vacations and holidays.
McGill places a great deal of importance on honest work and the fair treatment of all members of the University community. A solid understanding of everyone's rights and responsibilities can ensure that all our interactions are fair and respectful. Students are encouraged to fully review McGill's Code of Conduct and Disciplinary Procedures. Take note of the following:
McGill students have the right to:
- The safeguard of their dignity and a right to be protected by the University against vexatious conduct displayed by a representative of the University acting in an official capacity
- Equal treatment by the University; this right must not be impaired by discrimination based on race, colour, ethnic or national origin, civil status, religion, creed, political convictions, language, sex, sexual orientation, social condition, age, personal handicap or the use of any means to palliate such a handicap
- The protection of their personal information
- The freedoms of opinion and of expression
- Safe and suitable conditions of learning and study
In turn, McGill students are expected to behave and conduct themselves with the utmost professionalism and honesty.
Namely, no McGill student shall:
- Plagiarize and/or cheat
- Knowingly misrepresent material facts for the purpose of obtaining academic advantage or credit
- Knowingly create a condition that unnecessarily endangers or threatens or undermines the health, safety, wellbeing, or dignity of another person or persons
- Knowingly defraud or abuse the trust of any University office, facility, or service
Internship roles and responsibilities
Student Intern Responsibilities
- Comply with company regulations policies surrounding confidential/proprietary information.
- Act as an ambassador of McGill University and the B.A.(Education) program.
- Regularly check your McGill email for communications from the B.A.(Education) team.
- Focus on applying the learning competencies and objectives set at in your Internship Agreement & Learning Plan.
- Record major work tasks, assignments, and accomplishments; this will serve to stay organized and focused and will be useful for final employer reviews and future EDGC capstone and research inquiry courses (i.e. EDGC 399 and 499).
- Submit the Student Self-Reflection and Evaluation Form by the last day of the internship.
- Work with the employer to complete and submit the Employer Student Evaluation Form by the last day of the internship.
Employer/Site Supervisor Responsibilities
- Read and sign the Internship Agreement & Learning Plan before the first day of the internship. Submission of this document is a minimum requirement for the EDGC 398 - Internship course.
- Provide student with appropriate orientation, training, and on-going support / supervision.
- Engage student in meaningful work that is beneficial to both the student’s learning objectives, competency development, and the partner’s organizational needs and mandate
- Monitor and record student’s hours; if needed, report undisclosed absences to the Internships Administrator (internships.edgc [at] mcgill.ca)
- If internship is unpaid and student also holds paid employment elsewhere, the total hours they work at the internship must not exceed three (3) hours per day.
- Avoid conflict of interest: Site Supervisor should not be a close family relation (e.g., parent, sibling, aunt/uncle, cousin, etc.) or close friend.
- Address challenges and / or concerns with the student and where applicable with the Internships Administrator.
- Monitor the progress of the student through informal feedback (“check-ins”) at least once a week, either in person, by telephone, e-mail or video conferencing
- Support student by being realistic about their availability, capacity, and expectations (e.g., semester time frame, student’s employment schedules etc.); being receptive to the ideas, opinions, concerns, and questions of the student.
- Recognize their role as co-educators by engaging students in conversations that promote critical thinking skills development and self-reflection.
- Complete Employer Student Evaluation Form by the last day of the internship.
- Complete Employer Experience Feedback Form within 10 days following the end date of the internship.
Internship and Student Affairs (ISA) Office Responsibilities
- Serve as a liaison between the partner organization and the student.
- Provide support and guidance for any challenges and / or concerns that may arise.
- Provide internship orientation and reflection activities for student.
- Facilitate voluntary reflection activities.
- Issue official internship evaluation/grade.
Placement schedule and amendments
Internship placements are evaluated for the first 150 hours (commuting time not included) between the first week in May to the end of the 3rd week in August, which coincides with the grading deadline. Students can work beyond the 150 hours and will negotiate their start and end dates, weekly schedules, and any concurrent events or amendments with their Site Supervisor.
In an effort to better support students, amendments to their schedule must be negotiated with the Site Supervisor for pertinent reasons such as:
- Responsibilities related to financial need
- Family care responsibilities
- Serious health concerns (not serviced by the Student Accessibility and Achievement Office)
Attendance
Once this placement schedule is documented on the Internship Agreement and all parties have signed this document by the deadline, students are asked to comply with this schedule, barring needing to make up missed days due to Illness, etc.
Absences and “make-up” time
The following events may take place concurrently to a placement, and should be handled as follows:
|
EVENT |
DESCRIPTION |
DOES THE STUDENT NEED TO MAKE UP THE DAY(S)? |
|
Illness |
Up to 5% of absence do not require a supporting medical note. Any absences lasting longer than 5% will require that a valid medical note be submitted to ISA, at which point the outcome of the placement will be evaluated by the ISA Director on a case-by-case basis. As soon as you are aware that you will be absent due to illness, you must contact the following people:
|
5% of the 150 hours declared for an absence will not need to be made up. All future absences will need to be made up before the end of the internship period (end of 3rd week in August) |
|
Holidays |
Statutory holidays: Victoria Day (Fête de Dollard), La Fête Nationale, Canada Day |
5% of the 150 hours declared for an absence will not need to be made up. All future absences will need to be made up before the end of the internship period (end of 3rd week in August) |
|
Religious Observation / Holy Days |
McGill University recognizes and respects the diversity of its community, including diversity of religious faiths and observances. The University is committed to providing an environment in which its students can fulfill both their university and their religious commitments. |
YES-Students are expected to plan ahead and schedule internship hours outside of Religious observations and holy days. |
|
Bereavement |
Absences for Bereavement are modeled after McGill's HR policy. A Student Teacher may be absent for bereavement for the following number of days, in the event of the death of:
For record keeping, the ISA Office will also require that Students send their Internship Administrator a link to an obituary or record of death, following a request for bereavement absence. This documentation may be sent up to 5 working days following the absence request. If a Student needs more time for bereavement, they can contact their Internship Administrator to discuss options, such as a late withdrawal from the placement.
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5% of the 150 hours declared for an absence will not need to be made up. All future absences will need to be made up before the end of the internship period (end of 3rd week in August)
|
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Exams |
Students are expected to plan ahead and schedule internship hours outside of the exam schedule |
|
|
Interviews |
If you have a job interview scheduled during your placement, reach out to your Site Supervisor |
YES |
|
Strike Action |
McGill students are not members of a union, and as such, should not feel pressured to engage in any strike actions, including picketing or crossing a picket line. |
NO if absence accounts for 5% of total 150 hours
If strike exceeds 5% of total hours, each case will be looked at on an individual basis by the ISA Office. |
|
McGill Varsity Sporting Events |
Requests to be absent from the placement due to participation in a McGill varsity sporting event will be evaluated by the ISA Director on a case-by-case basis. |
YES-Students are expected to plan ahead and schedule internship hours outside of the exam schedule |
|
Other |
Requests to be absent from the placement for any other reasons are exceptionally permitted by the ISA on a case-by-case basis
Any request for absence must be sent to the Site Supervisor a minimum of 2 weeks before the proposed absence, if this absence has not been accounted for in the Internship Agreement |
YES
|
Professional etiquette
Following the acceptance of an internship offer (verbally, by email or via contract), students should not be submitting any further job applications or participating in any other job interviews.
Students are expected to abide by the terms of the contract that they entered into with a host organization.
Students who renege on an accepted internship offer may receive a FAIL grade for the Internship Course (EDGC 398).
Privacy
The student agrees, during the course of the activity and at all times after the expiry of this declaration, to protect any and all information relating to the host organization that is intended to remain confidential. This includes, without being limited to, any and all confidential information obtained, any and all reports, documents and work completed, and any and all documentation acquired, created and/or produced during the activity.
Accommodations During Internship
Students experiencing barriers in their internship environment/experience can contact Student Access and Achievement (SAA) to schedule a meeting with an Access Services Advisor.
The process for determining reasonable accommodations[1] is a collaborative one and is based on the student’s self-report of the barriers they experience, medical documentation, a history of previous accommodations (if applicable), and best practices in the field of disability services. Depending on the accommodations requested, the final decision whether an accommodation is reasonable and feasible to implement will be taken in collaboration with the relevant academic authorities from the Faculty of Education.
Students who have reason to believe they may require academic accommodation are expected to contact SAA as soon as possible.
[1] Reasonable accommodations are intended to remove unnecessary barriers and ensure equal access to university, educational opportunities, programs, services, and activities in the most integrated setting appropriate to the individual’s needs. The extent of such accommodation(s) cannot impose an undue hardship upon the University, constitute a fundamental alteration to a course or program, or compromise essential course requirements or academic integrity. Learners must still acquire and demonstrate mastery of essential skills or other bona fide academic requirements of a Learner’s program of study, although this may be done in an alternative or non-traditional way. Reasonable accommodations do not guarantee success but rather they guarantee access.
Termination or Cancellation
- The University and or the host organization may cancel an internship agreement before it starts. A termination notice must be provided at least (2) weeks before the start date of the internship.
- The host organization or the ISA Office may terminate the internship if the student violates a policy, regulation or procedure of the host organization or McGill University or adopts a behavior deemed unacceptable by the host organization or by McGill University.