A formal contract will create a professional experience for your museum intern. It will also help you set up a schedule and outline your expectations.

Feel free to use the following text to create your own Internship Program Contract:

An internship at ____________ is a privilege. You will have access to areas of the Museum that most people do not get to see. You will be entrusted with important projects that will be a valuable part of the work we do here.

Your signature at the end of this contract will indicate that you understand the requirements of becoming an intern at _________________, and that you agree to the following terms:

1. Completing Your Hours

The staff expects you to take your internship commitment seriously. By agreeing to serve as an intern, you are required to complete the number of hours agreed upon when your internship begins. We understand that circumstances can arise that may prevent you from coming in during the course of your internship. You should notify your supervisor as soon as possible if you are unable to work due to illness or some other unexpected reason. You will be expected to make up your work time in order to complete the number of required hours.

Please fill in your schedule here:

[Create a table to fill in the agreed upon daily schedule for the internship]

BEGNNING DATE:
ENDING DATE:
TOTAL HOURS:

2. Attending Special Events and Public Programs

As an intern, you are required to attend at least two special events or public programs during your internship. You will be given a schedule of events for the duration of your internship. You may choose to come and observe an event as a guest, or you may request to be included in the volunteer workforce for the event. The hours you spend at a special event or public program will be counted toward your total number of hours. By attending a museum event, you will be able to see a different dimension of museum work than during normal business hours.

3. Completing Projects and Assignments

Interns are expected to act as a member of the staff when completing projects for the Museum. We expect our interns to communicate concerns with their Supervisor as they arise in order to resolve them. Specific training will be provided for detailed projects, but the intern is responsible for understanding proper procedures and methods for the projects he or she is working on. If you don’t understand something, ask! You are also expected to complete your reading assignments and journal entries on time each week. Usually these tasks will be completed on your own time, but if you have some free time during your internship hours you may work on them.

4. Evaluations

Interns will have the opportunity to evaluate themselves and their internship experience at the conclusion of the internship. The Supervisor will also provide the intern with an evaluation of his or her performance.

By signing this contract, I understand the expectations of the __________________ and I agree to abide by the guidelines set forth in this contract. I understand that failure to adhere to the guidelines listed above may result in termination of my internship.

[Provide space for the intern to sign and date the contract]