Internship offer letter template
Copy the text below and replace everything in square brackets with your company details.
[Company Name]
[Office Address]
[City], [State] [PIN Code]
Date: [Date]
Ref: [Company Code]/HR/INT/[Year]/[Number]
To
[Intern Name]
[Course and Year], [College or University Name]
[Address]
Email: [Email Address]
Subject: Offer of internship in the [Department] department
Dear [Intern Name],
Following your application and interview on [Interview Date], we are happy to offer you an internship in the [Department] department of [Company Name]. The internship is meant to give you practical exposure to [Area of Work, for example: payroll processing, digital marketing or quality control] under the guidance of an experienced mentor.
- Internship title: [Intern Title, for example: Marketing Intern].
- Duration: from [Start Date] to [End Date].
- Location and mode: [Office Address], [on-site, remote or hybrid].
- Mentor: [Mentor Name], [Mentor Designation], who will assign your work and review your progress every [week or fortnight].
- Stipend: ₹[Amount] per month, paid by bank transfer by the [Day] of the following month, subject to attendance. [Or write: This is an unpaid internship.]
- Working hours: [Start Time] to [End Time], [Monday to Friday or as per team schedule].
- Leave: [Number] days of leave during the internship with your mentor's prior approval.
Please bring the following on your first day: college identity card, a no objection letter from your college if your course requires one, Aadhaar card, two passport-size photographs and, for a paid internship, your bank account details for the stipend.
During the internship you will follow the company's code of conduct, attendance rules and IT usage policy. Any information you see about the company, its clients or its employees is confidential and must not be shared, posted or used outside the internship, during or after it. Work you produce during the internship belongs to the company.
Either you or the company may end the internship early with [Number] days' written notice. On successful completion, and after you return all company property, you will receive an internship certificate stating the duration and the work you did. This internship does not carry an offer of employment, although good performance may be considered when positions open.
Please sign and return a copy of this letter by [Acceptance Date] to confirm your acceptance.
Best wishes,
For [Company Name]
[Signatory Name]
[Signatory Designation]
Acceptance by intern
I accept the internship on the terms stated above and will report on [Start Date].
Name: [Intern Name]
Signature: ____________
Date: ____________
What to include
Fixed start and end dates
Write both dates and match them to the college calendar. A fixed end date is what separates an internship from open-ended employment, so extend it only with a fresh letter.
Stipend and payment date
State the monthly stipend, how absence affects it and the date it is paid, or state plainly that the internship is unpaid. Vague stipend promises are the most common complaint from interns and their colleges.
A named mentor and a learning goal
Naming the mentor and the area of work shows the internship is for learning, not free labour. It also gives the college a contact for the evaluation form many courses require. See what interns are entitled to.
Confidentiality that survives the internship
Interns see client files, patient data or source code. The confidentiality clause must cover the period after the internship too, and bar posting work details on social media or in project reports without approval.
No promise of a job
Say clearly that the internship does not carry a job offer. If the company plans pre-placement offers, describe how they are decided, so no intern assumes a conversion.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Calling the stipend a salary and adding employee benefits the company does not intend to give.
- Leaving out the end date, so the intern keeps working months later on the same letter.
- Promising a job or a pre-placement offer in the letter without a selection process.
- Letting interns handle confidential data without a signed confidentiality clause.
- Forgetting the college no objection letter when the course requires it for credit.
Run it in ZeniaHR
Create an Intern employment type in the organization masters and add the intern through quick add or the self-onboarding link, which asks for personal, identity, address and bank details and uploads of Aadhaar, PAN and bank proof. Set the mentor as the reporting manager, so leave and attendance correction requests reach the mentor first and then HR. Attendance punches and the holiday list work the same way as for staff. Keep the signed letter and the college no objection letter in the intern's documents.
See it on your own data
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Book a free demoSee pricingFrequently asked questions
What is the difference between an internship offer letter and a job offer letter?
An internship offer letter covers a fixed training period with start and end dates, a stipend or no pay, a mentor and a completion certificate. A job offer letter proposes ongoing employment with a CTC, probation and notice period, followed by an appointment letter. An intern should never be left working on an internship letter after the end date.
Is it mandatory to pay a stipend to interns?
Practice varies. Many companies pay a monthly stipend and some internships are unpaid, especially short academic ones. Whatever you decide, write it in the letter. If an intern is doing regular productive work rather than learning under supervision, the arrangement starts to look like employment, so review it with your legal adviser and apply the wage and benefit rules for employees.
Who issues the internship certificate?
HR issues it after the internship ends, based on the mentor's feedback and the attendance record. It states the intern's name, college, department, dates and the work done, and is signed by HR or the department head. Issue it only after company property, ID cards and system access have been returned.
Can an internship be extended?
Yes, if the intern, the mentor and the college agree. Issue a short extension letter with the new end date and any change in stipend, and ask the intern to sign it. Do not rely on an email or a verbal extension, because the original letter's end date is the only written term.