Internship programs are hands-on learning opportunities where the farmer or business owner agrees to offer some training and experience to the intern in exchange for the labor provided. Internships usually are administered by some coordinating organization (e.g., a technical school, college, university, nonprofit, etc.), and sometimes the intern earns academic credits for participating in the experience. The coordinating organization handles most of the administration of the program, but before agreeing to participate in any internship program, you should do some research. Internship programs vary widely in terms of length of the internship and the expectations of what the host (you) would need to provide in terms of training, equipment, stipends, room and board, insurance coverage, and number of hours worked. In general, you will have the best experience if you select an organization that has experience placing interns. You should read all of the contracts carefully and be clear what fees you will be expected to pay, who will be responsible for screening the applicants, and what the process would be if the match doesn't work out. It is important to remember that internships are primarily about education and training. If you enjoy those activities, you might want to look into being a host.

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