Just put down "Negotiable". That let's them start the bid, and ensures that you do not set the bar too low.

The pay rates being discussed are not exactly comparable, and there are other variables that nobody has really discussed.

"Internship" can mean many different things. I think we all agree on the dictionary definition part, it is a supervised and double-checked job. The extent of the job is what varies.

What work are you doing? Is the job full time or part time? How much do they work around your school schedule? How flexible are they if you are late or have short-notice of attendance problems due to school? Are you expected to put in extra time during the crunch? Is it paid? Is overtime expected? Is that paid? Are there any other benefits or perks included? How much time off? How do they work with school exams, if applicable? All of these need to be considered in addition to the $-per-hour figure.

The work being done might be "White box tester". It's a programming job in that you work with code, but you aren't really writing code. Expect to be paid a little more than testers, but much less than programmers.

Or an intern position might be "Programmer Level 1, Part Time". You'd be assigned the most mind-numbing programming tasks, but at least you'd be writing code. Expect to be paid more per hour than the job above.

Or an intern might be "Programmer Level 1, Full Time". This would be akin to a regular programmer, but being hourly instead of on salary.


Writing "Negotiable" means different things to different people. It might be okay for a small company. It is probably not acceptable for bigger companies (meaning anybody with an "HR Department"). For a part time white box tester job with a big company, you might write in a range of anything from $10/hr to $18/hr, depending on tons of factors. The "Programmer 1" pay range would be higher, again depending on many factors.



Imagine a white-box testing job paying $8-10/hr for part time work. They might be ALSO giving you tuition reimbursement, very flexible schedules allowing unlimited (unpaid) time off, maybe some paid time off, light work loads, and not expecting any crunch time work. Maybe if you are young and on your own, they'll give you health insurance (with a small out-of-pocket premium). I've even seen companies where interns are offered 401(k) plans with employer matching. Remember that those benefits are all untaxed. Working out the numbers might show that your gross package is closer to $20/hr even though the amount going directly to your wallet is less.

[Edited by - frob on March 10, 2006 12:51:06 PM]

If it is an established place, ask people who have worked there what they make.


Generally it's considered taboo to ask people still working there what they make, just to protect the guilty, but you can help give you a good idea.

This is how I'd do it (in US dollars):

Freshman: 12/hr.
Sophmore: 14/hr.
Junior: 16/hr.
Senior: 18/hr.

Considering if you graduate, you'll be making ~20/hr on average, i think thats fair. It shows you have enough confidence in your work that you think you deserve to be paid well while also showing that you know that interns arn't worth that much.

Quote:Original post by Cygnus_X
This is how I'd do it (in US dollars):

Freshman: 12/hr.
Sophmore: 14/hr.
Junior: 16/hr.
Senior: 18/hr.

Considering if you graduate, you'll be making ~20/hr on average, i think thats fair. It shows you have enough confidence in your work that you think you deserve to be paid well while also showing that you know that interns arn't worth that much.

You might think that's fair, but it probably isn't what you will make. There are more factors than just your year in school. What is the demand in your area? What else is the company offering?

Ten minutes of research on the company plus a few phone calls is all you need in order to find out what others in the company are making.

I actually ended up making very close to that while I was an intern. I graduated at the end of 04, so it should at least be good historical data (and I worked in various places across the US).

Quote:Original post by Cygnus_X
I actually ended up making very close to that while I was an intern. I graduated at the end of 04, so it should at least be good historical data (and I worked in various places across the US).

The title "intern" is really not enough for this discussion. The term means different things to different people and different companies, and really isn't transferrable. Further, we occasionally hire "interns" (college students) for hard jobs that pay a lot, and also for easy jobs that don't pay well. Sometimes they are hired with the intent to get a permanent employee, other times they are for a 2-3 month task.

As I asked above, let's make this something that the OP and others can reasonably compare against. Please offer up the details:

What work were you doing?
How much experience did you have coming in?
Was the job full time or part time?
How much did they work around your school schedule?
How flexible were they if you were late or had short-notice of attendance problems due to school?
Were you expected to put in extra time during the crunch? Was it paid?
Was overtime expected? Was that paid?
How did they work with school exams, if applicable?
How much paid and unpaid time off did you have?
Were there any other benefits or perks included?

Once you answer all those, the money per hour figure becomes comparable.