Host an intern: method & best practices

A successful internship doesn’t come down to luck or an improvised to-do list. It rests on careful preparation, regular supervision, and clear internship assignments that create value for the company and real learning for the student. At Meetern, we support teams in Belgium that want to recruit an intern, welcome them properly, and supervise them with a true internship supervisor mindset.

Evaluate your availability to supervise

Availability is the first success factor. In practical terms, plan about 90 minutes of onboarding on day one (introduction, tools, access, objectives), then a weekly one-on-one (1:1) of around 20 minutes. During the first weeks, add a 5-minute check-in at the start and end of the day: “what are you aiming for today, what’s blocking?” Appoint a backup buddy who can answer when you’re in meetings. The time invested upfront pays for itself: a well-scoped intern quickly becomes autonomous on useful topics.

Define clear internship assignments

An internship isn’t a string of invisible micro-tasks. It’s a learning path with identified deliverables and success criteria. Before arrival, draft a mini brief: context, objectives, expected deliverables, scope, people to involve. Look for balance between an early quick win (to build momentum) and a more ambitious project that runs across the internship and shows real progression. Avoid vague “help with…” wording; name concrete actions: publish, write, configure, document.

Prepare the intern’s onboarding

Operational details save precious time: tool access, templates, naming conventions, communication channel(Teams/Slack), IT contact, remote-work rules, confidentiality and data protection. A clear intern onboarding, with a small welcome kit (key contacts, in-house glossary, access checklist), makes integration smooth and strengthens your employer brand.

Pass on expertise without being a full-time trainer

Being an internship supervisor doesn’t mean knowing everything; it means making your practice explicit. Show a finished example, share a template, spell out your quality criteria and common pitfalls. If a topic sits outside your scope, bring in a resource person once, then ask the intern to document what was learned so the team can reuse it.

Adopt a coaching posture that helps them grow

Supervising an intern relies above all on clear, kind communication. Set an objective focused on the expected outcome, not only the means. When reviewing, separate what blocks the objective (substance) from what can wait (form). Acknowledge visible progress, then end with an open question: “what do you propose next?” This builds an autonomy reflex.

Follow up and assess without the paperwork overload

Keep a light rhythm: regular touchpoints and written feedback when useful. At mid-placement, run a short review: what’s acquired, what to adjust, what becomes the objective for the last stretch. At the end, provide an internship certificate summarizing assignments, dates, and skills. The student leaves with proof; you keep someone trained who already knows your ways of working.

Why host an intern with Meetern

Beyond operational help, a well-supervised internship accelerates your projects, feeds your talent pipeline, and strengthens your employer branding. On Meetern, you publish a clear assignment, talk directly with candidates, and structure onboarding without friction. We help you frame internship assignments, organise onboarding, and secure follow-up for a genuinely win-win experience.

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