Collect the written terms
Read the offer and any appointment instructions together. Confirm the employer, role, location, work arrangement, full dates, hours, compensation, payment schedule, and response deadline. Ask the recruiter or program contact about unclear details. An overview page or an informal conversation is not a substitute for the terms of your specific placement.
Build a participation budget
List housing, deposits, transport, meals, equipment if required, and any school costs. Separate guaranteed support from conditional support and reimbursement that comes later. Estimate when expenses occur, not just the final total. If the plan needs upfront money you do not have, ask your school or employer about available options without assuming funding will appear.
Confirm the academic fit
Compare start/end dates with exams, required courses, graduation, and any return-to-study condition. If you want credit, ask your school about approval before the placement begins. Discuss semester leave or changes to graduation with an adviser. Do not assume that being a senior now satisfies an internship's student-status requirement months later.
Understand supervision and learning
Ask who will supervise you, what a typical project might involve, how feedback works, and what onboarding is provided. Check that the expected work fits your learning goals and current preparation. Resolve practical accessibility questions through the appropriate contact. An internship title alone does not establish the quality or scope of the experience.
Decide and keep a record
Use the written response deadline and communicate your decision through the requested channel. If you need clarification or more time, ask promptly and do not presume an extension. Save the offer and correspondence privately. Employer portals remain authoritative; a stage marked Offer in this site's planner is only your own note. For legal, tax, or immigration questions, use current official information and qualified advice.
Get the terms in writing before you decline anything else
A verbal offer is a good sign, not a commitment you can plan around. Ask for the written offer with the dates, pay, hours, location and work arrangement stated, and read it against what you were told in conversation. Do not withdraw from other processes, turn down another offer, or sign a lease until the written version exists and you have checked it. If something discussed verbally is missing from the document, ask about it before accepting rather than after.
Know what is reasonable to ask about, and what is not
It is normal to ask about start and end dates, whether the team is flexible on a week either side for exams or graduation, what onboarding requires, and how housing or relocation support actually works. For structured undergraduate programs, pay is usually fixed across a cohort and not open to negotiation — asking is not offensive, but expect that answer. What genuinely matters is clarifying the things that decide whether you can do the placement at all, and doing it before you accept rather than after.
A practical starting point
Questions to resolve before accepting
Are the dates and work location confirmed? What amount is paid, when, and under which conditions? Which costs are mine, and which are covered? Does my enrollment/graduation timeline fit? Who supervises me and what will I learn? What paperwork and response deadline apply?
This is editorial guidance, not an employer-required format. Use true details, respect authorship rules, and follow the actual application prompt.
Check the program-specific instructions
Use these independent guides to find the official requirements and application route. General advice does not override a publisher's instructions.
Check eligibility and the selected role's document instructions before submitting. FirstInternships does not accept applications; the optional private Talent Network is a separate profile and never submits an employer application for you.
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