Frequently Asked Questions

I made my purchase in FAMIS--now what?

We will be in contact with you via email outlining the next steps concerning your student and your purchase order.

Who are the interns?

Interns are registered students at one of the City University of New York's many campuses. Interns are typically working toward 2-year or 4-year degrees in computer-related fields, including computer science, computer engineering, and computer information systems.

What can an intern do at my school?

An intern can help you perform a range of tasks related to hardware, software, and networking. See the home page for the job description outlining tasks CUNY interns can perform.

I have a special need that falls outside the list of skills that an intern can perform. Can I find an intern to help me?

Many interns are extremely knowledgeable about a broad range of technology issues. It may well be the case that an intern can help with tasks not specifically listed here. In screening candidates, however, DIIT is only looking for proficiency with those tasks specifically outlined on the job description (see home page).

If my school decides to get an intern, what are my school's responsibilities?

By signing up for the program, your school is agreeing to the following: " Overseeing the day-to-day responsibilities of your intern. While the IT staff in the borough offices are a resource to interns, the school is responsible for providing the day-to-day direction an intern needs to become a contributing member of the school environment. " Designating an on-site staff member to supervise the intern. This could be a principal, an assistant principal, a technology teacher-it depends on how your school functions. " Notifying CUNY immediately with any problems relating to intern performance. " CUNY requires that someone on the school's administrative staff be designated to approve the intern's bi-weekly timesheets. This could be one of the aforementioned staff, but even better is the school or payroll secretary. The intern should be issued a time card to punch in and out. The punch card should be compared to the paper timesheet the intern submits for approval. You can find the timesheet template as well as the payroll calendar HERE

How are interns screened, selected and assigned?

All interns are pre-screened by a program manager at CUNY. Qualified candidates are forwarded to DIIT, where they are then interviewed. DIIT assesses the candidate's skills and determines whether he/she can be placed. Following training delivered by DIIT, CUNY assigns an intern to a school, taking into account the school's location relative to where the student lives and goes to school.

How are interns matched with schools?

Students are matched according to where they live and go to school in proximity to the participating schools. We always attempt to match their skills to any special needs made by the school during the registration process, but the first consideration is based on what makes sense geographically.

My school would like to select its own intern. Can we?

No. The program is structured to ensure that all interns are vetted by an IT staffperson at DIIT. Not only does this ensure that an intern has the appropriate degree of technical proficiency needed, but it frees up school staff from having to take the time out of their schedule to carry out a hiring process.

I have very specific needs regarding the hours an intern can work. Can you find me an intern?

CUNY will do its best to accommodate your needs. However, it is very important to mention your needs on the Registration page. Please remember, the more flexible you are with the intern's schedule, the more likely the intern will be able to manage it over the course of the year. Additionally, when the interns first start working in the school they will have just begun their fall semester. Their schedule may be less than ideal at that time but they will finish the fall semester in mid-December and will then have the chance to change their class schedule for the spring semester. It helps if you communicate with your student and try to work with him/her throughout the fall semester so that they have an opportunity to be available for the days and times that work best for you from December through June.

Who does an intern work for?

Interns are officially staff of the Research Foundation of CUNY, but they are under the direct supervision of staff at the school. A staff person at the school signs off on hours worked before a student can be paid. See below.

How do interns get paid?

Interns receive a paycheck every other week from the Research Foundation of CUNY. Paychecks are derived from an intern's timesheet, which must be approved by an administrator at the school site. It is important for administrators to establish a procedure for payroll the first day an intern arrives at the school. Failure to approve a timesheet on the part of the school administration can result in an intern missing his/her paycheck. It can also result in inaccurate reported hours for the school.

What kind of training do interns receive?

Interns receive 10 hours of training on a range of technical topics and policies, including security, wireless networking, the central network, help desk and Pro Connect. They are trained directly by DIIT and have access year-round to the Borough Technology Manager and other DIIT staff. Whenever an intern places a ticket with the help desk, the staff in the borough office will know that you are school has an intern and will reach out to him/her to help resolve the issue.

What if my school becomes dissatisfied with the intern we receive?

We strive to place only qualified candidates. If for some reason you experience a problem, you must be in touch with the CUNY program staff immediately. CUNY will issue a written warning to the intern. If disciplinary action needs to be taken, CUNY will work with you to reach a satisfactory resolution. Where necessary, measures will be taken to replace an intern. The estimated time for replacing an intern is 4-6 weeks.

What is the process if my school needs to take disciplinary action?

Contact the project coordinator Nadege Pierre at 212-652-2862 immediately to explain the situation. We cannot stress enough how important this point is. If a problem goes unresolved for months because CUNY is not aware there is a problem, it makes it difficult for us to follow proper channels for addressing issues, which is to:

1. After consulting with the school, CUNY will issue a written warning to the intern documenting the issues at hand and follow up with school and intern on a weekly basis.
2. If the student persists with negative behavior he/she will be removed from the school and school staff will be given access to our resume database to begin interviewing for a replacement. We place the first intern but if that does not work out for any reason, we require that the school go through the hiring process and identify their second candidate in an effort to ensure the school is completely happy with their second placement.
3. If no replacement is found the school will be refunded less the hours their intern worked and less the full administration fee.

CUNY can be a resource to troubleshooting any issues that may arise, but keeping in close contact with the CUNY program administrator is critical.

What is the refund policy?

If you are dissatisfied with the quality of your intern's service and you do not wish to have him or her replaced, or should your school choose to opt out of the program for any reason, we will refund the remainder of the PO less hours worked and the administrative fee.

How are intern work schedules determined?

The week before the intern is to start, we send you a Student BIO that outlines the students fall class schedule. The school staff should work directly with the assigned intern to set a weekly work schedule that is mutually agreeable to both the student and the school. Remember that you have purchased 15 hours of work per week and you should work with the student to meet those hours in a way that makes sense for the student as well as the school. Remember that the fall semester ends in December and you should find out around that time what class schedule your student intern is registering for for the spring semester. You may have to work out a new schedule for the intern to work between January and June.

How are holidays and school closings dealt with?

The base price of each package takes into account the various multi-day school closings throughout the year (essentially removing 4 weeks from the calendar year). Should an intern be scheduled to work during one of these weeks, keep in mind that they will have worked their total allotment of hours prior to June 30. Therefore, the winter, mid-winter and spring breaks should not be weeks when the intern is scheduled as these weeks were not counted into the package price.

My school's needs for IT support are variable depending on the time of the year. Can the program accommodate this?

The program is set up to provide both interns and schools with a stable support regime. This means that interns work a fixed schedule each week in terms of total number of hours. If your school needs more flexible and variable support, or you have special projects for which you require additional support for a short time, this may not be the program for you.

My school is Apple/Macintosh-based. Can CUNY interns support my school?

We will make every effort to find a student who meets your technology needs. Once you purchased your package, you will be directed to our registration page where this information can be noted. Please note that DIIT has created a classroom training session in which they cover the needs of MAC-based schools. DIIT has often stressed that interns who have strong technical skills are easily able to work across platforms but, again, we make every effort to find and place a student who can exhibit MAC experience.

How does an intern relate to the IT staff at the borough offices?

While interns officially report to staff at the school site, they liaison with IT staff at the borough offices. Staff at each borough office are provided with a list of interns who serve their borough. Additionally, all CUNY interns are provided with a DOE e-mail address so that when the help desk receives a ticket for your school, the system indicates that a CUNY intern is present and the DOE technician can contact the intern to help resolve the issue.

Does CUNY have experience running internship programs?

CUNY has run several very successful internship programs in conjunction with other New York City agencies. Since 2000, CUNY has had a program dedicated to providing IT interns to the Human Resource Administration, and in 2003 we launched another program to serve all other city agencies. Each year we place about 250 students, many of whom go on to be hired for full-time positions by their respective agencies, including 18 students that have been hired by DOE Central or a school since we began working with the DOE in 2005.