How do I fire my intern?

i actually had to fire an intern... and i made up this story about why i was letting her go because i was a little afraid there would be a giant amount of drama if i told her she was incompetent and crazy.

ok, do you think she's incompetent or just lazy?

You'll be doing her and ALL of her future employers a favor if you tell her why it's not working out for you. Then buh-bye.

try one of these snappy phrases

1. maybe it's just not our time

2. it's not you, it's me

3. we should explore other people

4. i'm young and i'm not ready to commit

5. i've been seeing another intern

Well, if you spend so much time holding an intern's hand, the benefit of free work v. learning oppty. diminishes..........

Maybe ask her how she feels about the job? Encourage her to be honest and tell her you won't be hurt if she says she doesn't like it. She might be lazy because she was expecting a different kind of work and doesn't like what you have her doing.

If she says she likes it, then give her some specific constructive criticism ("I need you to make sure you actually accomplish everything you set out to do each day" "I would like to see you work at a bit of a faster pace" etc.) and give her one last chance. Maybe tell her that you need to see some changes in order to continue the internship for the spring semester. Some people need to be told they suck before they actually will work.

And if she says she doesn't like it - then you just had the easiest firing ever.

danielle123 wrote: Thanks, everyone. Not sure what I'm gonig to do tomorrow but I'm at wit's end. (And know I don't believe I was doing "charity," raw, please. She work for free and I help her learn tasks and working in an office. She's applying for law school for God's sake, and she can't subtract 5 from 8; she started to use her fingers - seriously - and I finally had pity on her and said, "3, right?").

I know plenty of other colleagues at law school that probably can't subtract either... but that's neither here nor there.

I agree with others that you clearly care about this intern to the extent that you took the time to make this post. Thus, you are in a position where you can go through the awkwardness of firing her in a way that tries to explain to her why she is getting "let go," what she can do better, and wish her the best of luck. After intern world... she would be given 5 minutes to collect her things and a quick boot.

I saw take the harder road and try to use this as a chance to teach.

And it should go without saying: all this advise comes at a price. You must let us know how it goes .

Best of luck.

instead of firing her, maybe we could all just come pet your dog?

I'm temporarily unemployed...I'll come walk your dog. He's so CUTE.

As for the intern, if she's lazy, fire her. If she's just not good, you gotta teach her.

sweet tea wrote: ^yes. having interns is often a pain, but sometimes you get what you pay for. full disclosure: while i have been an intern and i have had interns, i think the current system of basically having to work for free in a field before you can get an entry-level job sucks.

i thought it was technically "illegal" to have a free intern; you need to give them something, and many employers only allow them if it's for college credit for this reason

that is a good suggestion. if you're really serious about maybe firing her, write up the things you talk about during the meeting, complete with concrete goals and consequences. both of you sign it. give her a copy, too.

BP, you're probably right. but the amount interns were paid at the last place i worked regularly with them (a famous, not poor theatre company) was appalling. full time staff weren't getting rich off the gig, but at least i could pay half rent in a cheap neighborhood. meanwhile, the company basically wouldn't hire any one who hadn't been an intern there or someplace similar. (i was enough of an exception that people brought it up frequently, but i worked a shit job for them for years before getting a decent one.) essentially no one without family resources could afford to be an intern -- my one friend who did it without family support worked full shifts at a night job. consequently, she was thought to be sluggish and not as good an intern, even though she was smarter than most.