Memorial Day begins the unofficial start of summer—which means that employers across the country are gearing up for a new group of summer interns. Energetic high school, college and graduate school students are eager to gain both a first look at and practical experience in their chosen fields of study.

The Compliance Challenge

The use of summer interns in the private sector, for-profit world has been a compliance challenge for employers in recent years under the Fair Labor Standards Act. High-profile litigation in the entertainment industry, coupled with the restrictive position taken by the prior administration’s Department of Labor, significantly curtailed the prospects of securing an unpaid internship without running afoul of the FLSA’s minimum wage and overtime requirements.

New Guidance on the Intern Test