Ask HN: What is the going hourly rate for co-op/interns these days?

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4702139

by et5000 • 14 years ago

9 9 14 years ago

news.ycombinator.com

At my company we are paying $25/hr + overtime (in Cambridge, MA), but lately I'm hearing a lot of students asking for $35-40/hr and wondering if that's a more standard rate nowadays.

How much do you pay at startups big and small?

UPDATED: my location

caw• 14 years ago

Can you update with a location? I think that matters a lot.

In Georgia, my friends and I were getting from $16-$25 an hour. My first internship paid only $14 an hour, but I got a 401k match of 3%, health insurance (if I wanted it), bereavement leave, paid vacation and holidays. My co-op paid more but didn't have any of those perks.

et5000• 14 years ago

Location updated: Cambridge, MA

benmanns• 14 years ago

In Lynchburg, VA (it's no San Francisco), my peers think that around $20/hour is a good rate for an internship at a fairly large insurance company. Some smaller businesses and non-profits pay around $10/hour. I've got a lot more experience and some business sense, so I charge significantly more.

drharris• 14 years ago

My co-op 10 years ago in GA paid $12/hr. Now, in SC (upstate, suburb), we pay between $22-26 for an engineering position depending on the longevity of employment. I think $35 is probably way too much for what value you will get; some experienced professionals will take that pay. If you're in NYC... maybe it's a bit more reasonable.

logn• 14 years ago

When I co-op'd in college in a medium-sized city I got $12-13/hr. My recent job paid interns $15/hr plus housing allowance.

zengr• 14 years ago

Maybe students asking for $35-40/hr because big companies like eBay (in the bay area) pays ~$45-50/hr to interns and students are looking for that kind of money.

achompas• 14 years ago

The market in NYC pays $4-5k/month for interns, from what I've seen and heard. That's just a bit below the $35-40/hour number you list above.

It's arguably justified, since companies expect interns to ship production-level code, but that's another conversation!

hoka• 14 years ago

I've seen Austin, TX companies offer between 19 and 23 depending on your academic standing.

I've also seen 22 in Cambridge.

aliukani• 14 years ago

My school (Northeastern University CCIS) has a list of suggested salaries: http://www.ccs.neu.edu/co-op/employers/index.html#salaries

  Average CCIS Co-op Salaries
  Student Level               Average  Midpoint  Average top 25%
  Undergraduate First Co-op   $20.00   $19.00    $28.00
  Undergraduate Second Co-op  $22.00   $22.00    $29.00
  Undergraduate Third Co-op   $23.50   $23.00    $30.00
  Graduate Co-op              $28.00   $28.50    $34.00

Ask HN: What is the going hourly rate for co-op/interns these days?

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