Can Internship be lost if I transfer to another school? Forum

[bkaye]

Hey All,

So here's the deal.

I currently have an internship at a county Public Defender's Office.
I interviewed and was offered this paid position at the law school I attended last Fall.
The internship is set to run from this July to next July (2013).
All the other law students there (externs) go to this law school.

My question is this.
If I transfer to an out of state law school for the coming Fall, is there any way that the employer could not let me continue as an intern there?
I have no problem commuting to the internship 2 days a week so that's not the issue.
Would they technically be able to let someone go because they decided to transfer to a more prestigious school?

Thanks!

[Lycurgus]

I also wish to know the answer to this.

[3ThrowAway99]

I highly doubt they would let you go for this, unless it was an explicit stipulation that you attend your current law school. If anything, I imagine they may want to be able to say they have a student from the better school. But if you are really worried about losing this internship then you could always talk with them about your concerns directly.

[mileslibertatis]

My internship with a civil rights public interest firm has encouraged me in my transfer prospects, even so far as asking how they can help.

[Aqualibrium]

Um, he just said the job is set to run from this July to next July. I would think the fact that a person no longer lives in the state where he is employed in a year long job, especially if it involves a commute of 2 or more hours, would be a significant concern to an employer. On top of that, OP is in law school and doesn't know his schedule for at least the fall and definitely not the spring of next year; it isn't exactly easy to balance law school responsibilities and the responsibilities of a job, especially if you're having to commute multiple hours both ways.

Bottom line is, unless OP is just across the state line and the commute would be minimal, he needs to to talk to the employer, and should brace for the possibility that he'll have to work only through this summer and forfeit the rest of that time. It just wouldn't be smart for an employer to keep someone on who is in law school, has to commute several hours to get to work, and doesn't even know their schedule yet. You may think you can do it now, but there will be days when things come up that night, days where there will be things to do early the next morning, days when you're just too tired to make that commute, etc... All of those things can and will affect your timeliness, attendance, and job performance.

P.S. The employer is "technically able to let someone go" for any reason they choose really. In your case though, if they chose not to let you continue past this summer, it wouldn't be simply because of homerism.

[CanadianWolf]

OP: You need to discuss this with your employer. There could be a few reasons that the county PD's office might let you go, including an arrangement with your current law school, funding stipulations, etc.

[bkaye]

Thanks everyone!

FYI, I've commuted to past school/job this entire time.
By transferring I won't have to commute to school again. I will only have to commute to job (45 minutes each way) twice a week. Can work a max of 15 hours a week and also have possibility to work from home.

Either way, I think it is the right thing to do to have this discussion at work tomorrow. I'll be upfront and honest about everything before I weigh my options.