Alumni SwatWorks: Funded Micro-Internships
SwatWorks's Micro-Internships are short-term, paid, professional assignments that are similar to those given to new hires or interns. These projects enable Swarthmore students to demonstrate skills, explore career paths, and build their networks, as they are mentored by Swarthmore alumni and parents. Unlike traditional internships, Micro-Internships will be funded through micro-grants offered by Career Services at three increments:
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$125 for a 10-hour project
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$250 for a 20-hour project
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$500 for a 40-hour project
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If you are able to provide a project beyond the scope of the SwatWorks grant please click here to learn more.
This program will run as long as funding is available. Typically projects are posted and kick off within the same week and are completed in a time frame mutually convenient for the mentor and the student. Please be thoughtful of your available time to mentor current students; eligible class years include 2022, 2023, 2024 and 2025, so please be sure to select students in these class years.
Also please understand that we can fund ONE PROJECT PER ALUM this helps us to spread the program widely among more Swarthmore alumni. If your project will continue, your organization may work with Parker Dewey to fund the opportunity.
To view sample projects or post your own project, click on the links below based on how long you think the project will take. If you have questions about the SwatWorks program, you can complete the form on this page, and a member of the Parker Dewey team will reach out to you to help. For more information about the SwatWorks program, click here.
How it Works




Your REMOTE Projects + Swarthmore Students’ Talents = SwatWorks
SwatWorks Micro-Internships are short-term, paid, professional assignments that are similar to those given to new hires or interns. These projects enable Swarthmore students to demonstrate skills, explore career paths, and build their networks, as they are mentored by Swarthmore alumni and parents.
Swarthmore students have an amazing array of skills and talents and are eager to gain experience. Please consider any short-term REMOTE projects needed by any organization with which you’re affiliated.
Frequently Asked Questions
SwatWorks Micro-Internships are funded by Swarthmore Career Services. You will not receive an invoice for this project.
If you are posting a customized Micro-Internship, please input the number of hours you expect your project to take (10, 20 or 40 hours) and $500 for the project's cost. This price will be adjusted once the project has been reviewed to meet the program's guidelines.
In short, it’s easy as Parker Dewey handles it all. No HR burdens. No questions about ownership or worries about confidentiality/liability.
Employment: Micro-Interns are not your employees, contractors, interns, temps, or freelancers. Similar to working with a consulting firm or any other service provider, you are engaging Parker Dewey LLC to complete the assignment, and the student you select is a contractor or employee of Parker Dewey.
Liability: Parker Dewey assumes all liability. Not happy with the work product? We’ll work with you and the Swarthmore team to determine next steps.
Work Product: All work product is owned by you.
Confidentiality: While most projects involve public-facing information of a non-sensitive nature, both Parker Dewey and all Career Launchers sign strict NDAs to protect your information. In addition to the standard provisions, the students understand that they are risking their academic transcript or expulsion for any violation of confidentiality.
Background Checks: Given the short-term nature and structure of these assignments, we do not conduct background checks. While companies are always welcome to conduct a background check directly, the nature of the specific assignments and lack of a direct relationship with the individual who is selected has caused most organizations to defer the background check until after a Micro-Internship is completed and a student is offered a traditional internship or full-time role.
While Micro-Internships can be either on-site or virtual, depending on the requirements of the project, SwatWorks Micro-Internships should all be remote opportunities. This makes the opportunity more flexible and accessible both to you and the student.
- Log back into the Parker Dewey platform by clicking this link. If you do not remember your password, click on "Forgot password? Reset it" button.
- Once you log in, click on Details underneath your project. Then select View Applicants.
- Click Details next to each student to read more about each student's background and his/her answers to your application question(s).
- Once you have made your selection, you can select Approve Applicant for This Project. If you want to send your student a message you can click Send Them a Message! to set up a time to do an interview or ask the student for more information.