Alumni SwatWorks: Funded Micro-Internships

SwatWorks's Micro-Internships are short-term, paid, remote assignments that are similar to those given to new hires or interns. These projects enable current or continuing Swarthmore students to demonstrate their amazing array of skills, explore career paths, and build their networks, as they are mentored by Swarthmore alumni and parents. These Micro-Internships are funded through micro-grants offered by Career Services in two increments:

$300 for a 20-hour project
$600 for a 40-hour project

If you have questions about the SwatWorks program, you can review the program FAQ's or complete the form at the bottom of this page, and a member of the Parker Dewey team will reach out.

To reach the Swarthmore Career Services team, please contact swatworks@swarthmore.edu.

Micro-Internship Templates

Click on the links below to see Micro-Internship templates that you can customize before posting. If you have a project need that's not met by these templates, review our tips for posting a custom Micro-Internship before creating your own from scratch.

If you are able to provide a project beyond the scope of the SwatWorks grant, we invite you to post from our employer-facing page.

See sample 20-hour projects →

See sample 40-hour projects →

Timeline

Late October

Post your project via Parker Dewey.

Mid-November

Micro-Internships will begin to be promoted to Swarthmore students. Students can be selected for Micro-Internships at any time.

Mid-December through Mid-January

Students are on Winter Break. Those selected for Micro-Internships can complete their project.

January 20, 2026

First day of Spring classes and all Micro-Internships must be completed. Students paid by Parker Dewey.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q. What is the cost?

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 (20 or 40 hours) and $600 for the project's cost. This price will be adjusted once the project has been reviewed to meet the program's guidelines.

For Winter Break 2025-2026, SwatWorks funding is limited to up to 40 hours of work by the student. This can be one, 40-hour project or multiple smaller projects that add up to no more than 40 hours. You will receive an invoice from Parker Dewey for any additional projects that exceed the 40 hours.

Q. How many students can I work with?

You can work with one or two students for a total of 40 hours. For example, if you want to host a 40 hour project, that could only be worked on by one student. If you want to host a 20 hour project, two students could both work on that one project. Additionally, you could post two different 20 hour projects and work with two different students.

Q. What are the legal/administrative implications of Micro-Internships?

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.

Q. Are Micro-Internships on-site or remote?

SwatWorks Micro-Internships should all be remote opportunities. This makes the opportunity more flexible and accessible both to you and the student.

Q. After posting a project, what happens next?

Once you post your project, Swarthmore students will apply if they are interested. You will receive an email each day that your project receives at least one application.

To select a 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.

If you have any questions about this, please reach out to SwatWorks@parkerdewey.com.

Q. After selecting a student, what happens next?

When you select a student, both you and the student will receive an email with each other's contact information so that you can schedule a time to meet and kickoff the project.

During this on-boarding meeting, you can discuss the following:

Communication: Mentors and Students should initiate contact after the Mentor chooses the Student for their project. They should confirm that their ongoing communication will be via email, phone, Zoom/Skype etc. A plan for communication about the project will be agreed upon by both.
Define Project and Expectations: The mentor will define the project, specifying the duration of the project. The student will confirm they understand the necessary tasks and action steps.
Set Check-Ins: The mentor and student will communicate to discuss questions or challenges of the project. Mentor and student will mutually agree upon frequency/schedule of check-ins.
Review: The mentor will review the project upon completion and offer feedback to the student.

You can review additional resources for how to manage your Micro-Internship here. If you have any additional questions, please reach out to SwatWorks@parkerdewey.com.