Internship Policy
Interns are part of the team while they are with us. This policy explains how internships work at TSS, which rules interns follow, and the extra care we take when an intern is under 18.
Document
Policy number
TSS-HR-10
Version
1.0
Effective from
1 September 2026
Next review
March 2027
Owner
Human Resource Team
Approved by
Board of Directors
Applies to
Every intern, paid or unpaid, including interns under 18, and every employee who supervises or works with an intern.
Issued by
Thakur Systems & Structures Private Limited, CIN U62011PN2026PTC254650
Related policies
Code of Conduct and Ethics (TSS-HR-01), Anti-Harassment and Non-Discrimination Policy (TSS-HR-02), Time Off and Leave Policy (TSS-HR-04), Health and Safety Policy (TSS-HR-08), Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) Policy (TSS-IT-06), Data Privacy and Management Policy (TSS-IT-04), Access Control Policy (TSS-IT-11), Confidentiality and Non-Disclosure Agreement (TSS-IT-13) Every intern
PART A
1. WHAT AN INTERNSHIP IS
Learning through real work. An internship is a fixed period of supervised work and learning. You work on real tasks, and a supervisor guides you and reviews what you do.
Not a job offer. An internship is not employment, and it does not lead to a job automatically. If we would like to offer you a job, we will do that separately, in writing.
Your internship letter. Before you start, we send you an internship letter setting out your dates, your supervisor, your working days and hours, any stipend, and whether you will work on your own device or a company device. You accept it by replying to the email it was sent with, on the same thread.
2. THE RULES YOU FOLLOW
Our policies apply to you. Every TSS policy applies to interns in the same way as to employees, unless this policy says otherwise. That includes the Code of Conduct and Ethics, the Anti-Harassment and Non-Discrimination Policy and all our IT and security policies.
Confidentiality. You accept the Confidentiality and Non-Disclosure Agreement (TSS-IT-13) by email before you start.
Induction. You go through the same induction as new employees, covering our policies, security basics and the tools you will use.
If rules differ. Where this policy and another policy differ for interns, this policy applies. Where the law gives you more, the law applies.
3. YOUR SUPERVISOR
A named person. Every intern has a named supervisor who plans your work, reviews it and answers your questions.
Regular check-ins. Your supervisor meets you at least once a week to go through your work and how you are finding the internship.
Other people you can talk to. You can raise anything with your supervisor, the HR team or a Director. If a concern is about your supervisor, go to the HR team or a Director.
4. HOURS AND TIME OFF
Hours. Your working days and hours are in your internship letter. You are never asked to work beyond them, or outside working hours. Interns under 18 have shorter hours (section 9).
Sundays and holidays. Sundays and the days on our holiday calendar are days off.
Leave. The general leave, sick leave, bereavement and emergency rules in the Time Off and Leave Policy apply to you. Whether a day off is paid depends on your internship letter.
Studies come first. If you are a student, we plan your work around your timetable, and you can take time off for exams. Tell your supervisor as early as you can.
5. DEVICES, ACCESS AND EXPENSES
Usually your own device. Most interns work on their own laptop for the whole internship, following the rules in the Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) Policy. Your internship letter says if you will have a company device instead. If you do, the IT Asset Management Policy applies to it.
Only the access you need. You get only the access your work needs (Access Control Policy). All of it is removed at the end of your last day.
Monitoring. The monitoring described in the Acceptable Use Policy applies to interns aged 18 and over. It does not apply to interns under 18 (section 12).
Expenses. The Expense Reimbursement Policy applies to you, including work travel and period products.
6. FEEDBACK AND FINISHING
Feedback. Your supervisor gives you feedback during the internship, and a short written review at the end.
Certificate. When you finish, we give you an internship certificate with your dates and the work you did. If you ask, we will also give you a reference.
Ending early. You can end your internship early by telling your supervisor and the HR team in writing. We can also end it early, for example if the work runs out or for misconduct. We will always tell you why, and for misconduct we follow the fair process for discipline in the Performance Management and Discipline Policy.
Your last day. Return anything that belongs to TSS, and remove company accounts and files from your own devices, as the BYOD Policy describes.
PART B
Interns under 18
7. WHY THERE ARE EXTRA RULES
We take interns from the age of 14. An intern aged 14 to 17 is an adolescent under the Child and Adolescent Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act, 1986, and the law gives them extra protection. The rules in this part come on top of everything in Part A. If the law ever requires more, we do more.
8. BEFORE THE INTERNSHIP STARTS
Age check. You must be at least 14. Before you start, we check your date of birth from a birth certificate or a school record.
A parent or guardian agrees. A parent or guardian must agree to the internship before it starts, by replying on the same email thread as your internship letter. They confirm that they agree to the internship, to these policies, and to TSS holding the personal data the internship needs.
Emergency contact. Your parent or guardian is your emergency contact. We call them straight away if you are hurt or unwell, or if there is a serious concern about your safety.
Legal steps. The HR team completes the steps the law requires when an adolescent works with us, including keeping a register of your working hours and rest breaks, and giving the labour authorities the notice the law requires.
Your supervisor is briefed. Before you start, your supervisor, and anyone else who will work closely with you, goes through the rules in this part with the HR team.
9. HOURS
These limits come from the law. They apply wherever you work, including from home, and whatever your internship letter says.
Three hours at a stretch. You never work more than three hours without a break of at least one hour.
Six hours from start to finish. Your working day, including breaks, is never spread over more than six hours.
Daytime only. You never work between 7 pm and 8 am.
No overtime. You are never asked to work longer than your agreed hours.
A day off every week. You get at least one whole day off each week, normally Sunday.
One place a day. You do not work for us on a day when you have already worked somewhere else.
10. THE WORK YOU DO
Safe work only. You do office work only: software, design, testing, documentation and similar tasks. You are never given work the law does not allow at your age, or anything that could put your health or safety at risk.
Client projects, with limits. You can work on client projects, but you are never given client personal data, client confidential information or access to live (production) systems. You work with sample or test data instead.
No commitments for TSS. You do not agree anything with clients or vendors on behalf of TSS, and you do not handle company payments.
Travel. You do not travel outside Pune or stay away overnight for work. Any client or company visit happens during the day, with your supervisor, and your parent or guardian is told in advance.
11. KEEPING YOU SAFE
Everyone at TSS follows these rules with interns under 18:
Work channels only. Contact with you happens only through TSS work email and work chat, only about work, and only during your working hours. Nobody should contact you on personal messaging apps or social media.
In the open. Meetings happen in open or shared areas of the office, or on work calls. Nobody should meet you alone behind closed doors or outside work.
No gifts, favours or secrets. Nobody should give you personal gifts, money or favours, or ask you to keep anything from your parent, guardian or the HR team.
No alcohol, tobacco or drugs. Nobody may offer or give you alcohol, tobacco or any other drug, at a work event or anywhere else.
Professional at all times. Conversations stay professional. Nobody should comment on your appearance or body, or share anything sexual or unsuitable with you.
Photos and names. We do not post your photo, your name or anything that identifies you, online or in marketing, without your parent or guardian’s agreement by email.
12. YOUR PERSONAL DATA
Consent first. Your parent or guardian agrees to the personal data we need to hold about you before you start. We hold only what the internship needs (Data Privacy and Management Policy).
No tracking. We do not use activity tracking or any other behavioural monitoring on interns under 18, on any device or account. Your accounts keep only the ordinary security records that every account has, such as sign-in history, and the IT team looks at these only to keep our systems secure.
13. IF SOMETHING IS WRONG
Tell someone. If anything makes you uncomfortable or unsafe, tell the HR team, a Director or your parent or guardian straight away. You will never be in trouble for speaking up.
Sexual harassment or abuse. Sexual harassment or abuse of anyone under 18 is a crime under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012 (POCSO Act). Anyone at TSS who knows or suspects it must report it to the police, meaning the Special Juvenile Police Unit or the local police station, and tell the HR team or a Director. TSS will make sure the report is made and will support you and your family. Our own complaint process never replaces a police report.
Your family. We tell your parent or guardian about any serious concern for your safety, unless doing so would put you at risk.
Help lines. Child Helpline 1098 is free and open 24 hours a day. In an emergency, call 112.
14. CONDUCT PROBLEMS
If there is a problem with your conduct, we talk to you first. For anything serious, we involve your parent or guardian, and they can join any formal meeting with you.
15. WHEN YOU TURN 18
The rules in this part stop applying on your 18th birthday. If your internship continues, we will ask you to accept the Confidentiality and Non-Disclosure Agreement again yourself, by email.