How to hire a maintenance internship

How to hire a maintenance internship, step by step

Here's a step-by-step maintenance internship hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a maintenance internship job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new maintenance internship
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a maintenance internship do?

Post a maintenance internship job for free, promote it for a fee

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you post your maintenance internship job, you should take the time to determine what type of worker your business needs. While certain jobs definitely require a full-time employee, it's sometimes better to find a maintenance internship for hire on a part-time basis or as a contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   Hiring the perfect maintenance internship also involves considering the ideal background you'd like them to have. Depending on what industry or field they have experience in, they'll bring different skills to the job. It's also important to consider what levels of seniority and education the job requires and what kind of salary such a candidate would likely demand.

   This list presents maintenance internship salaries for various positions.

   Type of Maintenance Internship	Description	Hourly rate
   Maintenance Internship	General maintenance and repair workers fix and maintain machines, mechanical equipment, and buildings. They paint, repair flooring, and work on plumbing, electrical, and air-conditioning and heating systems.	$12-21
   Groundskeeping Maintenance	A Groundskeeping Maintenance Worker performs several skilled and semi-skilled tasks in grounds keeping and building trade areas. They maintain turf places, including weed control and Integrated Pest Management... Show more	$11-18
   Preventive Maintenance Technician	A preventive maintenance technician performs routine facility maintenance to prevent possible mechanical failure. The technicians change worn out machine parts before they can cause mechanical damage... Show more	$14-25

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Customer Service
   • Preventative Maintenance
   • Maintenance Intern
   • Hand Tools
   • Industrial Maintenance
   • Plumbing
   • Safety Procedures
   • C++
   • HVAC
   • Fire Protection
   • PowerPoint
   • Maintenance Tasks
   • Maintenance Procedures
   • General Maintenance

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage all contract work including snow removal, mowing, asphalt work, and signage.
   • Conduct general preventative building maintenance, plumbing, fixtures and electrical system installation.
   • Assist HVAC and/or maintenance worker in monitoring and inspecting heating and cooling systems to ensure proper operation.
   • Conduct intermediary inspection of electrical, HVAC, revetment and shoreline erosion/accretion, space allotment and safety procurement at the port.
   • Perform basic electrical and plumbing repairs.
   • Service and inventory major electrical equipment-fuses, switches and receptacles.

   More maintenance internship duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your maintenance internship job description is one of the best ways to attract top talent. A maintenance internship can vary based on:

   • Location. For example, maintenance interns' average salary in mississippi is 41% less than in alaska.
   • Seniority. Entry-level maintenance interns 44% less than senior-level maintenance interns.
   • Certifications. A maintenance internship with certifications usually earns a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for an established firm or a new start-up company can make a big difference in a maintenance internship's salary.

   Average maintenance internship salary

   $16.26hourly

   $33,831 yearly

   ---

   Entry-level maintenance internship salary

   $25,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 21, 2025

   Average maintenance internship salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	Maryland	$39,555	$19
   2	California	$37,905	$18
   3	Texas	$35,972	$17
   4	Oregon	$34,495	$17
   5	Illinois	$34,134	$16
   6	Colorado	$33,025	$16
   7	Virginia	$32,625	$16
   8	Indiana	$32,421	$16
   9	Ohio	$31,516	$15
   10	Arizona	$31,437	$15
   11	Missouri	$31,392	$15
   12	Georgia	$30,980	$15
   13	Wisconsin	$30,912	$15
   14	Florida	$29,828	$14
   15	Tennessee	$29,383	$14
   16	Arkansas	$29,040	$14
   17	Utah	$28,784	$14
   18	Montana	$28,714	$14
   19	Kansas	$27,505	$13
   20	Mississippi	$25,555	$12

   Average maintenance internship salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Schneider Electric Industrial Services	$61,267	$29.46	2
   2	Sandia National Labs	$59,378	$28.55	96
   3	Graco	$52,749	$25.36	1
   4	Student Conservation Association	$50,346	$24.20	1
   5	Worthington Industries	$49,347	$23.72	12
   6	Textron	$47,315	$22.75	27
   7	Dairy Farmers of America	$46,937	$22.57	129
   8	Texas Instruments	$46,242	$22.23	12
   9	Renesas Electronics	$45,066	$21.67	6
   10	Land O'Lakes	$44,606	$21.45	22
   11	Post Holdings	$43,518	$20.92	62
   12	Travis County	$43,472	$20.90
   13	Green Bay Packaging	$43,144	$20.74	5
   14	Waupaca Foundry	$43,002	$20.67
   15	Atkore International	$42,899	$20.62	18
   16	Kimberly-Clark	$42,700	$20.53
   17	Woodard & Curran	$41,470	$19.94	8
   18	PACCAR	$41,106	$19.76	2
   19	Carpenter Technology	$40,708	$19.57	10
   20	JBS USA	$40,568	$19.50	71

4. Writing a maintenance internship job description

   A maintenance internship job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. Below, you can find an example of a maintenance internship job description:

   Maintenance internship job description example

   At SpartanNash, we deliver the ingredients for a better life through customer-focused innovation. We do this for our supply chain customers and U.S. military commissaries, retail store guests and, most importantly, our Associates. In fact, we see a day when each will say, “I can't live without them.”
   
   Our SpartanNash family of Associates is 17,500 strong, ranging from bakery managers to order selectors; from IT developers to vice presidents of finance; from HR Business Partners to export specialists. Each of them plays an integral role in SpartanNash's People First culture, Operational Excellence and Insights that Drive Solutions. Ready to contribute to the success of our food solutions company? Apply now!
   Job Description:
   
   A day in the life of an Engineer Intern, a fully remote role at SpartanNash, is never the same. In this role, you will gain experience across many functions of the company.
   
   What You'll Do
   Standardization - 5S initiative Infrastructure audits - prioritizing findings and obtaining cost from completed audits Transportation projects - Assisting with project management Refrigeration in Bloomington - Assisting with conversion to ammonia Sustainability - vendor (Dannon, Kraft-Heinz, Nestle, etc.) packaging designs Sustainability - vendor scorecards/benchmarking what they already publicly talk about Continuous improvement projects in Grand Rapids DC, Norfolk, Omaha, or OKC (shipping, receiving, vendor drop-off, etc.) Responsible to complete or participate in at least one strategic project during the internship and give a short presentation to the executive team that showcases the project. Participate in learning opportunities that may include tours of our warehouses and retail stores, a community service event (such as SpartanNash Expo, Helping Hands, or Special Olympics) Attend workshops for developing skills, team building, etc.
   
   Sound Like You? Here's what you'll need:
   High School Diploma or equivalent (GED) GPA of 3.0 (Preferred) Some College Degree (Required to be an active student going into the summer) MS Office ProficiencyGood written and verbal communication skills. Good organizational, prioritization and detail-oriented skills. Ability to take initiatives and seek opportunities to learn in a fast-paced environment. Ability to work remotely
   SpartanNash is a certified Veteran-Friendly Employer. We value the perspectives, backgrounds, skills, work ethic and leadership that those who are military connected bring to the workforce.
   
   As part of our People First culture, SpartanNash is proud to offer a robust and competitive Total Rewards benefits package.
   
   SpartanNash is an Equal Opportunity Employer that celebrates diversity and believes employing a diverse workforce is key to our success. We are committed to providing equal employment opportunities to all individuals.
   
   We are not able to sponsor work visas for this position.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are various strategies that you can use to find the right maintenance internship for your business:

   • Consider promoting from within or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to find candidates who meet your education requirements.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your maintenance internship job on Zippia to find and recruit maintenance internship candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   During your first interview to recruit maintenance interns, engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. During the following interview, you'll be able to go into more detail about the company, the position, and the responsibilities.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents. You can move on to the technical interview if a candidate is good enough for the next step.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new maintenance internship

   Once you've found the maintenance internship candidate you'd like to hire, it's time to write an offer letter. This should include an explicit job offer that includes the salary and the details of any other perks. Qualified candidates might be looking at multiple positions, so your offer must be competitive if you like the candidate. Also, be prepared for a negotiation stage, as candidates may way want to tweak the details of your initial offer. Once you've settled on these details, you can draft a contract to formalize your agreement.

   It's equally important to follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   To prepare for the new employee's start date, you can create an onboarding schedule and complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9 forms, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Human Resources should also ensure that a new employee file is created.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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How much does it cost to hire a maintenance internship?