Introduction
Linux Foundation Networking (LFN) is looking to engage student developers in open source software development, with opportunities to gain hands on experience, contributing to Industry leading open source networking projects (OPNFV, ONAP, FD.io, ODL etc..) We welcome interns from anywhere in the world.
LFN Internship are for University or College students who are interested in contributing to real-world impactful Open Source projects. Each intern will be working with a mentor from the LFN project community to complete a project either in 3 months (full time 40 hours a week) or 6 months (part time 20 hours a week). This is a paid internship program accepts applications throughout the year and the internship projects start on a quarterly schedule (e.g. Jan 1, April 1, June/July 1, and September 1). As an open source project, each intern will work remotely from his or her location of choice.
Looking for ODL or OPNFV Internships? You have found them. Individual community internship programs from OPNFV and ODL have merged and rebranded under LFN Internship program.
Typical timeline for internship
3-month internship
Week 0: Kick-off meeting with mentor(s) (nominal start-up stipend paid in weeks 1-2)
Week 6: Mid-term review (~1/2 of the stipend paid)
Week 12: Final review (remaining stipend paid)
6-month internship
Week 0: Kick-off meeting with mentor(s) (nominal start-up stipend paid in weeks 1-2)
Week 6: 1st review (~1/4 of the stipend paid)
Week 12: Mid-term review (~1/4 of the stipend paid)
Week 18: 3rd review (~1/4 of the stipend paid)
Week 24: Final review (remaining stipend paid)
If you have any questions about the internship program, send an email to LFN-Internship@linuxfoundation.org.
Stipend & Eligibility
You must be at least 18 years of age. You must be a full or part-time student currently enrolled in an accredited university/college academic program and will return to school after summer or who will have just graduated from college Spring 2018 or have been accepted for the fall term as a first-year student. You must be eligible to work in the country you reside in during the program
LFN will pay you a stipend, similar the tiered structure to Google Summer of Code pay rates. The stipend will be paid in several installments provided that project evaluations by mentors show the intern is making satisfactory progress. The final installment will be paid upon successful project completion.
Participants will be in good standing if they have used their best efforts to complete their Project Work Product. Whether or not you are in good standing is within the sole judgment of your Volunteer Mentor upon consultation with the Program coordinators. You understand and agree that LFN does not have the ability to control, direct, or instruct the Volunteer Mentor’s judgment regarding your good standing. You may request that the Program coordinators review the Volunteer Mentor's decision.
Suggested Payment Schedule
3-month internship
- Week 1-2: 15% will be sent to you if you have begun your Project.
- ~Week 6: 40% of balance will be sent to you if you are in good standing with your Volunteer Mentor
- At the conclusion of your internship: Remaining 45% will be sent to you if your Volunteer Mentor has determined that you have successfully completed your internship.
6-month internship
- Week 1-2: 15% will be sent to you if you have begun your Project.
- ~Week 6: 20% of balance will be sent to you if you are in good standing with your Volunteer Mentor
- ~Week 12: 20% will be sent to you if you are in good standing with your Volunteer Mentor
- ~Week 18: 20% will be sent to you if you are in good standing with your Volunteer Mentor
- At the conclusion of your internship: Remaining 25% payment will be sent to you if your Volunteer Mentor has determined that you have successfully completed your internship.
How to Apply: Instructions for Students
If you are interested participating in an internship project, follow the application process below:
1. Review the latest internship project ideas
FD.io Intern Projects (Coming Soon) | ONAP Intern Projects (Coming Soon) |
2. Identify which projects you're interested in.
Feel free to contact the mentor(s) for the projects that you are interested in to learn more about the project and what the mentor(s) are looking for in an intern project
3. Write a project plan in response to a project that interests you: See the guidelines below
4. Submit your project plan to LFNetworking-Internship@linuxfoundation.org . Feel free to submit plans for upto 3 project proposals.
Project plan guidelines
You can use any document format (e.g. .doc, .pdf, .txt, etc.) of your choice, but please include the following information in your project plan.
Project title
Preferred length of internship: 3 months (~40 hours/week) or 6 months (~20 hours/week)
Name of mentor(s)
Why you are interested in this project and the reason you’re the best individual to do so.
Details of your academic, industry and/or open source development experience, as well as other information you think are relevant
If you have worked on other open source projects, please provide pointers to the code you worked on/contributed.
Proposed project timelines/deliverables
Your contact information (e.g. email, IRC, phone, etc.)
One or two references
Finally, please include a proof of current academic status (e.g. transcript or copy of student ID).
Please remember to keep your plans concise and simple. We're not expecting you to write a 10-page essay.
Tips for Mentors
Proposing a Project
If you are interested in mentoring an internship project, you can start by adding a new project proposal at respective project intern projects pages.
FD.io Intern Projects (Coming Soon) | ONAP Intern Projects (Coming Soon) |
Please note that the more detail you can provide on the project page, the more likely your potential interns will understand what you are looking for. In addition to the description of the project, please include expected outcome at the end of the internship and your contact informations so that potential interns can contact you with questions.
Choosing an Intern
We require that you conduct an interview (e.g. via Skype, Google Hangout, etc.) with your prospective intern. The interview can simply be a casual conversation. It will help you evaluate your intern's level of preparedness, qualifications, motivation, and communication styles. It will also offer the opportunity to collaboratively fine-tune the project plan and project outcomes based on the project's needs and your intern's background and skill set.
Mentoring an Intern
Mentorship is be critical for a successful internship project. Please remember that in many cases, you will be working with students in a different part of the world, so an effective communication and guidance will be crucial.
Communicate: Communicate with your intern often, whether it is to provide feedback, offer training, or check on the intern’s progress. By keeping the line of communication open you will build trust, respect, and a positive relationship that facilitates the successful completion of the project.
Mentor: Schedule a regular review meeting with your intern. Mentorship is a critical and essential part of an internship experience, and an attribute that differentiates from regular employment. As a mentor, it’s important to give your intern honest feedback on professionalism and career preparedness.
Connect: To foster learning outside of your intern’s job duties, encourage your intern to develop relationships outside or his or her immediate team. Allowing your intern to gain a broader understanding of your project team, industry, and potential career paths can help generate new ideas and make him or her a more effective contributing member. Inviting interns to participate in project team or working group meetings is an great way to build a connection between the intern and the rest of the community.
Revisit: Periodically revisit the learning objectives and expected outcomes established at the beginning of the internship. Discuss what the student has learned and how it can be applied in the future. Be flexible to adjust the project scope, learning objectives, and outcomes based on the intern's background and skill set.
Additional resources on mentorship can found at these external sites:
See Previous internship work:
CENGN Webinar: CENGN Intern Aarti, speaks about OPNFV third Colorado Release! Watch the video to learn more and read about her experience!
OPNFV Video: OPNFV Intern Interview: Zahra Jahedi
OPNFV Video: OPNFV Intern Interview: Daniel Tudares