Offices & Services
Office of Human Resources

Hiring Minors

SEAS hosts a number of activities and internships throughout the year that are attended by minors (children under age 18). The University requires that all programs with minors be registered.

If you or your office or lab conducts such a program, please notify Rowen Gray, HR Coordinator at: rgray@seas.harvard.edu. She can provide you with the information you will need to be in compliance with these policies. This includes any paid or unpaid internships for minors.

To ensure children remain safe while on campus, the University has a Policy for the Safety & Protection of Minors which contains four foundational elements:

  1. Guidelines for interactions with minors;
  2. Requirement to report any instance of suspected abuse or neglect of a minor;
  3. Education for those who interact with minors and those who oversee programs for minors; and
  4. Background screening for those in certain positions of responsibility for minors in University programs.

Following University Guidelines, if members of the Harvard community become aware of information indicating that a minor might be the victim of abuse or neglect – on or off campus, and whether or not the situation involves a person affiliated with the University – that information should be reported to HUPD at (617) 495-1212.

To ensure lab safety, the University's Minors in Labs Policy assigns additional responsibilities to those who have minors entering labs. 
 

Getting Started

  • Notify HR before you extend any offer of paid or unpaid work to a minor. Please note:
    • SEAS does not employ children under 16 years old in either paid or unpaid roles. 
    • Minors who are not U.S. citizens must be able to provide a visa or work authorization to participate in any paid or unpaid roles.
  • Designate the Responsible Adults, classified as:
    • Anyone who will be supervising the minor
    • Anyone who will have the opportunity to be alone with the minor
    • All Responsible Adults must complete Training for Responsible Adults and send HR a pdf of their completion certificate
    • All Responsible Adults will have to pass a background check
  • Register the program on the Youth Protection Registration Portal
  • Send HR:
    • Name and email address of the minor and their parent/guardian
    • Name and email address of the Responsible Adults
  • Complete Unpaid Intern Questionnaire (if unpaid appointment)
  • Complete Temporary Appointment Form (if paid appointment)
  • HR will:
    • Reach out to the minor for additional paperwork
    • Reach out to Responsible Adults with links to training and background checks


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