r/internships rules, stats, and what to post

r/internships is a community for discussing how to navigate internships and co-ops. The public description says it covers everything about the process and experience, from application all the way to a full time offer. The people posting here are mostly students and early career folks trying to land internships, figure out applications, and understand what the experience is like. It is a help and discussion space, not a job board and not a place to advertise anything.

The rule that decides everything for a founder is “No spam or self promotion”. It says links to outside websites that you are suspected of having affiliation with will result in a permanent ban, and advertising any product or service will also be met with a ban. The same rule leaves one narrow door open: self-made content or other non-commercial affiliated external content requires moderator approval, so you would need to ask before posting anything you made. “No unpaid internships” matters if your company runs an internship program, because posting or advertising unpaid internships is not allowed except under specific circumstances, and the main exception is student-run startups with a request made via modmail. “This is not a job board” blocks any post that is basically a job listing or a who is hiring question. “No low effort posts” removes vague questions like asking who is hiring for tech internships in a specific city. “Search past posts before posting” and “Use the pinned posts” both exist to cut clutter, so a question that has already been answered will not survive. “Be kind” is the baseline tone rule for everything you write.

A good post here is a genuine contribution to the internship conversation, with no link attached. If you have real experience with hiring interns, running a program, or reviewing applications, you can share that as plain text advice and answer questions in the comments. Before posting anything, search past posts and check the pinned posts, because duplicate and simple questions get removed. If you want to share something you made, like a guide or a resource, the rules require moderator approval first, so message the mods and ask before you post it. If you run a student-run startup with an unpaid internship, the rules say you can request an exception via modmail. The safest pattern is to participate as a helpful person first and let any promotion idea wait until you have asked the moderators directly.

Do not post links to anything you are affiliated with, because that is a permanent ban under “No spam or self promotion”. Do not advertise a product or service, same rule. Do not post self-made content without moderator approval, even if it is free and helpful. Do not post unpaid internship listings without getting approval via modmail first, and remember the stated exception is for student-run startups. Do not treat the subreddit as a job board by posting jobs or asking who is hiring. Do not post low effort questions like asking who is hiring for internships in a given city. Do not ask a question that has already been answered, because “Search past posts before posting” says duplicates create unnecessary clutter. Do not ignore the pinned posts, because “Use the pinned posts” says simple or very common topics belong there.

The permanent ban for affiliated links is the strictest version of the self promotion rule I have seen while writing these guides, so I would not risk even a soft mention of your site here. What I find interesting is that the community still leaves a door open for self-made content if you ask the moderators first, which tells me they are protecting the room, not punishing it. If your product genuinely helps interns, the honest move is to ask first and let them decide.