College staff probed for intern salary skimming

A college in the city of Xinyu, Jiangxi province, is being investigated after it was alleged online that staff have been skimming money from the students' internship salaries.

According to a statement from the Xinyu government on Wednesday, the suspects in the case have been identified and are under investigation.

The allegations came to light on Nov 10, after online sleuth Wang Hai posted a video to his 2 million followers on microblogging platform Sina Weibo, saying that some teachers and faculty at Jiangxi New Energy Technology Institute had been making a lot of money by skimming the intern salaries of their own students.

Wang claimed that he received the information from a former teacher at the institute.

In the wake of the allegations, students undertaking internships have been reminded to pay close attention to all paperwork and contracts they encounter to ensure that they are being treated fairly.

Yao Junchang, co-founder of Beijing Weiheng Law Office, said that those involved in the case may be suspected of embezzlement and bribery, and may yet be judged criminally responsible for their alleged actions.

"As for the students themselves, it's better to sign tripartite contracts to make sure their hourly pay, daily pay or monthly pay is clearly recorded in the contract. We suggest students get a more sound knowledge of the company and the intern post, as well as their intern salaries before taking internships introduced by a college," he said.