How to Hire Student Interns with No Wage Cost to Your Business Using Riipen Level UP

Hiring extra help can be expensive. Many small businesses in Canada find hiring a student intern too expensive due to wages, payroll, and supervision time. Riipen Level UP changes this by covering student pay while you get real project work done — with no wage cost to your business.

Level UP is a national, fully subsidized internship program designed for short, project-based work. If you need help with marketing, research, software, or operations, this program can be a practical way to add capacity without affecting your cash flow.

What Is Riipen Level UP and How It Works

Level UP by Riipen is a federally supported, project-based internship program delivered through the Riipen platform. It connects Canadian employers with post-secondary students for paid work, while the program covers student compensation.

Here’s how it works for employers:

Project length: 60 hours per student
Format: Fully remote by design
Wage cost to employers: $0
Students per project: Up to two students
Employer commitment: Minimum five hours of mentorship over the project
Delivery: All project activity and communication happens through Riipen’s platform

Students are paid by the program, not by you. That means there is no wage subsidy to claim, no payroll setup, and typically no taxable grant income for your business. However, employers should check with their accountant to confirm how this applies to their specific tax situation.

Employer Eligibility Requirements

Most Canadian organizations can participate, but there are clear eligibility rules.

To qualify as an employer, you must:

Be a Canadian business or non-profit organization
Have a real, defined project suitable for a student
Provide any required tools or software for the project
Commit to at least five hours of mentorship
Use Riipen’s platform for tracking and communication
Limit participation to one project per cohort, with a maximum of two students

Employers that are not based in Canada, or cannot provide mentorship and project oversight, are not eligible.

If you’re unsure about your eligibility, tools like GrantHub’s eligibility matcher can help you check if Level UP or similar student hiring programs fit your business.

Types of Projects That Work Well Under Level UP

Level UP is best suited for projects with clear outcomes instead of ongoing roles. Common project types include:

Marketing plans and social media strategy
Market or customer research
Business process documentation
Data analysis and reporting
Software development or QA testing
UX, design, or content projects

Projects must be scoped to fit within 60 hours, so clear deliverables are important. Employers who outline milestones tend to get better results.

Step-by-Step: How to Hire Student Interns with No Wage Cost

If you’re considering Riipen Level UP, the process is straightforward:

Create an employer profile on Riipen
Post a project description, including scope and deliverables
Review student matches recommended by the platform
Select up to two students for your project
Complete the 60-hour project, providing mentorship along the way

Once approved, students complete the work while being paid by the program — not your business.

How Level UP Compares to Wage Subsidy Programs

Level UP is often confused with student wage subsidies, but it works differently.

Level UP:

No wages paid by the employer
No reimbursement claims
Short, fixed-hour projects
Fully remote
No grant funds flow to the business

Traditional wage subsidies:

Employer pays wages upfront
Partial reimbursement (often 50–70%)
Payroll setup required
More reporting and compliance

For businesses that want quick, low-risk help, Level UP can be simpler than applying for wage subsidy grants. For a deeper comparison, see How Student Work Placement Wage Subsidies Stack With Provincial Hiring Incentives.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

1. Proposing an ongoing role instead of a project
Level UP is not for general admin or open-ended help. Projects must be clearly scoped to 60 hours.

2. Underestimating mentorship time
Five hours is the minimum. Students perform better when you schedule regular check-ins.

3. Missing cohort limits
You can only run one project per cohort, with up to two students. Planning ahead matters.

4. Assuming in-person work is allowed
Level UP projects are designed to be fully remote.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Is Riipen Level UP really free for employers?
Yes. Students are paid by the program, not by your business. You do not pay wages or receive grant funds.

Q: Do Level UP interns have to be remote?
Yes. Level UP projects are structured to be fully remote, which helps standardize delivery across Canada.

Q: How many students can I hire through Level UP?
You can hire up to two students per project, and only one project per cohort or funding year.

Q: Are Level UP payments taxable for my business?
No. Since you do not receive money directly, there is generally no taxable grant income for employers. Still, check with your accountant for your specific situation.

Q: What kinds of students participate?
Participants are Canadian post-secondary students who meet program eligibility requirements set by Riipen.

Next Steps

Riipen Level UP is one of the simplest ways to bring student interns into your business with no wage cost, especially for short-term, project-based needs. If you’re also exploring wage subsidies or provincial hiring incentives, GrantHub tracks hundreds of active grant and student hiring programs across Canada — check which ones match your business profile.

How to Hire Student Interns with No Wage Cost to Your Business Using Riipen Level UP