Can I still get a paid internship if I'm taking a semester off from school?

Question

Also, are they permitted to run a credit check on me like other people do before they hire?

Answer 1

You need to check with your school. In most cases I think that they would allow it; many students do an internship in the summer while that are not taking classes. It still counts as experience. However, if you need the experience for a particular class and you have not yet taken the class... they may want you to get the experience while you are actually taking the class. It really depends on the policies of your school.
They can do any type of background check that they want. If you do not want them to then they will feel that you are hiding something and may pass you over.