Most graduates across the nation will have completed at least one internship during college. Don't be left behind. Here are answers to some of the most common questions and concerns English majors have about internships:
Absolutely! Students from any concentration can find appropriate placements. Future teachers majoring in Literature can complete internships in schools and after-school programs, for example, and Creative Writers might enjoy interning at an arts and culture magazine. We offer many types of positions and many students find their own placements too. There's something for almost everyone! Theatre Arts internships are obtained through a separate process - contact the Theatre arts Program Coordinator directly.
Contact the internship coordinator (at English_Internships@uml.edu) to learn about the dozens of organizations with which the English Department places to student interns, in fields including communications, marketing, public relations, editing/publishing, education, and more. Read more on our Internship Placements page.
If you are working full time during regular business hours, then, yes, if might be difficult to schedule hours at an internship site if they operate only during regular business hours. Even so, some placements will gladly accept help from an intern off-site or during evenings and weekends. If your paid work is not full time or not completed during regular business hours, then there should be no problem scheduling an internship. Many organizations and businesses that offer internships offer flexible hours, within the Monday - Friday 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. range. You just need to fit in a total of 120 hours, which, depending on when you start and end the internship, is usually in summer about 10-15 hours a week, and in fall or spring 8-10 hours a week.
You wouldn't! An internship is not an add-on. An internship taken for academic credit is a real course, with assignments, due dates, and academic requirements. You would take the internship as a part of your regular course load and plan around having that obligation. Plan ahead what courses you take, and fitting in an internship can be possible.
Paid internships are highly competitive. Since many students are hunting for them, you will need to apply several months in advance, for example, apply in November or December for a summer internship. Check with Career Services for help in finding a paid internship.
No, this is prohibited. A paid internship is a job, and an unpaid one for credit is a course!
Find a placement near where you live! Students do it all the time. Look around your neighborhood at organizations and businesses you like and offer your services as a writing/research/etc. intern. Non-profit organizations are generally glad to welcome a university intern offering to help for free. Just make sure if you do this that you don't get taken advantage of - internships should give you valuable experience in the field or they aren't really worth your time. If you need help sorting this out, contact the department internship coordinator.
Talk to your academic advisor and / or the internship coordinator about this. They have a lot of experience working with students and can usually determine if a student is ready for the internship experience. Also, we offer a lot of great courses in which students can practice and gain confidence. Consider, for example, taking Community Writing I, an experiential learning course during which students complete real projects for community organizations. Or there's a lower-division course that offers a good baseline: Introduction to Professional Writing. The 3000-level Writing on the Job class and Intermediate Professional Writing course, among others are also options. In other words, if you don't feel confident, you can do something about that!
Great! If you want to do one of our pre-arranged internships, reserved for our majors, here are the steps:
If you are finding your own internship and want to take it for credit, skip to #4. All students seeking academic credit for an internship must complete the required paperwork - to qualify for credit, the internship must be a minimum of 120 hours of unpaid work related to English. If you want to find an internship on your own and do not want course credit, you do not need to contact the English Internship Coordinator at all.
If you didn't get your questions answered, please ask the internship coordinator via emial: (Professor Diana Archibald) directly. You can do this!