Internships of Interest to Students of American Studies

 

Why an internship?

Internships can provide skills training and other valuable learning that one does not acquire in the classroom.  Actual work situations may be very different from what a student imagines, and an orientation to what one will actually be doing in one’s career, or to what kind of support or other related work will intersect with one’s job, can be invaluable.  

What to look for—what to look out for

Internships of all kinds can be found on the Internet, including many that deal with the disciplines that comprise American Studies.  Some internships have regular terms of appointment, while others recruit on a rolling or continuous basis, depending on their work flow and the availability of funding.  Some offer compensation, in the form of a stipend, salary, or expense allowance.  A few provide housing, [1] though most have only referrals for local housing.  Most, though not all, offer college credit, either by arrangement with the college of your choice (subject to approval) or through a specific institution.  These arrangements might vary over time, especially for some of the grassroots organizations.  In some fields, such as filmmaking, one-of-a-kind internships might be created for a specific project.  All of this variation means that different internships become available much the way that regular jobs do—so the applicant will be confronted with a changing set of choices.

A lot of internships are either arranged through or funded by agencies.  Some agencies specialize in certain fields, others have listings in several fields.  This system is especially popular with the non-profit sector, because it enables small organizations and those with little funding to recruit more effectively.  Some of these agencies are connected with foundations that provide a stipend.  Usually, the agency does not take part in selection, so the applicant communicates directly with the employer.  Some, though not all internships in government and in publicly funded institutions, such as museums, archives, and libraries, are listed with agencies.  Others are handled by internal human resource departments, or by a central office that serves several facilities.

Internships in the private sector are usually advertised locally, but often listed with agencies as well.  Some of these might not be much different from other kinds of temporary jobs, except for the lower pay scale, if any pay is offered at all.  In public service or non-profit organizations, this is understandable and, as long as the intern wishes to support the organization’s goals, probably worthwhile.  Among for-profit organizations, however, unless the internship provides a valuable learning experience, such as skills-training or exposure to a specific business culture, the experience might be little more than exploitation. [2]

It is important to keep in mind that internships are arranged for the benefit of the employer, and may or may not offer any useful experience to the intern.  Applicants should read job descriptions carefully and ask questions, rather than make assumptions about the quality of the internship experience.  In reading about the experiences of  previous appointees, look for specifics:  What were the intern’s goals, and how do they compare with your own?  Exactly what kind of work was done?  Beware of glib or evasive language.  On the other hand, the experience of doing anything at all, in a specific work environment, can sometimes provide a learning experience.  The trick is to get the most you can get, in exchange for your effort. Some of the most interesting jobs may be available through agencies, and the variety of offerings makes it worthwhile to start one’s search with this type of resource.  The place to begin is the website of the agency, to be followed by the websites of several employers listing positions with that agency.  Read everything, including parts of the agency’s website designed for prospective employers.  It may be worthwhile to compare several different agencies, even some that don’t offer internships in the sector that interests you.  You will get an idea of what to look for, and what to watch out for.

An important thing to keep in mind is the need for housing.  A lot of internships, including some of the best, are located in cities like New York or Washington DC, where housing is extremely expensive.  In choosing which internships to apply for, the feasibility of temporarily relocating should be a major consideration.  Look at any housing links on the prospective employer’s website, and screen potential housing resources as carefully as you screen potential employers.  Check for hidden costs, such as fees.  If no kitchen is provided, you may also have to absorb the cost of restaurant meals, which can be quite expensive in some markets.  Even internships that provide a stipend might pay less than the cost of living on location.  So an internship should be approached as a learning experience, with associated costs.  Very few internships are truly a source of income.

The fields that use the greatest number of interns in American Studies disciplines are government, public history, the non-profit sector, the arts, conservation, and journalism.  Federal government internships are handled almost entirely through agencies.  State and local governments also offer a good many internships, especially the City of New York, which also uses a centralized recruiting process.  Other jurisdictions that use internships might recruit through local colleges and universities, job banks, or through their own human resources departments.  The best internships are highly competitive.

Due to frequent changes in the exact requirements, deadlines, costs and compensations of various internships, it would be pointless to describe these details in their current state, in this report.  There is an advantage, however, in doing one's preliminary research broadly, before looking specifically at those internships that appear to meet one's individual needs.  By seeing the full range of possibilities, an applicant will know what to look for, what to settle for, and what one need not put up with.  You are encouraged to read everything about all of the internships discussed here, to become as informed as possible, before beginning your hunt.  After settling upon several internships that interest you, it's not a bad idea to reread the websites periodically, in case new information appears.  Start early, and keep in mind that you may want to work at several different internships, over the course of your education.  Even in a changing environment, long-range planning, like contingency planning, is a plus.       

Government Service 

Employers in some fields place more value than others on the internship experience.  Government employers often consider internship a good introduction to the public service workplace, and though some government internships are better than others, most provide additional training, in the form of workshops, lectures, etc.  These can make up for a less-than-enlightening set of work duties.  And even seemingly low-status work, like answering telephone complaints or written correspondence, can provide an excellent inside view of what government agencies actually do.  If you desire a career in government service, an internship may be the best place to start.  Many positions require a security clearance, so start your search and application process, early.

For jobs in government service and related fields, see these websites:

The Washington Center.   http://www.twc.edu/  This program combines semester-long internships with academic seminars in Washington D.C.  Positions for all majors, as well as recent graduates, are included; employers include the federal government, non-profit organizations, news media, and international business.  A special advantage is TWC's emphasis on matching each applicant with a position that matches his/her interests and qualifications.  The internships are unpaid, though the successful intern receives academic credit.  Due to the many costly features of the program, there are fees involved, but financial aid to meet these costs is available to those who qualify.  Housing is also available. Interns attend the Presidential Lecture Series, the Congressional Breakfast Series, and other special activities.  Needless to say, this program, like all Washington internship programs, is extremely competitive.

The Fund for American Studies.  www.dcinternships.org  This program combines internships in government with academic coursework and special briefings, lectures, and other learning experiences, featuring government and business leaders.  Convenient housing is provided, and a fellowship helps to cover some of the substantial costs.  This program is recommended for students interested in government, international business, or journalism.  Both the summer and semester programs are very competitive, but also highly recommended.

White House Internships.   http://www.whitehouse.gov/government/wh-intern.html  This program provides interns to work for members of the White House staff, or for the First Lady, or in other offices in the White House.  No compensation is provided, nor any assistance with housing.  Internships of about 90-days length are available in the spring, summer, and fall.

Internships with the City of New York. http://www.nyc.gov/html/dcas/html/employment/intern.shtml  Several different programs that provide both paid and unpaid employment in municipal government.  Some provide college credit and/or special seminars as well.  Positions are available during the summer or the academic year, for students or recent graduates in a variety of majors. 

The FBI.  http://www.fbi.gov/employment/honors.htm  These are paid summer internships for junior, senior, and graduate students.  Travel costs to and from Washington, to participate in the program, will be reimbursed.  Work with agents and support personnel on actual cases.  Very selective.

Most city, county, and state governments use interns.  Check newspapers, human resource departments at entities that interest you, and the career resources department at your school.

 

U.S. THINK TANKS

See University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill Website: http://www.unc.edu/clpa/usthinktanks.htm

Search on idealist.org http://www.idealist.org/if/as/Job

 

The Non-Profit Sector

Search on idealist.org http://www.idealist.org/if/as/Job

 

MUSEUMS & LIBRARIES

A lot of museums use interns.  Most recruit through local graduate schools.  Some poorly funded local museums assign similar types of work to interns and other volunteers, so the quality of learning will vary.  Major museums, on the other hand, play an important part in training future museum professionals through their internship programs.  Museums with associated archives and libraries often centralize hiring of interns for all these facilities.  Since the best-funded museums have the most offerings, as well as some of the best, we will start with them.  For details, too numerous to list here, see the websites.  

SMITHSONIAN (art, natural history, folklife, ethnic, technology, zoo)  http://www.si.edu/ofg/internopp.htm   (includes several specialty museums)

National Air & Space Museum  http://www.nasm.si.edu/nasm/joinnasm/intern/intern.htm

National Museum of American History  http://americanhistory.si.edu/

Metropolitan Museum of Art  http://www.metmuseum.org/education/er_internship.asp

Guggenheim  http://www.guggenheim.org/

Philadelphia Museum of Art  http://www.philamuseum.org/opportunities/internship.shtml

The Athenaeum (art gallery & library)  http://www.bostonathenaeum.org/opportunities.html#intern

Harriet Beecher Stowe House & Library 

http://www.harrietbeecherstowecenter.org/cgi-bin/news.pl?display=41

Children’s Museum, Indianapolis  http://www.childrensmuseum.org/generalinfo/internopps.htm

American Textile History Museum   http://www.athm.org/internships.htm  (technology, folklife, material culture, costume, labor, industry)

Henry Ford Museum & Greenfield Village http://www.thehenryford.org/about/employment.aspx (technology, automotive, design, labor, folklife, industry) 

National Museum of Women in the Arts  http://www.nmwa.org/about/volunteer_interns.asp

Brooklyn Museum of Art http://www.brooklynmuseum.org/about/careers/index.php

Naval Historical Center http://www.history.navy.mil/prizes/intern.htm  (museum, library, archives)

Mystic Seaport, Connecticut http://www.mysticseaport.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=home.viewPage&page_id=A77CB7DD-B556-B308-1C4788DDA6559183  (maritime history, ethnicity) 

 

ARCHIVES & PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARIES

National Archives http://www.archives.gov/careers/

Massachusetts State Archives  http://www.state.ma.us/sec/arc/arcpro/proidx.htm

John Fitzgerald Kennedy Museum & Library  http://www.jfklibrary.org/Historical+Resources/Archives/Internship+Vacancies.htm

Franklin Delano Roosevelt Presidential Museum and Library  http://www.fdrlibrary.marist.edu/intern.html

Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library  http://www.eisenhower.archives.gov/Information/Internships/Internships.html

Other presidential libraries might offer internships from time to time.  Contact the individual libraries directly.  Links to all presidential library websites may be found here:

http://www.archives.gov/presidential_libraries/addresses/addresses.html

PERFORMING ARTS

The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts has internships in arts education and performance production, through the Vilar Institute for Arts Management. http://www.kennedy-center.org/jobs/

The Kennedy Center offers internships in other fields, particularly facilities management, advertising, and programming.  Some of these should be worthwhile, but watch out for “development,” a notorious hideout for telemarketing and similar jobs.

HISTORIC PRESERVATION/ HISTORICAL SOCIETIES

Preservenet http://www.preservenet.cornell.edu/employ.html  This site, operated by Cornell University, has a few outdated links, but also, from time to time, some interesting and unusual listings.

The American Folklore Society  http://afsnet.org/internships.cfm  posts internship announcements for its member organizations.    

Minnesota Historical Society  http://www.mnhs.org/about/interns/index.html

Stephenson County Historical Society, Freeport, Illinois  http://www.mnhs.org/about/interns/index.html

CONSERVATION/ENVIRONMENT/ARCHAEOLOGY/HISTORIC SITES/RELATED

Throughout the country, monuments, parks, and other facilities offer internships both paid and unpaid, that are listed with centralized resource banks.  A lot of these are in remote locations, and may provide housing and transportation to and from the site.  Internships in the conservation field often provide specialized training and certification, for skills indispensable to careers in forestry, wildlife management, and environmental protection.    These are listed by the same websites that handle internships in conservation:

First look at:

Student Conservation Association. http://www.thesca.org/ This is the premier recruiting system for internships in environment, archaeology, Native American studies, historic preservation, public history—just about anything related to the Great Outdoors. It's also one of the best places to start, if you plan a career in some of these fields.  SCA offers internships for students from high school through graduate studies, and for adults outside of school.  It even has an educational activities program for middle- and high school students.  Benefits in various positions may include stipend, travel reimbursement, skills training and certification, housing, health insurance.  One thing you can pretty well count on is a magnificent work environment.  Most positions require applicants to be physically fit, and some require skills like CPR.  Locations and duties, like benefits, are extremely varied. 

National Park Service, U.S. Dept of the Interior.  http://www.cr.nps.gov/crdi/internships/intrn.htm  These are paid internships in cultural resources, historic preservation, and related fields, for undergraduate and graduate students.  Intended primarily as the first step towards a career in these fields, these summer internships focus heavily on skills training.

For other internships in conservation or related fields, you'll want to look at these sites:

Environmental Protection Agency.  http://www.epa.gov/enviroed/students.html  .  There are at least two programs with EPA. A fellowship program, under the National Network for Environmental Management Studies provides a stipend, college credit, and an excellent learning experience, usually in a technical or scientific field, for undergraduate and graduate students.  These fellowships are connected with specific projects, so it’s easy to tell what you are getting.  EPA also offers summer internships for students aged 16 and up.  These are most easily found by visiting http://www.epa.gov/ and typing “internships” in the search box (there is an information page at http://www.epa.gov/epahome/intern.htm , but it doesn’t necessarily have links to all the job descriptions).  A lot of internships at EPA can also be found on:

Environmental Careers Organization.  http://www.eco.org/  This organization has partnerships with the Environmental Protection Agency, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Sustainable Communities Leadership Program, Bureau of Land Management, United States Geological Survey, also connections to corporate, state and local programs.  Paid internships of varying lengths are available for students from high school through graduate level.  Most require a background in science, but there are some that relate to education, business, or computers.   

Center for Environmental Citizenship.  http://www.envirocitizen.org/  This website is the on-line magazine for a consortium of environmental organizations.  One feature is an excellent listing of paid and unpaid internships-- all kinds of environment-related work, all over the country.  Great variety in qualifications, duties, etc. 

Campaign to Save the Environment.    http://www.jobsfortheenvironment.org/jobsforenviro.asp?id2=5695&id3=FFPIRjobs&  Affiliated with the Fund for Public Interest Research.  Work with organizations like Greenpeace, Sierra Club, etc.

Orion Grassroots Network.  http://www.oriononline.org/pages/ogn/ics.cfm A network of over 500 organizations, Orion posts internship- and job listings for all levels of expertise in the environmental-conservation fields.  Need we say it?  You'll find all kinds of variety here, including positions in several countries.  Orion also publishes an excellent magazine—some articles are posted on the website.

Municipal Art Society of New York.  (urban environment) http://mas.org/aboutmas/jobs-internships/ Here’s an internship opportunity in urban environment—which includes all of the above, as well as public art, and you even get to live in New York.  Some of these internships have a stipend, provided by Everett Internships (see their website, listed under non-profits).  MAS also offers unpaid internships and volunteer positions. 

TV—RADIO—MOVIES 

(Most of these don't hire all the time, so the links might not work right now—but if they don’t work, and you’re interested in these fields, try them again, later.)

NBC  http://www.nbcunicareers.com/internships/la_ny_area/

NPR  http://www.npr.org/about/jobs/intern/index.html 

Public Radio International  www.pri.org

PBS  http://www.pbs.org/aboutpbs/jobsdatabase/

U.S. Directory of Entertainment Employers  http://www.eej.com/  (a fee agency; some interesting internships listed without fee)

Now, we enter the danger zone:

Internships in Business and the Business of Internships

The language spoken here is Marketspeak.  These websites post internship ads for a fee; most also do market research.  They do not screen the companies that buy their services.   As a prospective intern, you are not their client—you are the product they are selling.  Proceed with caution:

http://www.internships.com/   This site has some worthwhile possibilities, though the main page is a study in marketing-madness.  Ignore the ridiculous pitch on the front page (it’s there, mainly because somebody paid the price for it—not because working in a paint store is really the best thing they have), and go to the regional search feature.  You’ll find a good assortment of internships, including some in the non-profit sector, and in journalism. 

http://www.rsinternships.com/   A mix—probably because an ad on this website is quite inexpensive for the employer.  Some of these look extremely good, though it is difficult to know for sure.  You will probably want to talk to some current or previous interns, before accepting a position.  Several listings on this site, however, are merely ads from profit-making businesses in search of cheap labor. 

http://www.wetfeet.com/  All kinds.  This company runs on-line ads for non-profits at no charge.  So you will find some good ones, along with a lot of junk.   

Rather than rely entirely on these websites, you should carefully research the employers.  Some of the non-profits are small or poorly funded, and cannot function without volunteers and interns.  A lot of these may be good causes, but you must consider your own needs.  Will you learn anything that will help you save the world, in your future career?  If not, maybe you will chalk up a few good deeds and make a difference in somebody’s life, but that’s properly volunteer work, not internship.  There are places where you can do both.

As for the profit-making companies, it can be difficult to tell, without additional research, what kind of work their interns do, and even what business some of them are in.  Many employers assume prospective employees are more interested in getting a job, than in what they will be doing or contributing to.  Some applicants are even afraid to ask.  But as a prospective intern, your goal is the work itself and the learning it provides, so you can’t afford not to know about these things.  So ask questions, use your research skills, and beware of evasive language.  Good employers value your interest in their work; bad ones depend on your passivity. 

An internship will only benefit you if it provides an experience that is relevant to your future career.  Employers know all about internships, both good and bad.  When you go to apply for a real job, you can expect to be asked pointed questions about the internships listed on your resume.  They will want to know exactly what you did, and what you got out of it that should make you more attractive to them.  And don't forget—these are managers or business people—they know all the tricks.  They may even have a skeleton or two chained to their own copiers.  If you want to impress them, have something to show them—either a worthwhile internship, a volunteer position, or experience at a regular job.