Ellen Giusti wrote:
>
> Even an unpaid internship can lead to a paid job. Once you're an insider,
> you are in a position to hear first about positions opening up.
>
> Internships also provide a realistic view of how a particular museum
> functions. An intern can learn a lot about an institution with only a minor
> commitment on his or her part. This can be a big help when the time comes
> to look for a "real" job.

I would like to second Ellen's comments.  Whether it's an internship or a
volunteer position (which I guess unpaid internships are), it's qualifying ex-
perience in a field you're interested in.  You get to try out the job/company/
agency/profession with relatively little investment.  If you don't like it, you
haven't lost much and you've gained valuable career insight.  By the same token,
 the
job/company/agency gets to try you out.  If they're good supervisors, they'll
let you know if they find your interests and attributes don't quite  match
what they need in that kind of job.  If things go well (mutual admiration
society), you've got an experience notch, maybe an entree to networking in
your chosen field, and a reference based on working in the field (which I
always was better than an academic reference for a job in a non-academic
setting).

Interesting thread!

Tom
--

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