Dear Cecelia,
As someone who has interned in a number of art/education institutiosn
(museums, non profit org's, and galleries in NJ, NY, Boston, and London), I
can answer only as an ex-intern (and not as the hiring institution) but
nonetheless can address  some of your questions and perhaps help others on
the list find interns (and hopefully interns find positions).

1) Where to find interns?
College campuses: 1. Post a description of your company and the internship
at local departments in the relevant fields (history, american studies, art
history, graphic design, fine arts, etc). 2. Additionally, send the posting
to the college's Career Resources center. Send them all around, most
departments will post them and you never know where students will be
looking.

2) What to pay interns?
That depends on your budget of course. Some internships offer a modest per
hour fee, others a monthly stipend... again, all depends on your budget.
Most important however, is that interns don't lose money while working for
you, meaning, at the minimum travel expenses should be covered. Sometimes
lunch has been offered but that's not generally 'sought out' by interns.
Another way to 'pay' interns is by working with them to receive college
credit. This would entail being a contact person for the professor who
oversees the independent study courses, working with your intern on a final
project, and generally raising the level of your inter's daily tasks to
include more academic work-- reading, research, writing, etc. Your intern
can tell you what requirements s/he has to fulfill for receiving credit. If
you think about how much courses at universities cost these days per credit,
helping your intern to receive credit can save them a small bundle.

3) Terms of the internship. 4) What do interns wish to gain?
I'll combine these two topics because the terms of the internship often
depend on what the intern is hoping to achieve and what your staff can
offer. In most of my past (and more successful) internships, I have worked
with various staff members in museums on different projects (research,
restoration, hanging, labelling, opening event, etc). However, I had one
main supervisor who was in charge of my work progress and internship
evaluation. She was responsible for my overall experience and with her
insight and feedback, I was able to change a number of things that weren't
working so well, or understand certain aspects of the exhibition process
better; in short, improve areas that needed help and expand those that were
working great. Having one person who has time to really mentor someone is, I
think, the most important element to the internship.
Above all, most interns wish to gain familiarity and experience with the
world you are offering (museums, historical houses, nonprofts, etc). They
wish to build professional experiences and connections. They wish to enter a
world they would otherwise not be able to enter (whether because of the
market, underqualified, competition, positions themselves not being offered,
etc). They do not want to be coffee getters or gofers, as college students,
most of them want to prove their knowledge and ability to handle tasks and
take on challenges. Being able to say, 'Sure, on paper, I was an intern, but
in practice, I was an invaluable member of this team' is the most important
idea of interning.

5) Interns and responsibility.
In terms of having interns develop materials, I would always suggest helping
them with the research and reading involved-- not all interns are familiar
with the professional materials we use and rely on. And I would also suggest
having them consult with other staff members who perform these duties
(having interns meet and work with various staff and depts helps to expand
their familiarity and professional experience). And I would obviously
supervise, guide, and finalize their ideas.


Hope my answers were helpful for anyone offering internships or seeking
internships. I believe interning is a most helpful and valuable opportunity
to gain professional (and personal) experience.



Best to all,
Ziva Haller Rubenstein

The Israel Museum, Jerusalem

----- Original Message -----
From: Cecelia Ottenweller <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Friday, January 03, 2003 5:04 PM
Subject: Intern programs


> Hi everyone,
>
> I need some advice. My firm is interested in developing an intern
> program in exhibit content research. We want to provide interns with
> the opportunity to research content for exhibits, write tags as well
> as some curriculum material and technical writing.
>
> I need information from you about:
>
> 1) where do you find interns?
> 2) what do you pay them?
> 3) what are the terms of the internship?
> 4) what skills are interns looking to develop?
> 5) have you ever had remote interns developing materials?
>
> Thank you so much for your help!!
>
> Cecelia Ottenweller
> Content Developer
> Southwest Museum Services
> Houston, Texas
> 713-462-7754
>
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