I have been following the discussion for a while on this list and haven't as yet said anything, but I think this thread deserves some mention. Often times with unpaid internships the museum recieves much more than the student, networking and experience aside. However, a student going into museum work should, above all, consider their goals and needs as both a student and future professional. As a student you deserve to pick the best internship you can and if that includes pay then look for one with pay and disregard others. Some will say this is easier said than done but, hey it is your future. Regarding this, I believe students should pick only leading institutions for their internships. By this I mean museums setting the industry standard. Museums that can't afford to pay interns should expect to get what they pay for. Fortunately there is a great deal of give and take in these situations, and like others have said, housing deals and other arrangements can be made to offset the lack of actual pay. The academic institution that the student is affiliated with should take these things into consideration for it is also their reputation that the student will be representing while completing the internship. In my opinion this is one area (among the many) that universities and museums fail to adequately interact. Museum Studies Graduate programs (even undergrad), if they are going to give credit for an internship then, they should have some relationship with the organizations that will be in charge of the student's education. The internship organizations should exhibit the goals of the educational program. Often the student is left with the responsibility of finding an internship and the two organizations know nothing about each other. Bill Peterson [log in to unmask]