It is great to see so much discussion regarding internships in this
forum.  Internships are vital to the life of a museum and to the students
who participate in an internship -- as it gives them the experience
needed to obtain a viable position in a museum upon graduation.  The
Children's Museum of Indianapolis has definitely used our internship
program as a hiring pool -- we have hired 7 former interns for full-time
positions and approximately 20 former interns as part-time or contract
staff.  Even though our internships are non-compensated, our intern
groups have been diverse in economic and geographic backgrounds.  To
further include those individuals who might not be able to afford to
complete an internship without additional assistance, we are currently
pursuing donated or subsidized housing from local apartment companies.
In addition, we are looking at ways to fund graduate fellowships using
existing monies.  Slowly but surely, we are also researching prospects
to help fund our program.

Derek Drockelman, Intern Youth Coordinator
I am a former intern who was hired over two years ago to help expand the
intern program.  The experience I had at The Children's Museum was an
incredible one, one that turned me on to museums as a profession.
Historically, that happens a lot here.  Students come in hoping to gain
some professional experience, not always interested in a future in
museums.  Many leave here considering a career in museums, even after
receiving no stipend, because of the breadth of experience they have
gained.  Interns are working hands-on with visitors and also creating new
activities, programs, temporary exhibits, etc.  We have many things in
place, including field trips to other museums, an extensive new staff
orientation, a career resource library, etc. to be sure that their
experience is a positive and educational one.  The mentoring that goes on
here is expensive in staff time.  We are definitely giving back to the
students who give to us in so many ways.  Melody Plew (the Education
Services Manager here) and I were at Indiana University recruiting yesterday, ne
xt to an
amusement park from the midwest.  They were offering "internships," which
consisted of foodservice, running rides, greeting, etc.  These are not
internships, but a poorly veiled attempt to dis guise summer support work
with a positive spin.  Paid internships for all, while maintaining an
educational experience, is just not a reality.

As we read through AVISO, many internships require a masters (or
currently working on one) with previous experience.  Where are students
supposed to get the previous experience needed for these entry-level
internships at some institutions?  We all realize that college students
are continually asked to sacrifice "for their own experience."  It's not
just happening in museums, it's happening everywhere.  For many students
looking for entry-level positions in corporations, the candidate with
experience will usually win out.  Where does this experience come from?
Most corporations, as well as musuems, cannot afford to train and pay
people with little to no experience.  It's a CATCH-22 that none of us
like, but to take the time to train and mentor, the possibility of
paying quickly evaporates.

Melody Plew, Education Services Manager
Our experience has been that students who have completed an internship
here at the museum have been able to leverage beginning positions in
another institution at greater than "entry-level" -- that their
experience has provided them with the opportunity to acquire a
better first professional position and usually advance much quicker
than those without this type of experience.  An investment in a 3-4
month non-compensated internship, while at times difficult for the
student, ultimately pays for itself when a student can obtain a
position after graduation.

We are very interested in continuing this discussion, as it is a very
important one to us.

Melody Plew
Derek Drockelman
The Children's Museum of Indianapolis