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