All About Internships
This page will provide you with answers to basic questions about internships in the English Department. If you have a question that is not answered here, please contact Steve Kark.
What is an internship?
An internship gives you valuable real-world work experience by placing you in an office or organizational setting and giving you opportunities to write, research, edit, and perform other tasks you might be expected to know once you've graduated.
Specifically, English Department internships -- ENGL 4964, also known as a field study -- give you a semester-long opportunity to try out and expand your writing, research, editing, and other language-based skills in the sort of setting you might expect to find in the real world.
Why are internships important? Why should I make time in an already busy schedule to do one?
Internships provide you with valuable workplace experience. You'll get to see how you can put what you've learned in the classroom to work in a real-world environment.
Moreover, if you have ever scanned the classified ads, you will see that many employers prefer prior experience. While internships are usually brief in duration, they can give you some measure of experience that you can parlay into a full-time position once you graduate. What's more important, you might even end up working at the same place you interned!
Internships can build your teamwork skills, let you test the waters with your intended career, create a network of potential contacts for employment, and develop a more professional persona.
What kinds of internships does the English Department offer?
We offer a wide selection of internships. Pre-Ed majors might be interested in our new internships with Montgomery County Schools, while those of you who seek to write or edit for a living might find yourselves working on campus at the Center for Wireless Telecommunications, Virginia Tech Magazine, Virginia Water Resources Research Center, or University Relations, among others. If you would prefer an off-campus placement, you might work at Pocahontas Press (a local publisher), The Southwest Times (newspaper), or the Montgomery County Commonwealth Attorney's Office (Pre-Law students only).
How do I get an English Department internship?
First, you must determine if you qualify. In order to enroll in an English Department internship, you must meet the following qualifications:
You must be a declared English major or minor with
junior or senior status,
at least 15 hours of completed English coursework,
an in-major gpa of 2.5, and
an overall gpa of 2.0.
Although it is not required, it's a good idea to have taken at least one Professional Writing course.
If you meet these requirements, your tasks are not finished. You must submit preliminary paperwork (Request to Intern), file an Employer-Student Agreement, and meet with Internship Program Coordinator Steve Kark before beginning work.
Follow these steps in order:
Study the list of available internships and select several -- say, three -- that meet your needs and interests.
Download the Request to Intern form (.pdf file) and complete it.
Turn it in to Steve Kark, whose office is Shanks 329B.
At that point, he will contact you for an interview where more specifics about the program will be explained.
Here are the due dates for the preliminary documents:
Request to Intern: due before the semester begins
Employer/Student Agreement: due within the first two weeks of the semester (first week of summer session)
What kinds of things must I do for this internship?
Once you have been approved and placed by Mr. Kark, you will (of course) perform the tasks expected of you at this internship, but you must also complete a Mid-Term Report and then finish the semester with an end-of-term Final Report. Your employer will also submit the mid-term and final reports.Here are the approximate due dates for those forms:
Mid-Term Report: due halfway through the semester or summer session
Final Report: due on the last day of classes for any semester or summer session
Failure to submit the requisite forms can result in a failing grade for the internship.
Since the forms and information are available to me online, why do I need to talk to Steve Kark? Why can't I make the contacts myself?
The English Department works diligently to place students to their best advantage and also to be fair to other student applicants, so circumventing the Internship Office could negatively affect our efforts in these areas--and ultimately impact you in negative ways (bad placements, for example). Moreover, the screening and placement processes through which you pass also helps employers streamline the interviewing and hiring of interns, so it's something that they prefer as well.
What sort of credit can I get for an internship? Where does it fit in my English major?
Although internships are available for variable credit, 3 credits is the standard number given. The credits are P/F only.
Due to the fact that no course can be taken for the major or minor P/F unless that is the only way it is offered, if you wish to count your ENGL 4964 toward your major or minor, you will have to contact Cathy Skinner, Coordinator of Undergraduate Advising, and talk to her about the possibility of permitting you to count it. Because it is a 4000-level course, it can be accepted as one of your 4000-level electives within the 16-hour ENGL core.
Do I have to pay for an internship?
Yes, you do. The internship is set up as a course, ENGL 4964: Field Study. If you enroll in a 3-credit internship, you pay for it just like you would a 3-credit course. The cost is based on the number of credits for which you sign up.
What if none of the available internships appeals to me -- or what if I'm going home for the summer and want to do one there. Can I set up my own internship? If so, how?
Yes, you can arrange your own internship. There are, though, as Steve Kark notes, some specifications you will need to meet: "When you're thinking about this process, though, do keep in mind two main criteria: The internship must involve more than anything else writing and words in a professional setting, and it should be supervised by someone who can teach you on-site the professional skills the English Department would want an internship to provide. This person must also be willing to be accountable and to do the requisite paperwork."
How many internships can I do?
Although most students do a single internship, it is possible to enroll in two 3-credit internships (different semesters). Often a situation will arise wherein an employer will want you to come back in the spring (or fall). Or perhaps you'd like to pursue an internship at a different organization. Diverse experience is valuable.
However, to ensure that you're not filling up all of your ENGL electives with internships, it's best to keep the number to two.
You must also consider the fact that internships are Pass/Fail. You can take only 10% of your VT coursework as P/F. Since you need 120 hours to graduate, the equation is based on that: 10% of 120. If you have taken all 120 hours here, then you have 12 hours of coursework you can take Pass/Fail. However, if you have brought in any transfer work (including AP credit), you have to subtract that number from 120 and base the equation on the result. For example, if you brought in 30 hours of transfer work, you can do only 9 hours of work Pass/Fail (120-30=90; 10% of 90=9).
Are internships paid or unpaid?
The ones offered by the English Department's Internship Program are unpaid, but this does not mean you cannot find your own paid internship -- although you should not count on it!
Who pays for my insurance while I'm working at this internship?
Neither the company of placement nor Virginia Tech nor the English Department are obliged for provide insurance for interns--and workers' compensation is also not available. Therefore, it's crucial that you are covered either by your parents' insurance or by your own. We hope that your internship progresses safely, but it's wise to be prepared!
What if I produce something while at this internship that I want to use later in a portfolio. Is it mine or does it belong to the company?
This is a question of intellectual property, a very hot topic. You should consider creating a legally-binding service contract that establishes your right to use in a work portfolio any materials produced on the internship. Qualifying the intended use -- you want to use it in your portfolio, but nowhere else -- might be more palatable to your employer. How do you create such a contract? One of the best ways is to sit down with your employer and determine answers to such questions as
Will I be able to use the materials I produce at this internship in a job portfolio? All or selected materials?
Are there any limitations you (the employer) would like to place upon this use (like removal of company name, address, logo, and any confidential information)?
If you (the employee) are working only on sensitive or "for internal use only" materials, are there any additional projects on which you can work that you can then use in your portfolio? If so, what?Granted, these questions are basic, but they should get you started. Your employer will most likely be more helpful than restrictive, so please consider the option of drawing up such a contract.
What about if I'm asked to relocate for my internship? Will the department help pay for my expenses?
Unfortunately, state and university policies do not provide funds for relocation.
How can I make the most of my internship?
First, don't be shy. Sure you're new on the job, but you need to make yourself known to those who can assist you in learning the ropes. Introduce yourself to those around you. Also, don't be a slacker: once you've finished one task, ask for another. Perhaps the most important things you can do are (1) find yourself a mentor or advisor and (2) ask questions. After all, you are at the internship to learn!