The Mid-Atlantic Association of Museums is hosting a workshop entitled, How to Create, Run and Sustain an Effective Internship Program on March 30th, from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm at the Chemical Heritage Foundation in Philadelphia (315 Chestnut St). Registration ($40/members, $50/non-members) is now open, but closes on March 20th. Download the PDF file here. Speakers include Petra T. Chu, Pauline Eversmann, Jacqueline R. Emerick, Katie Friedland, Rachel Kassman, and Jobi Zink.
Interns are an integral part of how museums fulfill their mission and having an internship is a “must” for most students in order to move forward with their career goals. Seems pretty straightforward, right? Think again! There are a lot of expectations involved in the partnership between an intern and an institution.
How do you know if they are a good fit? How do you design a project that will give you and the intern the most value for your time? What do they do? What are you required to do? Do you pay or not pay; stipend or wage? How do you get more?
This workshop is divided into two sessions. During the morning session, three of the largest museum studies programs will explain what they are looking for in an internship opportunity for their students. They will also share what sorts of things are not acceptable as an internship (hint: museum internships shouldn’t be shown on Dirty Jobs.) The afternoon session will be an introduction to two successful internship programs that can work at any museum. The presenters will share ideas, handouts, stories, suggestions and give advice on what sorts of things have worked in their programs. There will be time for questions and discussion to follow each session.