Ed was an intern once, and he knows how important it is to intern your a$$ off in order to gain experience in this industry! Ed also knows that in this economy, most internships aren’t going to pay you, but they will require that you receive school credit for your work. Ed talked to some enterprising whippersnappers who landed credit-only internships when they weren’t technically eligible to receive credit. Here are their secrets:
The scenario Your college doesn’t offer credit for internships, or the extra credit costs an arm and a leg.
The workaround Search for loopholes. Many companies only require a letter from your school acknowledging that you’ll be receiving credit for the internship. And many advisors will understand your situation and have no problem writing the letter. Advisors can also say that they’ll be “monitoring your progress” throughout the internship—and really, it couldn’t hurt to check in with your advisor throughout the internship to discuss your experience. If the career center won’t help you out, ask a journalism professor to write the letter. He may have more compassion about your predicament.
The pitfalls A letter may not cut it, so talk to your advisors and professors about any other ideas they may have. They may be able to arrange for you take on more credits, but we all know how expensive even one extra course can be, especially during the summer. Some schools offer “e-credits” that will show up on your transcript but won’t count towards graduation credits (and won’t break the bank).
The scenario You’ve already graduated and weren’t planning on going to grad school.
The workaround Go back to school—sort of. If you’ve recently graduated, get in touch with a professor or advisor at your alma mater and see what kind of assistance he or she can give. You may be able to get a letter or some type of acknowledgment that will be good enough to get you through the door. If you know you’ll be interning the summer after you graduate, see if the school will withhold your diploma until you complete your internship so that the credit can still be affiliated with the school.
If you aren’t in touch with anyone at your alma mater, find a local college that has flexible rules and offers cheap credits (community/city colleges will be cheapest!). It definitely helps if the internship doesn’t require a certain type or amount of credit. An Ed staffer got her internship this way: After getting lots of “Uh, no, sorry, we don’t do that” responses, she eventually got in touch with a college that had dealt with this kind of situation before. The school gave her an official letter before she even enrolled, but she followed through and paid the $100 to take the course. In this case, the school didn’t require any homework or class attendance, and the company didn’t check in with the school to see if they did.
The pitfalls Colleges like this are hard to find in some areas, and some magazines will more rigorously follow up with your status at the school and the type of credit you’ll be receiving. The fee, of course, is another downside, but consider it an investment in your career!
The scenario You’ve exhausted your options and there is just no way for you to get credit.
The workaround Be creative. Ed doesn’t condone lying, but this is an internship at the magazine of your dreams! You need to figure out how to at least get an interview, right? Scour your contacts for someone who might be able to help you slide past the requirement: an old professor, advisor or boss who’s willing to vouch for you. Lots of magazines require school credit because you have a motivation to show up to work every day and do your job well; a reputable reference can sometimes be a substitute for that. In your note to the editor, play up the experience you had while you were a student and at your previous jobs and internships. Stress that you’re willing to work completely for free! And if they are concerned with the legality of free work, ask them to consider paying you a small travel or lunch stipend instead of giving you school credit. Explain how you’re on the wait list for an accredited university’s continuing education program in magazine editing and will be enrolling as soon as you can gather the funds (hey, this isn’t a bad idea if you do have the funds!).
The pitfalls Of course, there are risks involved here. While many Edsters have pulled off for-credit internships without actually receiving any credit, it’s possible they just got lucky that their supervisor never asked for any documentation. But many editors aren’t too strict about this, so it’s worth a try!
And keep searching for internships that don’t require you to receive credit. There are still plenty of internships that are just plain-old unpaid. And, if you can believe it, some mags still offer a small stipend or decent hourly pay without a credit requirement: The Knot, InStyle, O, The Oprah Magazine, Parents, Men’s Journal. The American Society of Magazine Editors also offers a program that places students in fully paid internships at 25-plus major magazines in New York City. You apply in the fall to intern between your junior and senior year. Conde Nast and Time Inc. offer similar paid internship programs. Check out their websites for the deets.
And in case you’re wondering, it technically is legal for companies to hire unpaid interns. So unfortunately, suing the magazine is not a valid workaround! Check out a story Ed ran last year that covers the issue: http://www.ed2010.com/advice/asked/2008/10/shouldn-t-i-be-paid-minimum-w…
