Susannah
What types of internships are relevant for English Majors?
I'm a sophomore english major at my university, and this summer I want to start getting experience in my field. The thing is, I'm not sure what kinds of companies need my skills. Where should I start? #college-major #internships #journalism #writing #english #tutoring #college-intern
4 answers
Monica Brady-Myerov
Monica’s Answer
I would suggest an internship at an edtech. We are always looking for good writers and the edtech space is growing rapidly.
Susan E. Oser
Susan E.’s Answer
These days, a lot of companies need basic writing skills. The best places for what you want would be newspaper or magazine companies. You should check with your guidance counselor to ask about internships for your major as well.
Mark Wagner
Mark’s Answer
Hi Susannah,
The initial opportunity would be to consider teaching English at high school. You would need a license which will require at least 2 more years of college classes after graduating with your B.A. You might consider applying as an intern working and writing and editing at a local newspaper, or submitting articles online to Alternet, the Raw Story, Daily Kos, Jezebel, Mint Press or Huff Post. Also, you could take a look at copywriting ads online. I'd suggest seeking advice from your counselor. It's possible that corporations are looking for an editor to organize and correct the wording of their programs.
Best wishes,
Mark Wagner
Julia Casciato
Julia’s Answer
Hi Susannah,
I studied English in college and had a variety of internships during my time. You should consider what you want to do after graduation with your degree to help guide your decision process.
When I started out as an English major I wanted to get into book editing and publishing after graduation. If this is what you're interested in, I suggest looking at small literary presses (books, magazines, poetry, etc.) in your area and see if they have any internships available. Even if they don't advertise any internships, still reach out and express interest and they might create the job just for you! There are also bigger publishers, like in New York, that would have interns work remotely as submission readers.
If you're still not sure, you should have an informational interview. Use your professors as a resource, but even reaching out to a stranger in your field is perfectly acceptable to see if they can have an informational interview with you. You can get feedback from them about what you should be doing in college to advance yourself in terms of internships, and use them as a resource for finding opportunities.