Like many third and fourth-year journalism students, I’m currently taking part in an internship arranged through the school. These internships are a part of our degree requirements, and can be done across a variety of fields: print, radio, television or communications.
I don’t have any issue with the idea of the school offering an internship program to students. I think it’s great, and a good way for journalism students to get portfolio clippings and some real-world newsroom experience.
However, I think the way these internships are arranged needs to change.
This year, the first round of internship applications was due on Sept. 22. The fall exam schedule wasn’t released until mid-October, and the winter exam schedule wouldn’t be out until the next semester. Obviously, if students really want their first choice of internship, they’re going to submit their application as early as possible, instead of waiting to find out when their exams are. This automatically limits students on when and where they can apply to intern. If they wanted to intern somewhere outside Ottawa, they’re not going to choose December or April, in case they have exams at that time.
According to Carleton’s website, students are able to defer exams in the case of a serious illness or other “extraordinary circumstances.” There’s no mention of what to do if your internship falls on the same day as an exam, although I hope I can assume that may qualify as “extraordinary.”
My best guess is that the school schedules internships this way due to the fact that most journalism courses don’t have exams, and therefore shouldn’t be an issue. But all journalism students are mandated to have at least one minor, and some journalism students even have double majors, so it’s unrealistic to expect these students to have no exams whatsoever. This leaves most journalism students with only one real option: to apply for internships that take place during the school year, and hope they coincide with reading week.
Ignoring all the other issues associated with unpaid internships, taking time off school is never easy for students, as they’re still expected to make up the work they’ve missed.
Not to mention, students missing a few weeks of class in hopes of furthering their careers isn’t realistic. Most of these internships are between one and three weeks long, with a high turnover rate between students, and are at publications that aren’t looking to hire new journalists. Unless they’re the greatest thing to leave journalism school since Nahlah Ayed, the chances are slim that any student is going to make a lasting impression in such a short period of time. This means publications are getting free work while students receive few benefits, aside from a couple of clippings.
Instead, Carleton should focus on helping students get summer internships. These are usually longer, often paid, and offer much better chances of turning into an actual paid position. Having months instead of only weeks also allows students to form actual working relationships with a publication, instead of just a casual acquaintance. There are many publications that offer summer internships—from the CBC, to the Globe and Mail, the Toronto Star and many others across Canada. Funnelling students into summer internships would also broaden the pool of where students could apply to, increasing the likelihood of them finding something close to their hometown.
If students are able to focus fully on an internship without worrying about schoolwork or deferring an exam, they’re likely to turn in better work. This would mean they’d have stronger clippings, a better chance of leaving a good impression, and of potentially being hired by that publication in the future.
– Photo by Angela Tilley
