internships
Internship opportunities help students prepare for early-career success
Program
The Cleveland PRSA Internship Program provides communications students with an opportunity to work in a supervised environment with a sponsoring employer. The program solicits and reviews applications from students wanting to participate. Students must be at least college-level sophomores. The organization is sent background information on the student for review and is then free to schedule interviews as it wishes. After the interview, the organization decides whether or not to hire the student or to interview another.
Assignments
Most commonly, assignments include writing, layout and editing for external/internal publications, promotional material and brochures; news gathering, news release and feature writing; research and report writing; preparing media lists; preparing audiovisual presentations; helping with planning and coordination of special events; and assisting in fundraising program activities. Since the objective of the PRSA Internship Program is to provide a hands-on learning experience for students, sponsors are encouraged to develop appropriate assignments in public relations. Assignments while the student is in school are 10-20 hours per week. Summer assignments are usually full time.
Supervision
Close supervision and training of the student is suggested to help make the internship a mutually beneficial experience for the intern and the organization. One person in the organization should be designated as supervisor for the intern.
Pay
Not all job opportunities are paid positions, although the program strongly encourages employers to pay an hourly rate that will ensure attracting qualified students. Some students do not mind taking an unpaid internship for the experience, while others need the money for their education. The application form allows the student to make that choice. Because most of the jobs require transportation, employers may provide expense money for parking, public transportation, or lunches in lieu of a salary. To assure quality and motivation, it is suggested the company pay the intern at least minimum wage. Most groups are paying $7 – 10/hour. If the organization is unable to pay the intern, a part-time internship for a student (15 to 20 hours per week) is suggested. Another way of providing an honorarium is through a tax-deductible scholarship contribution. A check can be sent to the intern's school for disbursement.
Application
Businesses seeking students should download and submit an application form.
Students interested in an internship need to fill out an application form. Forms can be downloaded here, or can be requested through the address below. For more information, or to participate, send the form along with a cover letter and résumé to:
Nora C. Jacobs, APR
Executive Vice President
Edward Howard & Co.
1100 Superior Avenue, Suite 1600
Cleveland, OH 44114-2518
(216) 781-2400 ¨ FAX (216) 781-8810
njacobs@edwardhoward.com
