Foreign Internships: Uncommon potential fun

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|| SportsShooter.com: News Item: Posted 2004-10-04

Foreign Internships: Uncommon potential fun
By Jim McNay, Brooks Institute of Photography

Every college student's fantasy may be the foreign internship.

While these may seem interesting and romantic, they are a bit trickier to arrange than internships at home.

That is because in Europe, Latin America and elsewhere, there is often less a tradition of having college interns in news organizations than we have in the U.S.

In the states summer is often "internship season." If a news organization is ever going to have an internship during the year, it is mostly likely to happen in the summer. In some organizations, internships happen two or three semesters a year.

In other countries, having interns work in news organizations for the summer is much less common. The idea of paying them is unusual too. Overseas organizations pay their staff. Students passing through for a short period may be another matter.

Another factor is that other countries do not have the tradition of college journalism school training found in the U.S. Many countries simply do not offer journalism as a college major. Students interested in journalism study other subjects, learn to write and photograph, and then work in journalism after school. In such countries journalism is considered more a trade or craft than a profession. Consequently a college degree in journalism per se is considered less relevant.

So when students contact editors at foreign publications, aspiring student journalists may find themselves explaining the concept of an internship: short term work, possibly during a summer vacation, for an aspiring journalist, with pay!

Hmmm. What an interesting concept.

Naturally it helps if the student speaks the language of the country where they want to intern. And since this is journalism, the more fluent the better. If you can't talk to people, understand what they are saying, understand the strange sounds and spellings of their names, the foreign editor may wonder why he or she should hire you.

On the up side, students do arrange internships in foreign media organizations from time to time. To make this happen, the burden may just be greater on the student to make the concept clear and to convince the overseas editor this is a good deal for the editor and their organization.

A scouting trip to the country in mind, maybe even a face-to-face meeting with the editor in question before the student makes the pitch for an internship might speed things along. This would give the student a chance to explain the internship concept as we understand it in this country. It's always us easier face-to-face than on the phone or in a letter or e-mail. Letters and e-mails are easily ignored.

Also, the one-on-one meeting gives the editor a chance to get to know you. You can have them see you might bring fresh skills and a new perspective to their publication. They have a chance to "get" who you are and what you bring to the party.

One kind of publication not to be overlooked is the English-language publication in a foreign country, usually the capital. These may be small, and may only be published weekly, but if they will take an intern, they can offer valuable experience to those who spend time there.

Similarly business and entertainment specialty publications in foreign cities may offer possibilities. One need not plan to have a business writing career to work here. If the student is knowledgeable-and better yet, flexible-doors at such publications may open.

Bottom Line: Though foreign internships are more rare, the successful negotiation for one may take students explaining the workings of internships to seal the deal.

Photographers, particularly those in school or seeking to break into the photojournalism, are welcome to send ideas for future columns to Jim McNay at jim.mcnay@brooks.edu.

Questions about getting started in photojournalism that might be answered in future columns are also welcome.

Related Links:

Jim McNay's Member Page

Brooks NPPA Student Chapter

Brooks Institute of Photography

Related Email Addresses:

Jim McNay: jim.mcnay@brooks.edu