Internships can help English students to:
- hone their writing skills in a workplace
- try out different English-related careers
- gain experience
- make professional connections
- build their resumes
Research has shown that students who complete an internship are more likely to land a job after graduation.
There are several ways that you can begin your internship search:
Check out the English Department’s Internship database, which is updated regularly with new opportunities and lists organizations where English students have successfully interned before.
– Use the Career Center’s CareerLink to find internship postings.
– Browse internships through Live + Work in Maine.
– Search internships through the Society for Technical Communication or at idealist.org
– Contact local non-profit organizations or companies to inquire about potential internship opportunities.
– Speak with Dr. Katie Swacha (kathryn.swacha@maine.edu) about your goals and plans.
Your writing, editing, and research skills as English majors qualify you for a wide range of careers! English students pursue internships in editing, digital communications, grant writing, web content creation, and document design, among others activities.
English majors and minors intern with various organizations. Please check out our Internship database for a frequently updated list of these organizations and their contact info. Some of these organizations are local non-profits or businesses, such as
– Welcome to Housing, a non-profit furniture bank
– Lighthouse Gallery, a locally-owned art gallery
– Bangor Humane Society, a local animal shelter
– Partners for Peace, a domestic violence resource center
– Health Equity Alliance, a non-profit committed to HIV+ care, sexual health and wellness services
Other students intern with organizations right on campus, such as
– Paideuma, an academic journal housed in UMaine’s English Department
– Margaret Chase Smith Policy Center, at UMaine
– College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, at UMaine
Other students have completed remote internships from Orono or have completed internships over the summer back in their hometowns, such as
– Downtown Greens, a non-profit garden in Fredericksburg, VA
– TC Camp, a non-profit housed in California
Some organizations do pay their interns, however many internships are unpaid. If you find an unpaid internship, you are eligible to apply for a Stephen E. King Chair Internship Fellowship. Fellowship recipients receive up to $15/hr for internship work that would otherwise be unpaid. Preference is also given to students who pursue internships with a social justice focus.
Interested students should reach out to Dr. Kathryn Swacha (kathryn.swacha@maine.edu), the English Department’s Internship Coordinator, or Dr. Caroline Bicks (caroline.bicks@maine.edu), the Stephen E. King Chair in Literature, for more information about these fellowships.
There is also funding available via Maine Career Catalyst’s Equity in Internships program.
Yes! ENG 496: Field Experience in Professional Writing is a course you can take either during or right after your internship. Taking this course will earn you 3 credits towards your English degree and will help you to get the most out of your internship by offering you the chance to
– workshop your writing,
– learn professional writing principles,
– prepare for future jobs, and
– have faculty mentorship for your internship.
ENG 496 can also be used as your capstone! Please contact Dr. Katie Swacha (kathryn.swacha@maine.edu) for more information.
