For students seeking internships and departments issuing internship letters, Media Career Development specialist, Lekan Otufodunrin shares some points to note.
There are too many students seeking internship placements. You should be appreciate any opportunity you get and not despise any.
Not every media organisation can take interns. Some don’t have enough space for their staff or can’t accommodate interns in their work schedules.
It’s not how big or popular a media house is that matters, it’s the opportunity you can get, even in a small place.
Learn to explore options beyond traditional and major media organisations. There are new start-ups that provide opportunities for learning new skills relevant for the industry.
Make do with what is available and maximise any opportunity you get.
Be willing to learn because no one will force you if you are not interested.
Don’t be fixated on where you want to learn because of your specialization in school. Any knowledge you can gain will be useful in whatever media work you end up doing.
Media departments should make it a policy to send letters of appreciation to the media organisation that give their students internship placements.
Departments should have regularly updated databases of where their students can intern and build a relationship with them ahead of sending students for internships.
Give students the necessary orientation about how to get placements and what internships entail. Female students should be warned against relationships beyond official work.
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Some media organisations have a policy against having unpaid interns. They will not take interns they don’t have the budget for even if you offer to intern for free.
Most media organisations don’t pay interns. Don’t start asking for payment after you have accepted the terms and conditions for non-payment.
See internship as an opportunity to learn and not work for which you have to be paid.
Some companies would like to pay for internships, but they can’t considering that they are still battling to meet their obligations to their staff.
READ ALSO: Internship Diary: My first visit to a newspaper office
