Internship Program
YPA plans to launch an internship program in 2012. The goal of the program will be to provide a student with the skills they need to succeed at the professional level once they graduate.
Internships often provide a student’s first professional experience in the business of photography. A supportive and successful internship rounds out artistic and academic skills learned in college, improves the student’s resume and industry connections and increases his or her ability to earn a living and stay in photography throughout their career. Internships are valuable but difficult to find. Today many leading corporations find interns through “pay for placement” programs, in which students pay to secure the internship and cover basic expenses.
YPA is committed to the growth and success of internships in the photo industry, to ensure that internship opportunities will be accessible to talented and dedicated students who can’t afford high intern placement fees. YPA’s Intern Program facilitates this growth by encouraging and working with corporations, companies and individual photographers to develop unique intern programs, and to connect these employers with top student interns. Interns will be identified through all YPA programs and awards as well as participating colleges and partner organizations.
Internships provide companies of all sizes an opportunity to “give back” to the photo community, supporting the next generation of photographers and the future of the profession one intern at a time. YPA is seeking sponsors and media partners, as well as volunteers to co-ordinate the development of this program – all suggestions welcome.
YPA is especially grateful to its Major Founding Sponsor, ASMP Foundation, for their generous support for the development of this program.
In the meantime, here are some pointers to other internship opportunities:
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Business Smarts: From Student to Intern to Photographer
This article on pdnedu is essential reading for students and graduates seeking work experience. -
ed2010.com
Ed2010, run by young magazine editors and aspiring journalists, includes advice columns, industry blogs and job listings. -
youintern.com
This website lists both employer-submitted internships and student-submitted internship reviews, so students can read the testimonies of past interns before deciding which opportunities to pursue. -
indeed.com
This employment search engine, which aggregates postings from thousands of company career sites and job boards, offers many internship listings among their daily updates. -
mediabistro.com
This website features a searchable jobs board, which includes internship postings, as well as career-building courses and gigs for freelancers. -
summerinternships.com
This is a fee-based internship program offering international placements.
