Summer Internships

Penn English Internships, Summer 2024

The Department of English is pleased to announce five internship opportunities during Summer 2024, all of which are reserved for Penn English majors and minors. Two of these offer stipends of $2500 paid by Penn English, while the other three are paid directly by the employers (see below for specific pay structures). 

In order to apply, please email the following documents to Dr. Becky Friedman (beckysf@english.upenn.edu) by noon on February 23, 2024:

1. A brief statement of why you are interested in the chosen position (300 words maximum)
2. Your resume

English majors are preferred for these positions, but English minors will also be considered. Students may apply for any or all of the opportunities, but should send a separate letter of interest for each.

Note that the Zeta Charter School opportunity has its own application process—applicants should submit their materials directly through the designated portal.

Penn English-Sponsored Internship Opportunities

Each Penn English-sponsored internship involves approximately 20 hours of work per week over an 8-week or 9-week period. Interns receive an award of $2500 from Penn English.

Full Spectrum Features: Intern (remote)

This Chicago-based nonprofit organization is committed to driving equity in the independent film industry by producing, exhibiting, and supporting the work of women, BIPOC, disabled, and LGBTQIA+ filmmakers. Their internship will be 9-weeks long, completed remotely. The selected intern will help the Executive Directors with research, script coverage, and other administrative tasks; read screenplay submissions and create short summaries for executive and production teams; attend meetings, take notes, and contribute to creative discussions; help organize and maintain development files, and participate in project brainstorming sessions and contribute to the creation of new concepts. 

Qualifications sought: expertise in one or more—humanities, social science, or arts disciplines; demonstrated commitment to racial and gender justice and equity; strong interest in applying their love and critical eye for storytelling to the medium of film through a lens of racial and social equity; excellent writing, research, and presentation skills; experience working both independently and on teams; excellent organizational and process management skills; high level of motivation, positive attitude, and strong desire to learn and collaborate; basic office skills/experience. 

Personal qualities sought: compassion—equity requires caring about people; growth mindset—the ability to allow new, relevant information to shift or entirely change your opinion about something; agility—the ability to pivot and respond to real-time changes and developments; vulnerability—showing up as your “full self” builds long-lasting, earnest relationships that are developed through trust; radical honesty—the confidence to speak truthfully and boldly, regardless of audience; curiosity and humility—the drive to learn more (curiosity), and the ability to recognize when you do not know the extent of what you do not know (humility); field vision—the ability to see how the work you do connects to larger systems and processes beyond yourself and your immediate work; root cause analysis—the ability to dig beneath the surface of day-to-day and programmatic work and uncover hard truths about underlying causes.

Trinity Rep Company: Development Intern (on-site; Rhode Island)

This Rhode Island-based theater company is offering an 8-10 week on-site internship. The selected intern will draft grants and correspondence, serve as a member of the development team, conduct research, support events, and learn. 

Qualifications sought: strong writing and reading comprehension skills, strong organizational skills, communication skills (both written and oral). An interest in theater is a plus! 

Skills to be acquired include: grant writing and business correspondence, research for potential donors, event support and collaboration, business model for non-profit theater.

Additional Paid Internship Opportunities for Penn English Students

Critica: Intern (remote)

This company pays interns directly, at a rate of $15/hour. The selected intern should expect to work 25 hours per week over an 8-week period.

This non-profit organization works to improve the public's understanding of scientific consensus, counteract misinformation about health and science, and increase the use of scientific evidence in public policymaking. They are offering one remote internship, which will involve training in qualitative research methods, analyzing a Critica dataset linked to a topic in health/medicine, and preparing a manuscript for potential publication in a health-related journal. 

Qualifications sought: some experience working with data analysis would be ideal; a general interest in health and science literacy; and good writing skills.

Skills to be acquired:  qualitative data analysis. ms. preparation

MRC: Intern (on-site; Los Angeles)

This company pays interns directly, at a rate of $19/hour. The selected intern should expect to work fulltime, 40 hours per week over an 8-week period and must be on-site in LA for the duration of the role. Dates are flexible, though MRC prefers the selected intern to work late June to mid-August. 

This diversified global entertainment company with Film and Television divisions is seeking an intern at their West Hollywood office location. The intern’s role will be tailored to individual interests, with daily tasks that help the intern learn and allow them to contribute to the projects and goals of each individual department.

Responsibilities (depending on department—may include, but are not limited to): script reading, coverage, research and breakdown; building tracking grids for TV, production and development; building call sheets and researching shoot locations; assisting with copyright filings and title clearances; industry tracking and market / competitor analysis; researching material and story ideas; building deck presentations; brainstorming ideas for marketing campaigns; desk shadowing; basic admin including filing, copying, scheduling, etc.

Qualifications and Requirements: currently enrolled in a four-year college or university; strong written and verbal communication skills; advanced knowledge of the Microsoft Office Suite, including Excel, Word, and PowerPoint; interest in the media landscape, including Film and Television; strong sense of integrity, confidentiality, diplomacy and professionalism required; reliable and timely; must be trustworthy and able to handle confidential and sensitive information.

Zeta Charter Schools: Intern (on-site; New York City)—JUST ADDED!

This organization pays interns directly at a rate of $16/hour. The selected intern should expect to work fulltime, 40 hours per week over an 8-week period and must be on-site in NYC for the duration of the role. Applicants should submit their materials through the Zeta website here: https://zetaschools.org/jobs/zetacharterschools/university-of-pennsylvania-english-major-internship-2024/?gh_jid=5891319003

Zeta Charter Schools serve approximately 2700 Pre-K to 6th grade students across 5 campuses in the Bronx & Upper Manhattan, operating schools in the least-resourced areas of New York City in state-of-the-art private facilities. Starting with a foundation of world-class academics, Zeta also provides a social-emotional mindfulness program that equips students with the skills they need to thrive inside and outside the classroom. Zeta is seeking an intern with a proven record of strong research and written abilities to work on one of the following projects: Middle School and High School Design Research, High Quality Curriculum, or Policy Research.

Qualifications sought: e​xcellent organizational skills with a keen eye for detail; strong time management skills, with the ability to work both independently and as part of a team; creative and critical thinker with a willingness to step outside of the box to solve problems in a new and innovative way; familiarity with a variety of online tools, including Google Slides and Google Sheets/Excel, or strong capability and interest to quickly learn; ability to create websites and data visualizations, or strong capability and interest to quickly learn; wear multiple hats as a part of a lean startup-up team, supporting the work of others on the team and taking on new projects and tasks as needed.

Please check back for additional opportunities, which may be added in the coming weeks.