Internship FAQ’s

Send a cover letter and résumé to the Director of Education and Programs. An email will be sent confirming that your application has been received. Supplemental emails will update you on your application status.

Internship opportunities are available for undergraduates, graduate students, and recent graduates who are enrolled in a two-year or four-year institution. Students who have graduated (up to two-years after receiving their degrees) from a college or university are also eligible.

Graduating high school students who wish to intern at the museum can apply to participate as a volunteer. High school students interested in volunteering, please email volunteer@mcm.ms .

Internships range between 4 weeks and 16 weeks, depending on the intern’s schedule and the available opportunities.

Typically, internships will involve a 10-20 hour per week time commitment subject to the individual requirements of the available internship opportunity.

All internships offered by the Mississippi Children’s Museum are unpaid.

The museum offers staff-level internships to qualified undergraduate students, recent graduates, and graduate students. Internships at the museum are intensive, project-based, educational, and professional experiences that often count toward academic credit (this is left up to each individual college or university). Students from all majors can apply for internships at the museum.

Internships are offered in the spring, summer, and fall similar to the academic year at a college/university. The deadlines to apply are as follows:

• Spring internship deadline: Nov. 1 (previous year)
• Summer internship deadline: May 1
• Fall internship deadline: July 1

Once a cover letter and résumé have been submitted, applications are screened for the correct fit. The Director of Education and Programs will distribute qualified applications to the potential Intern Mentors for review. Depending on student location, qualified candidates will be contacted to arrange for an interview either in-person, via telephone, or Skype. Intern Mentors then select and offer internship positions. Interns will receive confirmation letters with necessary details of internship dates and orientation information. Upon student acceptance, a mandatory Criminal History Background Check will be completed before the intern can begin at the museum.

Always be prepared for an interview—know who we are, who you are, what you can offer the museum, and what you are hoping to learn from the experience. Interviews will normally last 60 minutes.

Once a mentor has selected and offered an internship to a student, we usually allow a week for the student to decide whether they accept or decline the offer. If the student accepts the internship, a Criminal Background Check is conducted. The intern starts the internship after a clean Criminal Background Check has been reported to the museum. The Director of Education and Programs will confirm the internship via a confirmation letter or email. A start date is determined between the Intern Mentor and the student.

A background check is mandatory for all staff, volunteers, and interns who are 18 years and older to protect the safety of our young visitors.

For some of the internship opportunities we offer, the mentor would like to review some additional work to see your qualifications. For example, if you are applying for an internship in Graphic Design, the mentor would like to review some pieces from your portfolio. The mentor may ask to see printed items during the interview phase.

The museum offers a one day, on-board process to all interns. Interns will complete the necessary paperwork, tour the museum, and begin orientation with the museum’s safety procedures. Interns will have their picture taken and be introduced to the museum’s computing systems. Comfortable shoes are recommended for this day. There will be a review of educational expectations and a chance for the intern to ask any questions.

The opportunity to work directly with children is dependent on the placement and the nature of the duties assigned to the intern. Some of our internships are “behind-the-scenes” and have minimal direct contact with children. However, all staff, volunteers and interns are trained to interact appropriately with all of our visitors regardless of their internship placement.

Gaining professional experience is the primary focus of our internship program. On occasion, interns have been offered full or part-time positions at the museum—but more times than not, internships do not lead to employment with the museum.