For Employers: English Department Interns

Every semester, the U of Illinois Department of English places English, Creative Writing, and Teaching of English majors in internships around campus and the Champaign-Urbana community.  Our goal is to make our students’ excellent and wide-ranging communication skills available to local employers, while giving those students opportunities to learn more about the kinds of businesses and organizations that can use their abilities.

Why Hire an English Major?

Students in the English department study literature spanning multiple genres and 1500 years of history, from Old English narratives to contemporary poetry, from Shakespeare to Marvel comics.  They learn to read fast, to make sense of difficult ideas quickly, to take into account both fine details and broad context, and to state a position persuasively. They emerge from their studies with the ability to communicate to a range of audiences, understand a problem from many angles, and organize and use complex information. They can write, edit, plan, research, teach, strategize, and solve problems.

Department of English Internship Program

Internships offered through our department

  • are eligible for academic credit through the English department’s Internship Seminar (ENGL 199 – INT).
  • involve anywhere from three to fifteen hours of work per week during the semester
  • can be paid or unpaid
  • unpaid internship must comply with US Department of Labor guidelines, and students in such internships are required to take the Internship Seminar)
  • last at least eight weeks to be eligible for academic credit, but can run longer depending on the needs of the employer.

We can work with you to align and application timetable that will align with both the UIUC academic calendar and the requirements of your organization.  Call or email Kirstin Wilcox, Director of Internships (kwilcox@illinois.edu; 217-333-4305).