Q: I was recently invited by a large-sized (200,000+) East Coast daily for a tryout as a finalist for an internship. However, they said I would have to cover all expenses for the trip.
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As a college student living across the country in California, this is not a trip I can afford. When I called the paper to ask about this, they said coming in for a tryout was a requirement for their program.
How common is this practice? I might understand it for jobs, but it seems a bit much for internships. I wonder if I should bother applying for internships across the country if I'm just going to get shut out like this.
Strapped for Cash in CaliforniaA: This is unusual, and I wouldn't let this one newspaper's behavior discourage you from looking.
Newspapers typically do not require face-to-face interviews for internships. The large ones that do usually pay the freight.
This policy is a real barrier for people who don't have the money to do this. It screens out all but local people and those whose families can support them. It's a shame that this policy piles more opportunity on people who already have it. But, as I said, this is not the norm.
Grimm on internships:
"Breaking In: The JobsPage.com Guide to Newspaper Internships."
Coming Friday: We call on
Angie Lau,
WEWS-TV investigative consumer reporter, to answer questions from a print journalist who is thinking of moving from print to TV.
To expect you to travel thousands of miles on your...
