DEPARTMENT OF COMMUNICATION STUDIES
INTERNSHIP GUIDELINES (2022/2023)

Please read the following guidelines carefully if your are a BA or Diploma student in the Department of Communication Studies thinking of applying for a credited internship.

As part of their degree programs in the Department of Communication Studies, all BA and Diploma students have the opportunity to gain work experience in a media, arts, or communications organization such as: an ad agency or design company; a marketing or promotions firm; a music or video games company; a radio station or podcast producer; a museum or gallery; a festival, dance or arts foundation; or, a large organization with a significant communications, media, PR, design, or social media department of its own.

We refer to these opportunities as internships or apprenticeships. They’re always 120 hours in total, usually during a single semester, worth 3 program credits when successfully completed, and can be financially compensated, should that be part of the internship offer. Quebec minimum wage requirements apply, so do the math re hourly rates before accepting a position with an ‘honorarium’ or ‘allowance’. Of course, you are still at liberty to pursue an unpaid internship. But: if you are not being paid, it is vital that you wrap up your internship as soon as you complete your 120 hours. Anything more than that does not count for credit, and is likely exploitative of your labour. (It will also contribute to a troubling precedent for future interns in terms of employers’ expectations.)

In either case, please make sure to read Canada’s Federal Labour Standards for Internships carefully to learn about your rights and responsibilities and make sure you protect yourself from exploitative labor conditions.

What makes for a good internship?

To ensure the best possible experience, we do not generally support applications for internships in solo start-up companies, or with individuals working from home, or with organizations with less than five employees. Students should also be involved in a range of tasks, with close supervision, rather than being left to figure things out on their own or being restricted to just a few menial tasks. We also limit the number of simultaneous student internships at one company to a maximum of two. These guidelines are designed to help ensure that our students have a meaningful experience in a professional environment involving direct exposure to a variety of functions, roles, and tasks. Finally, in order to receive credit the internship proposal must be submitted to, and approved by, the Internships Coordinator (IC), currently Professor Razan AlSalah comsopps@concocrdia.ca . Incomplete or poorly conceived proposals will be rejected. Hours completed before receiving formal approval do not count.

How do I find an internship?

Students may approach companies or organizations directly based on recommendation or reputation, or by responding to an opportunity posted on our dedicated ComsOpps website: https://www.comsopps.net To ensure that our own students are the first to take advantage of these opportunities, please do not share the ComsOpps website address with students outside our Department. Never approach these companies or organizations offering your own business services! This is entirely unprofessional and constitutes an abuse of the trust they’re placing in us by providing their contact info in the first place.

How do I apply to the Department to get credit for a proposed internship?

Work with your proposed internship supervisor to complete Forms A and B. Form A is your course application and must be completed by you. Form B is a contract guiding your working relationship with the organization and must be completed by your internship supervisor. If you are not being paid, you must also fill in the insurance declaration. If you are being paid, it is the company or organization offering the internship that is responsible for providing workplace insurance for you, along with all their other employees.

Who supervises my internship?

1. The On-site Internship Supervisor is the person in authority who will supervise your work at the job location during your internship. 2. The Internships Coordinator, currently Professor Razan AlSalah, will review your completed application form and, if everything is in order, ask the Undergraduate Programs Assistant, Ms. Marcella Di Claudio, to clear you to register for COMS 394/5 or Graduate Programs Assistant, Mr. Mircea Mandache, to clear you to register for COMS 583. The IC will then act as your academic supervisor. The IC is available to answer questions and help solve problems during your internship. The IC also grades your internship.

What are my obligations during the internship?

You must be punctual, appropriately dressed, and ready to work in a creative and constructive manner. For the dress code, take your cue from the general level of formality in the workspace you’ll be in. A poor final evaluation from your onsite supervisor will negatively affect your final grade. If you are delayed on your way to work or you’re sick, it’s up to you to contact your employer to explain yourself. Please remember that you are still subject to Concordia’s Code of Conduct. For example, if you’ve been asked to write an article or a media release or create a promotional video, Concordia’s rules against plagiarism still apply. Your internship is also a course you’re taking for three university credits and will be graded as such (A = Excellent, B = Very Good, C = Satisfactory, etc), so apply yourself as you would in any other class, especially in terms of the writing and submission of your journal and final paper.

What if I have problems during my internship?

If you run into any issues at all, contact the IC immediately. Problems might include a poor work experience, eg just making the coffee every day, or only ever doing photocopying, or finding yourself in an unwelcoming or hostile work environment. Don’t wait until it gets worse! You can also contact Ms. Marcella Di Claudio, the Undergraduate Programs Assistant for the Department of Communication Studies via email at ugradcoms@concordia.ca

How is the work evaluated?

1. Weekly Journal. During your internship you are expected to keep a weekly journal with brief notes on your activities, observations, lessons learned, etc. This must be handed in when the internship is completed as a single PDF. Our expectation is that you will write an average of about 1 page, single-spaced, per week. If you’re writing by hand please make sure it’s legible. Be creative! We warmly encourage you to add images or sketches, anecdotes, work samples, swatches, etc. Do not share confidential information in your journal entries or final report! (If you’re not sure if something you’ve heard, read, or seen at work is confidential, ask your onsite supervisor.)

2. Biweekly Email Update. At the end of every two weeks you must send an email to the IC as follows:

Subject line: Internship at [title of company/organization]
Message content: It is now the end of week number [2,4,6, etc] of my internship. I have now completed [X] hours out of a total of 120 hours. My internship experience over the past two weeks has been [Excellent, Very Good, OK, Unsatisfactory].

NB If your internship experience is ever less than ‘Very Good’, the IC will contact you to find out why, and to discuss ways to improve the situation.

3. Final Submission: Journal, Final Paper, Form D. When your internship ends, you will email your complete written journal, your final paper (see guidelines, below), as one PDF attachment, to the IC no later than seven days after the last day of classes. Please also complete Form D, an anonymous evaluation of your own experience for future communication students.

4. On-site Internship Supervisor Evaluation. Ask your onsite supervisor to complete Form C before your final submission deadline which is seven days after the semester/term’s last day of classes.

When everything (Journal, Final Paper, Form D, Form C) has been received in a timely manner, it will all be reviewed and graded. Equal weighting is given to the Journal, Final Paper, and Form C. Form D is not graded, but must be received in a timely fashion, too. Final grades are then submitted via the portal for the Chair’s approval. Even the best internship experience can be compromised by a rushed or poorly thought-out final paper, so follow the guidelines very carefully.

Thanks for your attention, and good luck!