Re: Internships

[Lori Lathrop <76620 -dot- 456 -at- COMPUSERVE -dot- COM>]

All -- I've been passing myself coming & going lately (delivering indexing
workshops), and I'm just now trying to catch up on e-mail, TECHWR-L digests,
etc.  After reading a couple of postings about internships, I would like to hear
from you (1) if you are an employer who has provided opportunities for interns
or (2) if you have worked as an intern.

Here's my situation and question:  My company, Lathrop Media Services, is a sole
proprietorship; in other words, I'm an independent contractor.  As many of you
know, I divide my time between delivering indexing workshops for technical
communicators and working as a freelance indexer for various corporate clients
and publishing houses.  Now, here's the *new* situation:  After delivering an
indexing workshop last month for the Rocky Mountain Chapter of STC, I got a call
from one of the workshop attendees; she's a senior at Metro State College in
Denver, majoring in tech comm, and she asked if I would be interested in taking
her on as a Summer Intern.  I think she's a very bright gal, and the internship
idea seems like a win/win situation to me.  She'll earn credits toward her tech
comm degree, and I'll acquire an assistant (which I desperately need).

Since I have never had an Intern before, I would appreciate your feedback on the
agreement we've reached.  Here's the deal:  Of course, she'll pay Metro State
for the 6 credit hours she'll earn this Summer working as my Intern 3 days/week
(beginning in mid-May).  Also, she'll join ASI (the American Society of
Indexers), and I have asked her to purchase a book (_Indexing Books_ by Nancy
Mulvany).  My initial investment in her includes registering her for (1) the ASI
Annual Conference (which couldn't have a more convenient time or location) next
month in Denver, (2) a tutorial on using CINDEX (the professional indexing
software I use), (3) an ASI pre-conference workshop by Bella Haas Weinberg on
the Structure of Indexes, and (4) an ASI roundtable discussion on indexing
computer manuals.

While she's working as my intern/assistant this Summer, I plan to do a lot of
one-on-one mentoring so she can acquire some professional indexing skills,
become proficient in using CINDEX, and conform to clients' guidelines.  I can't
pay her for her time during these mentoring sessions; after all, that's
non-billable time for me.  However, I will pay her a reasonable per-page rate as
a subcontractor for all the indexing work she does (on some projects that will
look *very* good on her resume).

And, finally, my question ....  How does this arrangement compare to most
internship agreements?

TIA for your feedback. I'll appreciate all comments and feedback.

Lori
******************************************************************
Lori Lathrop ----------> INTERNET:76620 -dot- 456 -at- compuserve -dot- com
Lathrop Media Services, P.O. Box 3065, Idaho Springs, CO  80452
Office: 303-567-4447, ext. 28 / Fax: 303-567-9306
******************************************************************

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