So I got an internship at my local newspaper, should I do it?

My understanding is that if we're giving her assignments, she has to be paid as a freelancer (or, I guess an intern). We can publish user-submitted photos because we're not actually telling anybody what to send, when it's due, etc.

She's a high school kid and I'd like to give her whatever guidance I can. But I don't want to cause her potential future trouble with the NCAA or have my paper run afoul of state labor laws. The same could apply to kweonsam.

 

At my last shop, the boss was too cheap to pay for interns so I gave guidance and feedback on a regular basis. It sucked because I really felt we should have been paying at least some nominal amount (and I'm the guy who had to pay my college $990 for the opportunity to do a free summer internship at a paper back in the day), but even with a slight payment I would have done the feedback and guidance because it was the right thing to do.

 

I can't conceive of any reason why it wouldn't help your resume.

As for should, well, that all depends on whether or not you can do it but also keep up with school. Pretty much the same guidelines you would have for a job, or since this is unpaid, an extracurricular activity.

 

How would it affect her with the NCAA? She's not going into competitive sports writing, is she? I didn't even know the NCAA sanctioned it.

 

She's still in high school, but her explanation to me was that she can't get paid to write about her particular sport. If she does, to the NCAA it would be like receiving an endorsement -- that she got hired because of her athletic prowess/performance/success. (Given what little I've seen of her high school team, that's certainly not the case.)

None of this is really helping kweonsam decide whether or not to take his unpaid internship.

 

I don't think NCAA job rules would apply at least until she actually has entered college, particularly if she is properly enrolled in a work-study program with the high school (this is usually what high schools have students sign up for as sophomores or juniors when they want to get their first jobs. It is not actually connected to the school at all, but just lets minors work legally).

Once she has entered college, she should speak to the college journalism program regarding receiving college credit for any reporting/writing work. And just to be safe, of course, you could just not have her cover her sport.

 

No, take up welding instead. Write a blog about all the weirdos you meet while welding, then turn it into a book.

 

I guess if they'll sanction a school because a player used the hose pipe to wash her car, I guess they'll do anything, assuming said school isn't in a Power 5

 

She's wrong and you should know better. Any high school kid can have a job and it has absolutely no effect on their NCAA status until they've graduated high school and are starting college. Good grief. Aren't we smarter than that around here?

 

Kweonsam, this might be a stupid question, but do you know how to keep your own stats, keep score for a basketball game?

 

I believe the rule, though it may vary state to state, is also that newspapers (or I assume anyone else, for that matter) aren't allowed to use unpaid interns to do work that they otherwise would have paid for.

 

of course I do.... It's not like this is my first time writing, I have clips and I showed him that I'm capable of doing the job.