Fall Internships - Rivals.com Pennsylvania High School Site

PaPreps, part of the Rivals.com high school network, has several internship opportunities available for the 2012 fall semester.

PaPreps (http://papreps.rivals.com/) covers high school sports throughout the state of Pennsylvania, focusing heavily on player features, recruiting, and profiling the top teams in the state. Football season is fast approaching and PaPreps needs a few interns located throughout the entire state to help provide coverage to the Rivals.com network. We started the internship program last year and were very pleased with the results.

The nitty gritty:
Duration: September-December 2012
Eligibility: All current college students interested in journalism, communications, writing
Compensation: Unpaid. Students can get course credit. For more benefits from the internship, read below.
Locations: Philadelphia metro area, Pittsburgh metro area, Harrisburg/State College, Erie, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, and more.
Ad expires: July 31, 2012. Phone interviews will be conducted after that date, with final hires made by August 15.

Again, this is an unpaid, web-based internship. While we won't be able to provide compensation for your efforts, we do offer several unique opportunities that make this a quality experience.

The benefits:
- This is a guaranteed opportunity to write and cover high school football in one of the most competitive football states in the country. No data entry. No lengthy phone calls taking swimming agate. No coffee or food runs. You'll be a pure writer/reporter.
- You'll get a regular byline in the Rivals.com network. That means you'll be part of the largest sports Web site in the nation. Yahoo! Sports, which owns Rivals, is the nation's leader in online sports content, and we regularly have stories on both the Yahoo! Sports main page and the Yahoo! front page. This is potential exposure you won't find at your campus newspaper or even your local newspaper.
- Most importantly, you'll get anything and everything you need to earn college credit for the internship and to develop as a journalist and writer. This is a remote internship, meaning there won't be a central office you'll report to. Self-starters will succeed. But we're not throwing you to the wolves. We're very hands on in providing feedback, helping to structure story ideas, sharing ideas and information, and guiding you through the process of online journalism. We're not going to give you an assignment and shove you out the door, never to be heard from again.

The requirements:
- We are looking for interns based throughout the state, especially in high traffic areas with multiple quality high school football programs. Areas of preference include: Philadelphia metropolitan area, Pittsburgh metro area, Erie, Harrisburg/State College, and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. We'll review every application no matter the location, but our hiring preferences will tilt toward those in high traffic areas. There is the potential that we'll take two applicants from a certain area.
- Adherence to the Rivals.com code of ethics. This is a professional gig and it requires professional decorum on the job. You'll have access to a wealth of information and you'll be expected to conduct yourself accordingly. That means professional dress, professional manner, and absolutely, positively, no cheering in the press box. You'll sign a form that details additional requirements as it pertains to gathering recruiting information.
- Transportation. This is not a gig where you can simply walk from the dorm to the campus stadium or take the bus to a downtown corporate office. You'll be required to drive off campus to a local high school on a regular basis. You will NOT be sent halfway across the state, but an occasional drive of 20-30 miles is possible in some areas.
- Available from early September through early December. PaPreps will ensure that all final assignments and necessary documents are completed before your school's final exam week.
- Internet access and a web cam. Again, this is a remote internship, meaning weekly video group chat sessions will be handled via Skype.
- Interns should be current college students. We'll also consider recent college graduates (within the last calendar year) who would be interested in doing this solely for work experience. However, current college students will have preference.

All interested applicants should email PaPreps publisher Andrew Chiappazzi at achiappazzi@yahoo.com with the following information:
- Resume
- Cover letter detailing not just why you're the right fit, but your location, availability, and travel flexibility.
- Most important, four writing samples. This is a writing intensive job. The best applicants will have experience at their campus newspaper and/or Web site or with some other regular publication. We need to know what you bring to the site. We do not do regular game stories with chronological play-by-play. We need you to go beyond the box score and play summary, so your writing should reflect your ability to focus on the "why" and "how" of a story, not just the who, what, where, and when. Your samples do NOT have to be sports oriented, but they should showcase a style that would work for a sports site. Intensive technical writing is impressive, but it won't fly with us.

Word document attachments, PDF files, in-line samples, or links to published works are all acceptable submissions.

Feel free to email or PM with any questions.

 

Some top HS teams in Pennsylvania

 

With the deadline just a few days away, I wanted to issue a reminder...

This is a writing intensive job. If you want your application to be considered, you might want to include writing samples with it. Just saying.

I expect to contact everyone by the end of next week with their status. We're going to move quickly after the deadline to get the interns in place.