Communication faculty internships

The present study attempts to initiate and motivate interest in communication faculty internships. Based upon a participant-observer, experiential faculty internship at a major international public relations firm, this paper synthesizes direct experience with a review of the internship literature to advance specific conclusions about this activity. Public relations internships are advantageous for faculty with little or no professional experience, those in need of knowledge or technique updating, and for those who need to understand the student internship experience.Problems and disadvantages of faculty internships include difficulty in arrangements, and an insufficient number of sites. Faculty internships pose a major imposition to the internship host, and they may also involve faculty financial sacrifice. A series of ten experiential realizations accruing from the faculty internship are also presented. These included the pace of professional activity, the importance of good communication skills, and the significance of attitude.