Foyle Alumni Internships 2014: Now closed for entries

“It gave me a brilliant insight into the way a huge scale writing competition is run. I was also able to try my hand at helping with loads of other fascinating projects. Not every moment was riveting, but every moment I was learning something. The moments that were the most exciting, like reading an absolutely astounding Foyle entry, or seeing the replies to my YPN challenge made me anxious to finish university so I could get on with working on the kinds of arts and youth engagement projects this internship helped me to learn so much about on a practical and active level.”

 Fielding Ronshaugen, 2013 Intern             

  

The Foyle Summer Internships

Each year there will be two Summer Internships at our busy office in Covent Garden, London. The focus of the Internship Programme is to support the administration and marketing of the ever-growing Foyle Young Poets of the Year Award, however additional office support for the Poetry Society’s wide programme of work (from education, membership to publications and more) may also be required.

Each intern will work a total of 18 days (approx three and a half weeks in total) in our London-based office between June and September (though we are able to offer a small degree of flexibility when selecting exact dates within this period). Office hours will be 11am – 6pm daily monday-friday, though please note that some evening work may be required to assist with events.

Internship duties will include:

  • Competition data entry and processing
  • Postal mailings – Envelope stuffing and franking
  • Marketing and promotion (phone, email, web and postal)
  • Compiling data for evaluation and marketing reports
  • Sustaining our internet presence via our web pages and social networking sites – to include some blogging and feature writing.
  • Additional administrative support across the wider Poetry Society team as required

Key skills and experience required:

  • Knowledge of standard Office software including Excel, Word and Outlook, plus a strong working knowledge of Social Media.
  • Strong communication skills in writing, on the phone, and face to face.  As an intern you will be a public face for The Poetry Society and must be confident and engaging whilst answering telephones and representing the work of The Poetry Society at large.
  • Excellent attention to detail, with strong copy writing and proofing skills.
  • Able to work independently and effectively, responding to instructions given by colleagues.
  • Demonstrable knowledge of contemporary poetry and creative writing and a keen interest in the role of the arts/creative writing in education.
  • Quick thinking and highly motivated with a ‘can do’ attitude – a strong team player.
  • Some experience with Content Management Systems for websites (i.e. basic HTML, Wordpress sites or Tumblr) is desirable, although training specific to our website systems will be provided.
  • Experience in assisting at live events and dealing with the public (desirable).
  • Additional experience working with database systems such as Access (desirable).

Eligibility and Info:

This opportunity is open to anyone aged 18 and over who has reached the top 100 (15 top winners and commendeds) of our Foyle Young Poets of the Year Award during any of the last 16 years of the award.  Please note applicants can reside outside of the UK but it is vital to note that both Internships are based in London and all successful applicants will be expected to arrange their transport (and accomodation if required) by their own means. A stipend of £750 will be paid to each Intern for 18 day period of work. Please note that we cannot pay transport costs or expenses for these internships and so these must be met through the £750 subsidy.

How to apply:

Please send a CV detailing your name, education and work experience, PLUS a supporting statement of no more than 500 words detailing: 1) what you hope to bring to this position, 2) how your experience meets the job description and 3) what you hope to gain from the experience . It is vital that your CV includes your full birth date, address and the year(s) in which you won or were commended in the Foyle Young Poets of the Year Award. NB Please also ensure you would be able to fulfil a full 18 days over the period of June – September 2014 before applying (ideally this will be over 18 consecutive working days, but there is some flexibility if these need to be in two parts, for example. We will negotiate dates with the successful applicants to best suit both parties). 

Deadline for applications: 5pm Friday 16th May 2014

Potential candidates will be contacted by 5pm on Friday 23rd May 2014  - we may then organise to conduct a telephone interview, but this will be confirmed at the time.

Please send applications either as a separate attached word document by email to Lucy Wood at [email protected] or send by post to Lucy Wood, Foyle Internships 2014, The Poetry Society, 22 Betterton Street, London, WC2H 9BX (please note all postal entries must also arrive by the deadline of Friday 16th May otherwise it will be disqualified)

Best of luck everyone and we look forward to receiving your applications.