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Government relations internship vs media specialist

The differences between government relations interns and media specialists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a government relations internship and a media specialist. Additionally, a media specialist has an average salary of $50,832, which is higher than the $34,678 average annual salary of a government relations internship.

The top three skills for a government relations internship include internship program, powerpoint and public policy. The most important skills for a media specialist are digital marketing, video production, and customer service.

Government relations internship vs media specialist overview

Government Relations InternshipMedia Specialist
Yearly salary$34,678$50,832
Hourly rate$16.67$24.44
Growth rate8%8%
Number of jobs58,47039,401
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 80%Bachelor's Degree, 70%
Average age4242
Years of experience44

What does a government relations internship do?

A government relations internship involves a trainee who assists the vice president of government relations in managing and analyzing policy issues. Government relations interns are required to compile and summarize material on emerging and existing public policy for staff members. They assist with external stakeholder engagement strategy and draft press releases on pertinent legislative and regulatory issues. Government relations interns must also attend congressional hearings and produce reports to corporations and trade associations covering wide a wide array of policy areas.

What does a media specialist do?

Media specialists are individuals who establish and administer content on various social media platforms. The job involves monitoring site metrics, overseeing creative design, and responding to reader comments. Specialists offer advice to administrators and teachers on the use of non-print social media. They work for huge enterprises with multimedia departments, new media departments, and in-house websites. The skills the job requires include trend awareness, social media ads, community management, strong visual aesthetic, and understanding SEO.

Government relations internship vs media specialist salary

Government relations interns and media specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.

Government Relations InternshipMedia Specialist
Average salary$34,678$50,832
Salary rangeBetween $24,000 And $50,000Between $35,000 And $73,000
Highest paying CityWashington, DCWashington, DC
Highest paying stateWashingtonNew Jersey
Best paying companyThe Motley FoolBP America Inc
Best paying industryMediaProfessional

Differences between government relations internship and media specialist education

There are a few differences between a government relations internship and a media specialist in terms of educational background:

Government Relations InternshipMedia Specialist
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 80%Bachelor's Degree, 70%
Most common majorPolitical ScienceCommunication
Most common collegeStanford UniversityStanford University

Government relations internship vs media specialist demographics

Here are the differences between government relations interns' and media specialists' demographics:

Government Relations InternshipMedia Specialist
Average age4242
Gender ratioMale, 43.1% Female, 56.9%Male, 52.9% Female, 47.1%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 10.0% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 11.9% Asian, 5.3% White, 67.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%Black or African American, 10.3% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 12.2% Asian, 5.3% White, 66.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%
LGBT Percentage12%12%

Differences between government relations internship and media specialist duties and responsibilities

Government relations internship example responsibilities.

  • Manage the office's social media site on Facebook by updating news from RU to alumni.
  • Announce several collegiate sporting events including volleyball, track, baseball, softball, swimming and soccer.
  • Perform PSA's for FCC.
  • Record and edit YouTube videos.
  • Administer FMLA procedures to employees.
  • Create FMLA process map/best practices.
  • Show more

Media specialist example responsibilities.

  • Develop fresh leads to connect with by utilizing LinkedIn connections and resources.
  • Manage content for and development of the museum's Drupal website, cartermuseum.org.
  • Manage teams for film, video, animation, & multimedia creation of any kind.
  • Assign to work as a media associate at Starcom managing a portion of the Kellogg's account.
  • Develop and manage proprietary PPC support material.
  • Participate in brainstorming sessions, proofread and edit marketing materials, manage magazine inventory.
  • Show more

Government relations internship vs media specialist skills

Common government relations internship skills
  • Internship Program, 15%
  • PowerPoint, 9%
  • Public Policy, 8%
  • Donor Database, 5%
  • Government Affairs, 4%
  • Legislative Process, 4%
Common media specialist skills
  • Digital Marketing, 14%
  • Video Production, 7%
  • Customer Service, 5%
  • Web Content, 5%
  • Google Analytics, 4%
  • Google Adwords, 3%

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