How To Become A Writing Internship: What It Is and Career Path

What is a writing internship and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

Quoted expert

Anna Mae Duane

If you want to pursue a career in writing, a writing internship can help put you on the right path and give you the experience you need to qualify for most writing positions. Like many other internships, you will perform various administrative and support tasks as a writing intern, usually in marketing, PR, or journalism companies and departments.

The duties of a writing intern vary depending on the employer and the industry. But in general, you can expect tasks like copywriting, editing writing pieces, creating minor pieces, and conducting research. You may also be given administrative tasks like handling correspondence, performing data entry, and arranging schedules.

Most writing internships require at least a bachelor's degree, preferably in communications, English, or journalism. Work experience is usually not required, but many employers would want to see writing samples or a portfolio. Furthermore, you must be able to use basic computer programs and web applications to qualify for a writing internship.

If you manage to get a paid internship, you can earn around $15 an hour or about $31,000 a year, depending on the company you work for.

What general advice would you give to a writing internship?

Anna Mae Duane

Professor of English and Director of the Humanities Institute, Website

The idea that English majors are not in demand is a myth—don’t harm your own chances by buying into it! There are numerous studies—and countless employer testimonies—that indicate how valuable your skills as an English major are. English majors consistently find work in a variety of fields, and perhaps even more important, alumni of English departments report that they find their jobs and lives rewarding. According to the National Association of Colleges and Employers, 'what sets two equally qualified job candidates apart can be as simple as who has the better communication skills.' You are, in many ways, ahead of the game in comparison to others in your cohort. I’d also urge English majors to think broadly about their career options. Yes, fields like journalism, publishing and advertising all rely on the skills developed in English departments. But other employers, particularly in tech companies, have realized how valuable English majors can be to their organization. As a recent report in Fortune indicates, top executives in AI at IBM and elsewhere realize that having expertise in the Humanities is an essential component for success in their field.

ScoreWriting InternshipUS Average

Salary

2.9

Avg. Salary $37,250

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

7.3

Growth rate 8%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

6.6

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.59%

Asian 5.29%

Black or African American 10.03%

Hispanic or Latino 11.92%

Unknown 5.09%

White 67.09%

Gender

female 67.51%

male 32.49%

Age - 40

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 40

Stress level

7.3

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

8.8

Complexity level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work life balance

3.8

Work life balance is poor

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a writing internship

Explore writing internship education requirements

Most common writing internship degrees

Bachelor's

83.8 %

Master's

5.9 %

Associate

5.5 %

Start to develop specific writing internship skills

Skills	Percentages
Web Content	22.72%
Writing Intern	14.32%
Press Releases	10.73%
SEO	8.06%
News Articles	2.74%

Complete relevant writing internship training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 1-3 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New writing interns learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a writing internship based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real writing internship resumes.

Research writing internship duties and responsibilities

Manage a website using basic knowledge in HTML.
Update website daily, manage Facebook/Twitter/ Instagram accounts.
Coach mainly in the areas of poetry, short fiction, and memoirs.
Workshop with other interns and program directors to critique and edit fiction, nonfiction and poetry pieces.

Prepare your writing internship resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your writing internship resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a writing internship resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

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Build a professional writing internship resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your writing internship resume.