This is a guest post by Rachel M. Esterline.

This past summer I had the opportunity to intern with Fahlgren Mortine, a public relations agency in Columbus, Ohio, rated in the top-100 agencies by PR Week. As their 2009 Founder’s Award winner, I was given a paid internship and a $1,500 scholarship.

How did I get so lucky? Research, hard work and an intensive interview process.

Finding a good internship that pays is tough. But finding one that gives you both experience and a scholarship is even harder. Once you find that internship, you may be competing against hundreds of other applicants. But, it’s well worth it to apply.

Where can you find internships like this? Visit internship fairs, network with peers and search online for opportunities. Below are a few opportunities I have found:

• Fahlgren Mortine
  Apply for their Founder’s Award for the agency experience, paid internship and scholarship.
• Deveney Communications
  Apply for their Summer Scholars Program and receive housing, transportation and compensation.
• Edelman
  Apply for the Daniel J. Edelman/PRSSA Award for the Outstanding Public Relations Student to be a paid intern at one of the most well-known agencies in the US and a $1,500 cash award.
• Hill & Knowlton
  Apply for the PR Week Student of the Year award to win a paid internship and $5,000.

When applying for these internships, pay close attention to detail and have everything proofread several times. Go the extra mile when you have the opportunity. Lastly, take a chance and apply because you can’t win if you don’t play the game.

Rachel M. Esterline is a public relations senior at Central Michigan University. She has held internships at her university, a start-up, a large agency and a small integrated marketing communications firm. She blogs at “The Beacon for Navigating a Career in PR” to share information, ideas and tips with her fellow PR students. You can follow her on Twitter at @RachelEsterline.

Photo credit: Christopher S. Penn

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