Community Internships
In response to international interest in our internship
program, we've created the Community Internship, which
leverages our open source development program to offer
training and experience to budding professionals around the
world.
In most ways, Community Internships are no different from
our standard U.S.-based Internship Program. You receive the
same one-on-one attention and training, and most of the same
experience opportunities are available to you. Upon
completion of the 240-hour program, you even receive a
Letter of Recommendation and the option to use us as a job
reference.
Learn more about MousePaw Media Internships.
Limitations
There are a few key differences with a Community Internship
that allow us to work internationally.
-
No equity or college credit is earned.
-
Some leadership training opportunities are limited,
since Community Interns cannot be granted internal
security clearance.
-
Community Interns are still considered volunteer
open source contributors, not employees.
However, these limitations have no impact on the quality
of training your receive. You're still considered an equal
part of the team!
Requirements
To qualify for the Community Internship, you should fulfill
the following requirements:
-
Must be 18 years of age or older.
-
Professional working proficiency (IRL 3) or higher
with English.
-
Has private administrator access to a computer with
a reliable internet connection.
-
Can meet weekly work requirements (time off provided).
-
Is conscientious and self-motivated.
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Can collaborate with coworkers to solve a problem.
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Willing to learn new technologies and techniques.
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Enjoys trying new things.
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Teachable.
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Is imaginative and can think outside of the box.
Participating Programs
The following Insternships can be completed through the
Community Internship program. If you don't see the one
you're interested in on the list, please reach out to us at
internships@nullmousepawmedia.com
to inquire about future plans.
See the page for the Internship you're interested in for
more information.
Community Internship Questions
(Click a question to view the answer.)
Are unpaid internships legal?
It depends on a number of factors, including your
country's laws. We aim to comply with U.S. Labor Laws
regarding internships, by providing interns with
extensive one-on-one training and mentorship, and by
ensuring interns are not working the same hours one
would expect of an employee.
The Community Internship is an extension of our
open source development program, so it is considered
entirely voluntary. Your continued participation is up
to you, although you must complete the program to
receive the Letter of Recommendation.
Of course, every country has different laws regarding
internships. You should find out about your country's
laws and regulations, and determine whether our program
fulfills them satisfactorily.
Why do you have such a strict interview/screening process?
Two reasons. First, since we're limited in how many
interns we can support at a time, we want to ensure
this opportunity is open to those individuals who will
make the most of it.
Second, since we're all about career preparation, we
want to provide an interview process as rigorous as any
you'd encounter in the industry. In many cases, we
provide feedback to applicants on how they can interview
better, even if we choose not to bring them on!
Why do you require such high English proficiency?
Being able to understand and communicate clearly in
written and spoken English is pivotal to nearly every
part of the internship program. There are few, if any,
tasks which do not require reading, writing, speaking,
or listening. We find that ILR 3 (Professional Working
Proficiency) is the absolute minimum English proficiency
level that will still enable success.
What time zone are you in?
MousePaw Media is based out of Idaho, United States of
America, and we work on the US/Pacific Time Zone
(UTC+8, UTC+7 on Daylight Savings Time).
How do you work across time zones?
We primarily schedule around North American time zones
for meetings and collaborative sessions. However,
since our entire team is remote and distributed,
we're not limited to typical "business hours". We try
to find times within normal waking hours that work for
all parties.
Depending on your time zone, scheduling may require some
flexibility from you, such as occasionally being
available a little earlier or later than you might
typically work. However, since only a fraction of your
work involves live collaboration, you'll usually be
able to stick with your own preferred schedule.
How often do we have video chat meetings?
Each team usually meets once a week at a regular time.
These are working meetings, and we tend to get a lot
done during them. These are scheduled around everyone's
availability as much as possible.
In addition, you will have regular meetings with your
internship supervisor, typically every other week (less
as time goes on.)
I'm not certain what exactly I want to do.
That's part of the purpose of an internship. You will
have the opportunity to try things out and make
discoveries about your interests and abilities.
