It's intern-hiring season again!

By Greg Hutton
NSC Media Specialist

Did you notice the change from NSC Media "Intern" to NSC Media "Specialist"?  No?!?!

Anyway, yes, that means I've returned to the National Sports Center's media department after completing my internship with the facility this past summer. For my first task, Matt Koehn, who coordinates the NSC's intern recruitment, asked me to write this blog about the facility's internships. I happily obliged.

To start, read the descriptions of available internships here.

If you're wondering what an internship at the NSC like, I'll sum it up in three words: fun, busy and rewarding.

Fun - because of the organizational climate, the structure and working on such interesting and unique events. And also this:

ABOVE:  Intern softball.

Busy - because my to-do list was full the first day after intern orientation. But that's what you want - to be an asset to the organization.

And rewarding - because we were successful in our tasks and I gained lots of new experience that will be valuable for the future. I firmly believe that an internship at the NSC is one of the most rewarding experiences someone who is interested in entering the sport management field can have.

As such, being hired as an intern is not easy. Staff members are highly selective. Approximately 200 resumes and cover letters are received each season.

Also, just because you don't live near the Twin Cities doesn't mean you can't apply for an internship. Past interns have come from a variety of locations throughout the United States and even the world. A pair of last summer's interns are natives of France. The NSC doesn't provide housing, but for those concerned about finding a place to live: rest assured. Finding an apartment to sublease during the summer is very easy with the help of Craigslist.

Here are a few other reasons to consider applying for an NSC internship:

1. It's huge. The National Sports Center, that is.

Everything the NSC does is large in scale. So is the facility itself; it's in the Guinness Book of World Records as the largest soccer complex in the world. Also, SCHWAN'S USA CUP is the largest youth soccer tournament in the Western Hemisphere. Approximately 1,000 teams from 25 states and 21 countries make the trip to Blaine each July.

2. Responsibility

Scott Clasen, the NSC Web Architect and also a former intern, said it best in his Jan. 16, 2007 blog:

"Internships are quite different than at other organizations. First and foremost, interns are given actual responsibility with actual consequences for not performing on the job. With the large number of events we host in the summer, there's no choice but to rely heavily on college interns to ensure event success."

It is guaranteed that, as an intern at the NSC, you won't be needlessly making copies for eight hours each day. While the specific work that each individual intern completes varies, one thing remains the same: the work is paramount to the success of the facility's summer events.

3. Location

The North Metro suburb of Blaine is just a 15- to 20-minute ride from both downtown Minneapolis and Saint Paul. As such, there's no shortage of entertainment options for the time you're not at work. I even chose to live in Minneapolis, both during my internship and now as I complete my graduate degree.

One's time on the NSC campus also promises to be entertaining, which leads me to the next reason to apply:

4. The other interns

One of my favorite parts of my internship was that I worked with 17 other college-age interns. They became not only co-workers, but also great friends - both during and after work.

Not that the other staff members aren't enjoyable - they definitely are - but having a group of people that are in the same boat as yourself makes work that much more fun.

5. I interviewed Roberto Donadoni, the head coach of the Italian national soccer team.

It's true, I did, for Kick TV during last summer's SCHWAN'S USA CUP. You can even watch it here if you don't believe me.

But my point in mentioning that fact is to draw your attention to the unique aspect of the NSC's internships. Where else would I have been able to interview Roberto Donadoni? Or get mail from the President of the United States? Regardless of one's political opinion, receiving an envelope addressed to you from "The White House" is pretty cool.

6. The NSC offers paid internships.

Granted, the money is never a reason why one should or should not apply for an internship. Rather, internships are more about gaining experience to take to future employers. But having some extra money to help pay for rent, tuition, or more importantly, Twins tickets, certainly helps.

As evident from this blog, I was 100 percent satisfied with the decision to complete my internship at the NSC. I think you will be, too.

Please feel free to shoot me an e-mail (ghutton@nscsports.org) or give me a call (763.792.7342) if there are any other questions you would like to have answered. I'm happy to help.