2024 Historic Sites’ Internship
Terms of position: One
internship for 26 weeks from mid-May to mid-November. Work week
is Monday through Friday with alternating weekend duty and compensatory time
off. 988 total hours for the entire
length of the internship based on a 38 hour work week.
Location: Homestead Prairie Farm, a circa 1860 living
history house museum, and Rock Springs Nature Center are both located on the
grounds of Rock Springs Conservation Area near Decatur, Illinois.
Salary/Stipend/Housing: $15.00/hour
at 38 hours/week. Intern also receives a $300 monthly housing
stipend payment. The stipend is
pro-rated for partial months. No on-site housing is available, but the site is
near Decatur, Illinois. Intern position is
entitled to earn Paid Time Off (PTO) beginning first day of employment accruing
one hour for every 40 hours work. PTO
may be used after first 90 days of employment.
Scope: The historic sites’ internship is a great
opportunity for anyone starting a career in the historic site or history museum
field. Interns gain varied work experience through a wide range of tasks.
They include duties in education and interpretation, volunteer training and
management, children’s summer day camps, collections care, exhibits,
purchasing, publicity/marketing, historical research, and other museum or site
administrative tasks as needed. While the duties remain the same each year,
special projects and new priorities make each intern’s experience unique from
year to year.
Duties include all of these areas:
Interpretation/Education: Assist with third person interpretation
at the District’s historic sites. Most interpretive programming takes place at
Homestead Prairie Farm, but may include Bethel School or other district sites
as needed. Interpretive duties include
working with staff and volunteers to provide: public tours during regular
weekend open houses and special events; educational programs for schools and
other groups, either on-site or as outreach.
Children’s Summer Day
Camps: The
intern will develop lesson plans/activities, present, and co-manage a half-day
history camp with another staff member. The camp meets for 3 hours once a
week in June and July. Campers range in ages from 6 to 12. The intern
will assist other staff as needed with day camps for children and teens
including Adventure Club (Tuesday) and possibly another camp.
Collections/Exhibits: Help staff plan, set up, or remove
exhibits; assist in collections processing, care, research, and inventory; and
help in the recordkeeping of reproduction period clothing worn by staff and
volunteers for tours and programs.
Research/Marketing/Volunteers/Administrative: Assist with historical research; may work on
publicity and marketing by writing newsletter articles, press releases, and
program flyers; and train/supervise volunteers. The intern will also assist with special events, some housekeeping/maintenance
duties, purchasing, and other duties as needed.
To apply: Download an application. Send your completed application along with 2 writing samples of at least 3
pages each, a resume, and college transcript(s) to Brent Wielt at the address
below. Deadline is Noon (Central Time) on
Monday, March 18, 2024.
https://www.maconcountyconservation.org/get-involved/internship-opportunities
https://www.maconcountyconservation.org/wp-content/uploads/Employment-Application-2020-Fillable-1.pdf
To
inquire with questions, please contact:
Macon County Conservation District
Attn: Brent Wielt, Historic Sites Manager
3939 Nearing Lane
Decatur, IL 62521
217-423-7708
bwielt@maconcountyconservation.org