Introduction

Thank you for your interest in the internship program at Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park. The internship program is an excellent opportunity for students and recent graduates to apply knowledge learned in the classroom, gain experience, meet professionals in the field, and often to determine which aspect of their chosen field is of greatest interest.

Take note: Internship applications are currently being accepted for the summer of 2009. Interns are expected to start work on May 20th, 2009 and finish work on August 16th , 2009.

Click here to watch a video about the internship program at Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park.

Click here to watch a video on the park staff you will work with as an intern.

Recently the word "internship" has begun to take on an additional meaning than it had in the past. For years an internship was considered to be a work experience arranged in conjunction with a college or university for official credit. Currently, however, many inquiries about internships are made by both students and college graduates seeking a volunteer work in their field of study to gain training and experience without any connection to a school. We have arranged internships in both categories, but if the practical is for credit, it is important for the intern to inquire with the school about their requirements and expectations.

Internships are typically short-term volunteer stints lasting about 2-4 months. The interns usually work 2-5 days per week. The park also has a volunteer program, which is long-term, lasting from one to twelve years now for one of our volunteers, with workdays ranging from one day per week to one day per month. For inquiries about the volunteer program at our park that are received from people out-of-state, we typically respond by sending information on internships, since a short-term experience seems most likely where their interests may lie.

To apply for an internship please either print out and fill in the internship form and send to the address below or cut and the paste the form into a Microsoft word document which you send as an attachment to e-mail us

Other files attached to this message contain position descriptions for the various internships. The vast majority of the internship positions filled at this park are Historical Interpreters - interns assisting park visitors and conducting guided walking tours. Other internship positions may be available at other times depending upon the workload of the supervisors and the suitability of the projects at had for interns. The park always has a demand for Historical Interpreter interns during the warm weather months, but other internship positions may or may not be available at any given time.

Because of our great need for Historical Interpreter interns in the peak visitation period of the summer, any intern candidate for the summer internship in which park housing is required are limited to applying for the Historical Interpreter positions. Historical Interpreter positions are available during the span from March through October. For a variety of reasons, the Historical Interpreters are needed at three different time periods of the year: 1) March through mid-May; 2) mid-May through mid-August; and 3) mid-August through end of October. Historical Interpreter internships typically require a commitment of twelve weeks.

Most interns work during the summer season, and most of the internship candidates are also most readily available over the summer season. Consequently competition is most intense for the summer positions. A stipend providing meals and mileage reimbursement is offered to Historical Interpreter interns. Most of these internships are funded by the park. It is highly recommended that applications for summer Historical Interpreter positions be submitted by mid-December. Interviews are traditionally conducted in December and January, and usually the park funded summer internships are filled by the end of January.

One internship is funded by the Student Conservation Fund (SCA) and candidates may apply for this position through the end of February, with selections made by mid-March. This organization pays travel expenses to and from the park, provides a meals stipend, and provides health insurance. Sponsoring parks agree to pay local travel expenses and provide free housing. We have one SCA position each summer, and applying through this organization is an excellent way to be able to apply to several different parks at one time. The SCA can be contacted at P.O. Box 550, Charlestown, New Hampshire 03603-0550, at this link for SCA to www.sca-inc.org, or (603) 543-1700.

When housing is available, it is provided free of charge to interns working full-time. Interns share the houses with seasonal employees and other volunteers, and must participate in housecleaning assignments. The houses include kitchen and laundry facilities, and a telephone.

Internships are completely different from the temporary employees hired primarily over the summer. The job titles utilized in this park for this type of seasonal position are "park guide," and "visitor use assistant." This park typically hires from 6-12 employees in these positions each summer, and the majority of the positions are filled by returning seasonal employees from the prior summer. The park also typically fills one seasonal employee who works in natural resource management.

To apply for seasonal employment, the best method is via the Internet at seasonal jobs to see which parks have listings at that moment. This park intends to accept Park Guide and Visitor Use Assistant applications for spring/summer positions during one-week periods over the fall, winter, and spring, but we prefer to fill the positions as early as possible, and it is not advisable for candidates to wait until the spring because that may be too late. If relying upon education alone for qualifying experience, you would need to have two years of college by this summer.

Some candidates have successfully utilized their internships as a way to gain the experience needed to qualify for seasonal jobs. It is important, however, to apply for an internship in the same field as the seasonal position, i.e., historical interpreter or natural resource management assistant, since these are the only two fields in which we hire seasonal employees.

If you have any questions, the park supervisory historian is the best contact. His usual work week is from Saturday through Wednesday, but his tour of duty frequently changes. The supervisory historian may be reached at (540) 373-6124 or e-mail us

Resumes and cover letters may be sent to Greg Mertz at: Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park, 120 Chatham Lane, Fredericksburg, Virginia 22405. To find out more about the park please visit our park website. I wish you well in your internship and career decisions.

The purpose of Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park is to commemorate the four Civil war battles fought in the Fredericksburg area. The park staff maintains, preserves, protects, and interprets the historic setting for park visitors and for future generations. There are five types of internships available at Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park each of which is explained below. Most positions are for Historical Interpreter and occasionally for the other jobs.

Historical Interpreters

The intern positions for Historical Interpreters contain duties and responsibilities directly related to the personal services provided to park visitors. While most people identify the word "interpreter" with someone who translates from one language to another, the historical interpreter does something similar by helping park visitors appreciate the rather complex historical events in a manner which can be easily understood by the general public.

Historical Interpreters should be interested in the Civil War era and enjoy meeting with the public and talking with people from all over the country. The ability to demonstrate people oriented skills is important to being successful at this internship.

Historical Interpreters work at the information desks in one of the park's two visitor centers, or work in one of the park's historic structures. Duties of the position include answering visitor inquiries pertaining to orientation of park and area points of interest, as well as research questions about the Civil War. A key duty of the intern in Historical Interpretation is to research, develop and conduct a 35-minute walking tour over one of the area battlefields.

Internships in excess of 400 hours are assigned to work two duty stations. The Fredericksburg Battlefield Visitor Center assignment includes presenting a conducted walking tour along part of the Confederate battle-line known as the Sunken Road. An assignment at the Chancellorsville Battlefield Visitor Center includes guiding a walking tour over the area where Confederate General "Stonewall" Jackson was mortally wounded in the battle. The interpretive duties at the "Stonewall" Jackson Shrine, where the general died eight days after being shot at Chancellorsville, includes a talk on the last days of Jackson while showing visitors around the building.

Internships may be arranged for college students majoring in History, American Studies, Historic Preservation or a related field.

The park visitor facilities are open seven days a week and internships are available each day. Weekend work may be required. The summer and spring usually offer the best opportunities for internships in this field.

Restoration Assistant

Occasionally the park has the need for an intern position of Restoration Assistant. The Restoration Assistant works with the park Restoration Specialist in providing the proper protection and repair of monuments, buildings and other cultural resources. Duties and tasks associated with the position include cleaning of monuments and cemetery headstones, and carpentry and masonry work on historic buildings.

Many projects will require the intern to possess special skills or qualifications related to carpentry or masonry. Internships may be arranged for college students majoring in Historic Preservation or a related field. Projects vary, depending upon the skills of the intern, the time commitments, and the amount of college credit being earned.

Historical Researcher

Occasionally the park has the need for an intern position of Historical Researcher. Duties may include researching and writing about an assigned topic, transcribing Civil War documents, indexing newspapers or other sources of information, and preparing handbooks or guides to ease in efforts to locate information. The depth of the project will depend upon the candidate's knowledge of the Civil War, research capabilities, and ability to travel to research depositories.

Internships may be arranged for college students majoring in History, American Studies or a related field. Work days and time commitments depend upon the particular project and the amount of any college credit to be earned.

Education Coordinator Assistant

Occasionally the park has the need for an intern position of Education Coordinator. This position contains a variety of duties and responsibilities enabling teachers and students to learn about the Civil War, the National Park Service and special emphasis programs. The intern works with the park Education Coordinator, who is also the supervisor of the Chancellorsville Battlefield Visitor Center.

Duties of the position include developing and revising teacher packet hand-outs to assist teachers in both classroom activities and field trips to the battlefields. Interns will research, develop lesson plans and conduct programs to school groups either in the classroom or in the park. Topics to be addressed may include Civil War soldier life, one of the area battles, National Park stewardship, Black History, Hispanic History or Women's History.

A priority project is the planning and construction of a large canvas map with such props as pontoon bridges, blocks representing troops, and other such pieces to place on the map. The intern would also write a lesson plan instructing park historians or teachers how the map and props could be used. This project in contingent upon approval of a grant needed to cover expenses of the materials needed to make the map and the props.

Interns should have both knowledge and interest in the Civil War. Internships may be arranged for college students majoring in History or American Studies, who have also taken education course-work.

Most work days should coincide with the work schedule of the Education Coordinator and would therefore may take place during a Wednesday through Sunday basis. Particular projects may have time requirements and assignments will depend upon the amount of college credit to be earned.

Curatorial Assistant

Occasionally the park has the need for the intern position of Curatorial Assistant. The Curatorial Assistant works with the Museum Curator, who is also the supervisor of the Chancellorsville Battlefield Visitor Center.

Duties of the position include the computerization of museum records, the inventory of museum objects, cataloging or classifying objects, and transcribing original documents. Although many prospective interns inquire about the feasibility of putting together and exhibit, the park rarely has the need to implement new displays. An example of a project would be:
Determine the current value of the collection, to identify items of particular security concern and to help justify funding requests for any number of curatorial capital projects. Compare current price lists with items in collection, especially those on exhibit, to determine approximate values. Values will also be input into ANCS blocks on catalog records for future reports. Items meeting certain requirements will be added to the controlled property list and will need to be so designated on ANCS as well.

Interns should have both knowledge and interest in the Civil War. Internships may be arranged for college students majoring in History, American Studies, Historic Preservation or a related field.

Work days must coincide with the work schedule of the Museum Curator and therefore may take place during a Wednesday through Sunday basis. Summer internships need to arranged around the curator's vacation of up to three weeks. Particular projects may have time requirements and assignments will depend upon the amount of any college credit to be earned.

Internships may be arranged for college students majoring in History, American Studies or a related field. Certain projects may require interns to possess a good working knowledge of the Civil War.

Internships are available on weekdays and particular projects would depend upon time commitments and the amount of college credit to be earned.

Supervisory Historian
120 Chatham Lane
Fredericksburg, VA 22405-2508
(540) 373-6124
e-mail: e-mail us