Public Relations Programs

The Jewish General Hospital is looking for an intern to help the Media Relations Officer in the Department of Public Affairs and Communications. The candidate will help the Media Relations Officer with day to day tasks in the office, including: media calls, organizing and maintaining media lists, press releases, aiding in project management, media monitoring, etc.  Strong written and spoken English skills are a must. Good written and spoken French is an asset.

Candidates who are interested are asked to send their CVs to Astrid Morin at amorin@jgh.mcgill.ca. Application deadline is May 21, 2013.

For more information on the Jewish General Hospital, visit www.jgh.ca.

Apathy is Boring, the organization that uses art and technology to educate youth about democracy, is offering a paid, full-time Communications & Events internship this summer. Location: Montreal. Starting date: May 28th, 201.  Ending date: August 23rd, 2013. Apply on the website.

Versatilité Communications is looking for reliable interns to help project managers in event coordination,  promotion, research, calls, press releases, proposals, marketing, bookings, social media, etc. Two days a week, May to August, unpaid.  English writing important. Deadline to submit CVs is May 6. For details, see page at right labelled “Versatilité”.

Pharmascience, a generic drug company based in Montreal, hires interns in a range of fields every summer, including public relations and communications. My friend there tells me they have “lots of cool projects this summer”, notably in internal comms and events, and they give their interns lots of latitude. They need a go-getter, self-starter and team player. Bilingual, but can be English-first. If you are interested, please send me a CV and brief cover letter.

The Marketing and Communications service of the School of Continuing Studies needs part-time help with news releases, articles and media relations with specialized journalists. This unpaid opening would be of interest to a current public relations student interested in gaining a wide range of experience on a continuing, part-time basis. Do you have a few hours a week to give until at least June?  The advantages are: experience for your CV, professional supervision, flexible part-time schedule, letters of recommendation, good contacts and networking opportunities. People taking this opportunity in the past have gone on to permanent employment. Preference will be given to candidates with availability to June and beyond. Good writing skills, needless to say, are essential. Send CV and cover letter to Elana Trager, Senior Advisor, Marketing and Communications, McGill School of Continuing Studies. elana.trager@mcgill.ca.

I just had a visist from a partner in a new web-based start-up called oasiscoach.com. Ludovic Bourgoin and his colleagues have a small office in downtown Montreal, where they are  building a business dedicated to helping people find the best exercise courses and training on line. They are looking for an intern to join the team at least three days a week, starting as soon as possible. After a six-month internship, if all goes well, there is a strong possibility of being hired on permanently.

Candidates do not need any specific work experience, just be a reliable self-starter with good general communication abilities, analytical skills and an interest in business development. There will be sales involved, as well as writing (preferably English first, but must be able to function in French.) Go to the coachoasis website, click on “join us” and apply on line.  And please let me know if anything comes of it!

The McCord Museum Foundation has opened a one-month, unpaid internship for a senior-level student (either grad or undergrad) with excellent interviewing and writing skills in either English or French. Starts May 2. See the page at right entitled “McCord”.

If you have an interest in building small businesses via a mix of social and traditional media, and would like to work with a design consultant to develop and implement a marketing communications plan, this may be the opportunity for you. You would plan along with two PR professionals (full disclosure: one of them is your blogger) and gradually take over the work with the client until she is well launched. Probably spring/summer/fasll 2011. No pay, but time is flexible, and the people good to work with (IMHO). Knowledge of social media a big plus, but can be compensated for by willingness to learn and experiment. Contact elizabeth.hirst@mcgill.ca

Your blogmaster has been very slow in getting up a job posting for a summer internship at the Town of Baie d’Urfé. Apologies if you’re seeing this too late, but if you catch it by Friday, April 15, you might get a chance to apply. See “Baire d’Urfé” page at right.  (The good news is that we will have three new assistant bloggers soon, ensuring that these thing get posted on time!)

Recent alumna Ema Polifroni at Annexe Communications says her company is still looking for another intern this summer to work on the Just For Laughs Festival.  (Unpaid position.) If you’re interested, please send a letter of intent and C.V to Tammy Peddle at tpeddle@annexecommunications.com

She also reports that in addition to Andrea Wong, who just completed her internship there, McGill PR students Charles Pease and Christina Gould are also working with Annexe this summer.

At the  alumni-student network conference yesterday (“PR:The Next Generation”), I ran into Andrea Wong, who had just completed an internship she applied for after seeing it on this blog. She agreed to share her impressions with all our readers:

“I had a great time as a Promotions and Press Relations intern at Annexe Communications. If you’re not already familiar with the company, Annexe offers PR services in the local and international entertainment industry. I worked on big-name contracts in their American film division for two months. I’m happy to have gained some solid experience in pitching to the media, sealing promotional partnerships, and promotional event planning during this amazing opportunity. On top of getting a chance to be involved in the exciting world of entertaiment PR, I was routinely invited to industry film screenings and participated in pre-release promotional screenings for the public.

“Ema Polifroni and Tammy Peddle, my direct supervisors, were wonderful to work with. Their drive, professionalism, and personal successes have only fed my ambition to enter the Entertainment PR field even more. I’m grateful for all that I’ve learned from them and would recommend this internship to anyone who’s looking to test the waters.”

Anybody else out there having a good internship? Please keep us up to date!

There is an interesting, long-term (April or May to October) hands-on internship open at the Canadian Mining and MetallurgyFoundation.

An exciting line-up of events is planned, starting in April  – conference, presentations, kiosk, fund-raising events, publications, giving campaign, etc. 

Deborah Sauvé, who has supervised interns before, provides guidance with tasks and also will tailor the internship to suit the learning needs of the student. (Not many supervisors will do that!) Interns take part in workplace activities and “become part of the family”, she says.

See the page at right called CMMF Projects winter 2011 and contact Deborah directly if you are interested.

There is a part-, full- and part-time contract open for a student with superior event coordination, communication and writing skills. (Part-time in spring, full-time in summer and part-time in fall). Writing can be in either English or French, but the candidate must speak both languages.

Our colleague in Continuing Education, Deborah Mercier, needs help in researching and preparing reports and presentations, communicating with Continuing Education alumni, organizing events and myriad other tasks associated with alumni relations and development (fund-raising). Excellent computer skills and total reliability a must. See page at right (“Development and Alumni Relations Job”) for further details.

To apply, use the contact information on the page at right entitled “Development and Alumni Relations Job” .

The Bell Helicopter plant in Mirabel is planning major celebrations from May to September this year to mark its 25th anniversary and 4000th helicopter. The Communications Manager needs an assistant during that time to help with a public event, kiosk, employee interviews, souvenir brochure and lots of those other activities that go with important anniversaries. Candidates should be bilingual, although English can be the language they write in. The job location is at Mirabel, and the hours may be flexible to suit other commitments, although September will be a heavy month. This is a paid position.

There’s a page at right (“An Important Milestone for Mirabel”) describing the importance of the anniversary. Another, including the position description itself, will be posted shortly.

If you’re interested, send CV and cover letter to Elizabeth.hirst@mcgill.ca  and I’ll pass them on.