How much to pay writer intern?

I will be hiring a summer intern to write website copy, articles and blog entries. The intern will be working remotely from home. How much and how should a Journalism intern get paid? I would like to pay x amount per article, blog entry, page, etc. I will need to provide more guidance than usual.

So, how much is fair college student intern pay for:

- A 500-1000 word article?
- A blog entry?
- A page of website copy?

 

There's no good answer. Many internships are unpaid. Some pay the equivalent of a full-time job in an entry-level industry position. What really matters is whether or not your internship will be valid for them to get college credit.

 

Thanks. I want to pay because it will be more motivating and I am more likely to get higher quality work.

What is the criteria to be valid for college credit? Obviously by the end of summer they will have a substantial portfolio to show.

 

That depends on the school. Internships generally have to be approved by a department head, the student's advisor, or someone similar. They can't just take a job and call it an internship in most cases. So you would probably have to give detailed information about the work to the school before they would approve it for credit. Contact a local college, and see what their process is. If they accept it, they may even be able to help you fill the spot with a decent student.

 

One aspect you might want to consider is how much of their time do you expect to require. When I was in college, summer was a scramble to earn as much money as possible to pay for my books for the upcoming fall and spring semesters. If you do not provide enough of a wage to equal what they could have made waiting tables or some other more typical summer job, you may end up with a less talented writer because the better ones simply could not afford to take the job.

Turning it into a true internship will increase the incentive for the more talented students to apply. By offering a salary, you increase your chances of finding a diamond in the rough that you will perhaps not need to guide as much as you expect.