Work for the MIPA Summer Workshop

Candidate review for summer workshop positions begins in the spring.

The Michigan Interscholastic Press Association hires exceptional educators to serve as instructors or assistant instructors at our summer workshop as well as current teachers, responsible college students and others to be part of our workshop student life team.

Summer workshop instructors and student life staff members work as independent contractors of MIPA.

MIPA is a nonprofit organization composed of Michigan scholastic journalism teachers and student media advisers and their students. The organization is committed to promoting and recognizing excellence in journalism at all levels through education, training and support of student journalists and their advisers. MIPA is housed in MSU’s School of Journalism.

General Inquiries:

Available positions are posted on this page. General inquiries can be made to:

Jeremy Steele, Executive Director
Michigan Interscholastic Press Association
404 Wilson Road, Room 305
MSU School of Journalism
East Lansing, MI 48824
jws@mipamsu.org

Youth Program Criminal Background Check

MIPA follows Michigan State University rules requiring all individuals who have direct contact with minors at a campus youth program pass a criminal background check within 12 months of the program. All individuals interested in working for the MIPA Summer Journalism Workshop must successfully complete this check before they will be considered for employment. You may be asked to authorize MIPA and/or MSU to conduct a background check as part of the application process.

Current Openings

MIPA Ambassadors

MIPA ambassadors are student life team leaders who provide support to youth participants from the residence hall to the classroom. All ambassadors provide overnight supervision for youth participants, staying with us in the residence all, and organize and lead daily recreational activities. Some ambassadors also assist our instructors in classrooms during the day.

Learn more about these positions below. If you have any questions, please contact the MIPA office.

MIPA Ambassadors

MIPA Ambassadors help lead our student life team, providing support to and supervision of our youth participants from the residence hall to the classroom. Ambassadors live and work with us in the residence hall for the duration of our program, from Saturday afternoon (to help prepare) to about 3 p.m. Thursday (to help move out). Most ambassadors are college students in media-related programs (at Michigan State or other colleges); many participated in MIPA activities when they were in high school!

Ambassadors are assigned to their own room, or may room with another student life team member, on a youth floor to provide overnight supervision, which includes conducting bed checks and enforcing lights out. They organize and lead daily recreational activities for participants, including our MIPA Cup Tournament.

Ambassadors may also be assigned to one of our workshop courses to help provide supervision in the classroom. Classroom duties might include taking attendance and assisting with various learning activities, under the direction of the course instructor.

Ambassadors who do not have classroom duties are free to work, take classes or leave the premises as needed during times when they are not assigned to duties.

Ambassadors are paid a $250 stipend; ambassadors with classroom assignments are paid an additional $250 stipend.

Meals are provided from lunch Sunday through lunch Thursday for all ambassadors.

Experience working with youth is preferred. Applicants who are college students ideally will have completed their sophomore year. If you’ve just graduated from high school, consider applying to be a MIPA Upstart Fellow!

Floor Counselors

MIPA invites K-12 teachers to work as floor counselors at our program, allowing you to audit one of our workshop courses. Floor counselors auditing a workshop class should be “silent observers” – they should leave class discussions to our student participants and should reserve their own questions until after class or when our instructors are not working with students.

Floor counselors live in the residence hall with us for the duration of our residential program, from student check-in at 2:30 p.m. Sunday to checkout at noon Thursday. They will be assigned a residential floor or a portion of a floor with other student life team members.

Key work hours are from about 9 p.m. to 9 a.m., when floor counselors provide supervision and support on our youth floors, including conducting bed checks and enforcing lights out.

Floor counselors typically do not have any duties when our youth participants are in class, and so are welcome to work other jobs or leave the premises as needed during the day.

Floor counselors are paid a $100 stipend. They typically are assigned to their own room, or may room with another student life team member. Meals are provided from pizza dinner Sunday night through breakfast Thursday.

To Apply

Please fill out the application by clicking the Apply Now button. Include a resume and cover letter explaining why you want to work at our program. List recent work and/or volunteer experience. Provide at least two references. Applications will be reviewed until all positions are filled.