UW Center for Leadership in Athletics

IAL Internships

The overarching goals of the internship experience are growth and experience.  Our hope is that you will learn valuable skills while gaining exposure and professional experience in a multitude of functional areas.  Your internship(s) can be completed in a variety of sports organizations within the collegiate, professional, interscholastic, not-for-profit, community, or sports business sectors.

Finding an internship is a collaborative and customized process that takes into consideration where students hope to be geographically (the IAL program allows students to choose any region of the country to complete their work), future career interests (within coaching and administration), and which types of campuses and functional areas they would like to gain exposure to. After interests have been identified, students are connected to individuals within our extensive IAL network who match their internship criteria. This network includes professionals from our Advisory Board, IAL alumni network, prior internship site supervisors, as well as guest speaker contacts.

Internship FAQ's

Where should I start looking for internships?

Interested in exploring what kind of internship opportunities exist in intercollegiate leadership? The following links are a good way to begin your search. Please note, these links are intended to give a cursory introduction to potential opportunities and may not be updated on a regular basis.

What if I already have a full-time job within the athletic industry?

If you are currently working within athletics, your existing position can be used as your primary career rotation for the year. We will work with you to create a plan with shorter experiences (job shadows, projects, events) that will supplement your current position and provide exposure to additional departments or areas within your organization.

Are internships paid?

Unfortunately, we can’t answer this one for you as compensation varies tremendously across institutions and individual positions.  This will be a question that you will need to ask of the hiring manager if the job description isn’t explicit.  Many positions at UW are paid through a monthly stipend or hourly rate.

How long are internships? Do I stay in one institution or organization for the whole year?

The length of internships varies depending on the plan you create for the academic year. Some students will spend an entire year in one role, while others may choose to spend time completing multiple internships in different functional areas or with different organizations. It is also common for students to supplement their primary internships with shorter experiences like job shadowing and working on specific events or projects.

Do I have to intern in collegiate athletics?

No! Internships can be completed in a variety of sports organizations within the collegiate, professional, interscholastic, not-for-profit, community, or sports business sectors.

What are some of the areas that IAL students have worked in historically?

Academic Advising & Support Services, Budget & Finance, Coaching, Compliance, Development & Fundraising, Event Management, Facility Management, Human Resources, Marketing & Promotions, Media & Sports Information, Sport Performance, Student Development & Life Skills …. and the list goes on!

I know I am going to primarily focus on coaching. Anything I should be thinking about as I talk to coaching staffs about working with them for the upcoming year?

As you talk with potential settings for your internship, be very clear about the position and what it allows in terms of actual coaching of student-athletes. Some IAL coaching students have obtained graduate manager positions that are often a pathway into coaching positions. However, some types of these positions prohibit direct coaching of student-athletes. These are still workable for your internship activity but may require a bit more creativity in how you approach some of the internship or coursework activities. Most importantly, understand specific position requirements, expectations, and limitations!  If we can provide introductions or assistance, we are glad to assist as you seek out potential coaching internship opportunities.

How are internships structured? Are they full-time?

The structure and time commitment for internships is flexible and varies by student.  You may work full-time or part-time, at one site or multiple sites … it really depends on what you are trying to achieve through your experience.  Some students will use their internship experience to explore athletics (part-time experiences in more than one area or at multiple locations), while other students seek to gain a solid year of experience in one area (usually full-time) because they have more clarity in terms of where they’d ultimately like to work in athletics.

Do most people intern at UW and/or stay in Seattle for the year?

This varies dramatically each year.  Almost all students from the 2019 cohort are in the Seattle area; in years past, that number has been as low as 50%.

I am definitely interested in working at UW. How do I know what is available in terms of internships for IAL students?

Many of our you will be interested in applying for positions at the University of Washington.  We have a very strong relationship with the athletic department and they look forward to having our IAL students involved with their operations each year.  Please visit the UW Internships Opportunities page.  If you are interested in a coaching position at UW, you will NOT find these listed on the gohuskies.com website.  It is recommended that you reach out to the coaching staff and director of operations directly with your interest and intent to apply for the IAL program. The UW Coaching Staff Directory can be found here.

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