Jobs and Internships
Since 1973, Texas Monthly has chronicled life in contemporary Texas, reporting on vital issues such as politics, criminal justice, the environment, industry, and education. Often referred to as “the National Magazine of Texas,” Texas Monthly is known for smart, literary journalism and in-depth investigative reporting that illuminates issues of public policy and drives the discussion of what’s important in the Lone Star State. Additionally, Texas Monthly continues to be the indispensable authority on the Texas scene, covering music, the arts, travel, restaurants, museums, and cultural events with its insightful recommendations.
Current Openings:
Internships
Texas Monthly Journalism Internships
Texas Monthly’s journalism internships are paid and are available each fall, spring, and summer semester to current undergraduate or graduate students or to those who have just graduated. The journalism internships, spread across the following three departments, all involve a mix of education, mentorship, and real-world training in magazine journalism in its myriad forms:
Note: All internships require in-office presence, meaning fall and spring internship sessions are exclusive to Austin-area students.
Editorial
What we do: The editorial department tells stories through words and photographs, illustrations, and infographics. Our specialties are long-form narrative journalism on topics that have ranged from the incarceration of innocent men to the breaking of a wild mustang; good, old-fashioned service journalism (see our list of the state’s 50 greatest barbecue joints or the 175 places in Texas you should undeniably visit before you die); and stunning photography. But no matter the subject matter or approach, our mission remains simple: to inform and entertain our readers on the past, present, and future of the state in which they live.
What you would do: As an editorial intern, you’ll pitch story ideas, transcribe interviews, fact-check smaller assignments for the magazine, aid in the digitization of forty years’ worth of archived content, assist with writing/research projects for TM’s social media channels, and research a wide range of topics, from food and true crime to politics and culture. An intern with special interests and/or a tenacious attitude will likely be able to take on projects specially tailored to their interests or strengths.
Interns also participate in monthly learning sessions that delve into writing, editing, fact-checking, and other aspects of the magazine process with Texas Monthly staffers. The managing editor, assistant editor for operations, and a senior editor all help manage the interns, but each intern also gets paired with an editorial staffer whose expertise aligns with the intern’s interests and who will serve as their mentor through the internship.
Hours: 15 hours a week in the fall and spring semesters; 35 hours a week in the summer
Requirements: Writing opportunities aren’t guaranteed, but they do crop up from time to time, so facility with language and various modes of communication—for print, online, and social media outlets—is a must. A voracious appetite for storytelling and Texas news is also highly encouraged.
TM Recording Studio
What we do: The recording studio at Texas Monthly is a full-service, professional space from which we produce a variety of projects, from podcasts to video series, from audio assets for online user experience to music production.
What you would do: Assist our recording studio director with all aspects of sound and video production. Some responsibilities will include: Help record, edit, assemble and mix audio for podcasts and video projects. Assist with microphone placement, signal routing, gain staging and recording in Pro Tools. Work with producers and talent to edit and assemble audio assets. Help to mix audio and generate masters for podcasts and audio for video. Help create music and sound design as needed for podcasts and video projects. Occasionally work remotely to capture audio assets—both on your own or as part of a video production. Assist our video production team as needed, help set up, and prepare sets for video. Help manage studio booking, organizing, and scheduling. The internship will allow for opportunities to contribute ideas and learn about all facets of our recording operations. Additional projects can be developed around the intern’s strengths.
Hours: 15 to 20 hours a week
Requirements: This position requires the candidate be proficient with Pro Tools, microphones, patch bays/signal routing, plugins, virtual instruments, outboard gear, MIDI, timecode, boom operation.
Art
What we do: Our award-winning art department has been creating stunning, high-concept designs to tell stories about Texas and Texans since 1973.
What you would do: As an Art intern, you would be assisting the art assistant, designers, and photo editor with photo research, photo shoots, and administrative tasks such as organizing tear sheets and archive management for both Texas Monthly and texasmonthly.com.
Hours: 10 to 15 hours a week
Requirements: Strong design and organizational skills, flexibility, dependability, and self-motivation are required for assisting art personnel. Proficiency with Macintosh, InDesign, Photoshop, and WordPress are necessary. Knowledge of Illustrator, Premiere, After Effects, and HTML are encouraged but not mandatory.
How to Apply
If you are interested in one of Texas Monthly’s journalism internships, please submit a résumé and a cover letter specifying the department(s) in which you would like to work to [email protected]. Put “Journalism Internship” in the subject line of the email. For the editorial internship, please include in your cover letter any topic areas you might have particular interest or experience in, such as social media, news, politics, food, investigative journalism, and so on.
Applications for the 2024 spring internships are due November 1, 2023.
Applications for the 2024 summer internships are due April 1, 2024.
Applications for the 2024 fall internships are due July 15, 2024.