Located in the picturesque Lake District town of Grasmere, the Wordsworth Trust offers fourteen-week unpaid internships to four BYU undergraduates per year. The trust’s properties include Dove Cottage, the legendary home where William and Dorothy Wordsworth wrote many of their most famous works; the Jerwood Centre, a research library with an unrivaled collection of manuscripts, rare books, and landscape art related to the Wordsworths and the Lake District; and a museum and gift shop recently remodeled in the build-up to 250th anniversary celebrations of William Wordsworth’s birth. Rotating among various assignments, interns work with rare books and manuscripts, manage research projects, lead tours of Dove Cottage, and help staff visitors services facilities. In their free time, students socialize with fellow interns (most of whom are from the UK), explore the Lake District and beyond, and complete BYU coursework. These varied experiences allow Wordsworth Trust interns to acquire expertise in Romantic-era literature, history, and culture; transferable skills working in museum, archival, and touristic settings; and 12 BYU credit hours (including 6 credit hours for the English major).
Wordsworth Trust Internship
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QUALIFICATIONS
Wordsworth Trust internships are reserved for advanced BYU English majors and HBLL student employees preparing for careers as scholars, librarians, or museum specialists. If no qualified English or HBLL students apply for a given slot, students from other majors might be considered. English majors should complete ENGL 291 and 292 in advance of the internship, and all prospective interns are encouraged to take ENGL 374. Successful applicants will demonstrate strong communication and interpersonal skills, stable physical and mental health, the experience and maturity to thrive as likely the only Latter-day Saint and American on staff, and the work ethic to preserve BYU’s close relationship with the trust.
DATES
Internships are fourteen weeks long and correspond roughly with BYU’s academic calendar.
Fall internships generally run late August through early December.
Winter internships run mid-January through late April.
Spring-summer internships run early May through mid-August.
HOUSING
As part of the program cost, BYU interns are provided a private, furnished bedroom in an on-site house at the trust. Internet and utilities are included, and interns share a bathroom, kitchen, and commons area with interns from the UK.
COURSE CREDIT AND PRE-DEPARTURE TRAINING
All interns receive 12 credit hours (during spring-summer these credit hours post as 6 credit hours per term). English majors generally earn 6 credit hours of ENGL 399R (3 of which fulfill the major’s English+ requirement), 3 of ENGL 384 (which fulfills the Major Authors requirement), and 3 of HCOLL 399R (required to receive Humanities funding).
Other course combinations are possible according to individual needs.
Accepted students should plan to take HCOLL 396R Internship Preparation during the second block of the fall or winter semester prior to their internship.
COST
The program cost (payable to BYU) is $3,235. This covers BYU undergraduate tuition ($2,895 per semester in 2019–20), housing at the Wordsworth Trust, international health insurance, and a UK visa.
It does not include airfare, other travel expenses, meals, and personal expenses, which bring the total cost to approximately $6,000–7,000 (before scholarships, stipends, and other financial aid are applied).
FUNDING SOURCES
Although this is an unpaid internship, resourceful students often find ways to make it highly affordable. BYU and private scholarships and federal financial aid (such as Pell Grants and Stafford loans) may be applied toward the program’s cost.
English majors and others from the College of Humanities qualify for experiential education stipends of $1,500–2,500 (depending on financial need).
Interns from the library receive a $2,000 HBLL scholarship and may apply for additional funding through their department or college.
Other potential funding sources include BYU ORCA grants, Wordsworth Fund awards from the English Department, Global Opportunity Scholarships from the Kennedy Center, and Honors thesis grants.
APPLICATION PROCESS
Spots are filled up to a year advance as qualified and committed applicants come forward. Since there are no set deadlines, interested students should contact Professor Nick Mason (nick_mason@byu.edu) well in advance of when they might consider going. Those who are a good fit for this program will then be asked to submit an application consisting of:
- A professional CV (or résumé)
- Contact info for two professors (preferably in literature or related fields) and at least one former employer
- A letter of application addressed to the Wordsworth Trust
After receiving applications, the Wordsworth Trust arranges Skype interviews with promising applicants. Students should only complete an official ISP application (includes a nonrefundable $35 processing fee) after receiving an offer from the Wordsworth Trust.
FACULTY
This program is coordinated by BYU’s two specialists in British Romanticism, Professors Nick Mason and Paul Westover. While interested students may receive information from either professor, all applicants will eventually work most closely with Mason, who is overseeing the program for 2020.
HBLL student employees interested in pursuing the library’s slot for 2020 should contact Maggie Kopp (maggie_kopp@byu.edu) or John Murphy (john_m_murphy@byu.edu) in Special Collections.
While the coordinators and ISP will provide logistical and academic supervision, no BYU faculty member will be on site at the trust. Interns’ primary supervisor in the UK will therefore be Melissa Mitchell, associate curator at the trust.
PROGRAM ADJUSTMENTS
ISP reserves the right to cancel this program, revise its offerings, or make any adjustments to the preliminary cost estimates due to conditions beyond its control.