Overview:
Christie’s is currently accepting applications for unpaid Spring internships that expose students to the operations of an auction house and the art industry through hands-on experience during their spring semester. Depending on where the auction department is in their sale cycle, an intern’s tasks may include the following: administrative, research, cataloguing, assisting with sales, writing provenance documents, and other assigned projects. Internships* are available at Haunch of Venison, a Christie’s-owned contemporary art gallery, and in Specialist departments and select Business Support departments, including:
- Auction
- Business Development (Client Development and Estates and Appraisals)
- Business Support (Art Transport, Client Accounting and Credit Control, Creative Services, Marketing, Operations, Photo Studio, Public Relations, and Special Events)
- Central Functions (Finance, IT, HR, and Legal)
- Note: Certain internships, such as in the Interiors department, divide time between the Rockefeller Center office and Redstone, Christie’s pre-and post-sale handling facility, located in Long Island City.
Successful Christie’s applicants are not necessarily art history majors but have a passion for art and a strong desire to learn about the auction business. For certain departments, proficiency in another language, such as: German, Japanese, Korean, Mandarin, Russian, and Spanish, is highly desired.
Structure:
General internship length for this program is 16 weeks. All internships require a commitment of approximately 20 hours per week during the spring semester.
Spring Internship Dates:
January 23, 2012-May 11, 2012*
Spring Internship Deadline:
December 2, 2011**
- Note: These are the minimum dates required. Interns may make special arrangements with their department for any schedule adjustments or extensions. Certain departments that have May sales, such as Post-War and Contemporary and Impressionist and Modern, may ask their interns to stay on 1-2 weeks longer to assist with post-sale.
**Note: Applications may be accepted past the deadline if positions remain unfilled. However, it is strongly advised to complete and send in your application well in advance of December 2nd to avoid last-minute computer crashes, which may occur due to the high volume of submissions.
Successful applicants are placed in positions according to their background and areas of interest. Internship candidates may request specific departments through our online application. These requests are taken into account but are not guaranteed.
In addition to working in assigned departments, interns also attend orientation, auctions, organized intern events, and a presentation given by Human Resources on networking, interviewing techniques, and resume-writing tips. Interns graduating within the next 12 months will receive an exit interview with Human Resources.
International Candidates:
International students may apply for a U.S. internship as long as they are degree-seeking, have a letter of acknowledgement from their school, and have the necessary Visa status. Christie’s does not sponsor Visas for student interns. Eligibility will be determined on a case by case basis.
Requirements:
- All interns must be degree-seeking candidates currently enrolled in school.
- The internship must be relevant to the student’s current course of study.
- Interns must provide a letter from the school confirming that they are receiving school credit for this program
OR
- Provide a letter of acknowledgement from the school recognizing the internship if credit is not offered.
- Interns must sign an agreement to complete the full duration of the internship.*
- All intern applicants must apply online through Christies.com at
http://www.christies.com/about/careers/americas/
and complete the application titled “Spring 2012 Internships.” Applicants should specify department preference(s) in their cover letter.
- Please be mindful of your school schedule and course load before applying for an internship. If you will not be able to balance the internship with your academic commitments, you may want to consider our Summer program or our Winternship 2012-2013 program, which takes place over students’ winter break. We are also currently accepting applications for our Winternship 2011-2012 program.
Qualification Requirements:
- Willingness to help out when needed
- Ability to learn Christie’s systems including Siebel, Property System, Intranet and website
- Strong typing skills
- Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, including superior written and spoken communication
- Superior client service skills
- Ability to remain calm in stressful situations
- Demonstrated ability to multi-task and prioritize
- Strong follow-up skills with attention to detail
- Good research and writing skills
- Experience with Research Libraries
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