Christie’s – New York, NY
Overview:
Christie’s is currently accepting applications for unpaid Summer 2014 internships in auction and business support departments that expose students to the operations of an auction house and the art industry through hands-on experience during their summer break. Internships are available in Specialist departments and select Business Support departments, including:
Auction*
- Auction Operations (Art Transport, Client Service, Operations)
- Business Development (Client Development, Estates, Appraisals & Valuations, Museum Services, Proposals, and Special Events)
- Central Functions (Finance, IT, HR, and Legal)
- Marketing (Creative Services, Digital Media, Marketing, Photo Studio, Public Relations)
*Depending on where the auction department is in its sale cycle, an intern’s tasks may include the following: administrative, research, cataloguing, assisting with sales, writing provenance documents, and other assigned projects.
** Note: The Interiors department divides time between Rockefeller Center 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 these programs is six (6) weeks. All internships require a commitment of 40 hours per week. There are 2 summer sessions to choose from. Please select the session you prefer from the dropdown menu on the application. Your preference is taken into account but is not guaranteed. Note that due to the high level of interest, we cannot offer placement in both sessions.
The 2014 program dates are:
Summer A Session Dates: May 21, 2014 – July 3, 2013
Summer B Session Dates: July 7, 2014 – August 15, 2014
The deadline to apply for all Summer 2014 internships is Monday, February 3, 2014.
Department Selection:
Internship candidates are required to choose, at a minimum, two auction departments and two business support departments of interest through our online application. Placements will be made according to these preferences and successful applicants will be notified of department placement their first day. These requests are taken into account but are not guaranteed.
In addition to working in assigned departments, interns also attend weekly lunch lectures given by Specialists, field trips to museums and galleries, 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. Accepted international students will only be able to apply for their visa after receiving their acceptance letter.
Requirements:
- All interns must be degree-seeking students* enrolled as a full-time student at the time of their internship.
- The internship must be relevant to the student’s current course of study.
- Interns must provide a letter from the school confirming that the student is 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.
*In order to gain the most out of the Christie’s Internship Programme and due to the limited number of spots, we strongly encourage internships for upperclassman (rising juniors, seniors, and graduate students).
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
Decisions:
- All applicants will be notified by mid-March as to the status of their application.
Christie’s