Intern (Paid) - Summer 2025

The Metropolitan Opera Internship Program offers paid internship opportunities to undergraduate and graduate students, recent graduates, and early-career professionals. The Met Opera is committed to providing applicants from diverse backgrounds an opportunity to learn about the work behind the scenes to produce grand opera.  The Met Opera strongly encourages applications from candidates from diverse backgrounds and a broad range of educational experience who want to learn about working in the arts at one of the largest and most active performing organizations in the world.

Internship Dates: May 19, 2025 – August 1, 2025

Application Deadline:  Monday February 23rd, 2025 6 PM EST_

• Assist with scheduling appointments, answering phones, creating documents, responding to mail or emails
• Preparing memoranda, taking notes, typing, copying, and assembling documents
• Creating presentations
• Analyzing data, reviewing webpages, social media
• Reviewing financial information, creating charts based on data
• Organizing, tracking and maintaining departmental filing and library systems
• Providing assistance with projects related to the department to which the Intern is assigned.

• Production and season planning – primarily working within the visa department (1)
• Marketing and communications (1)
• Finance (2)
• Human Resources & DEI (2)
• Information & Technology (IT) (2)
• Legal (2)
• Archives (5) 

• Rising sophomore, junior or senior at a college or university
• Entering or currently enrolled in in a Master levels program
• Completed graduate program and finished one year of work
• Liberal Arts program, or studies in performing arts or technical theater studies

• Ability to work in open office environment 
• Occasionally required to lift up to 15 pounds. 

• Interviews are required for finalists only. If you are selected as a finalist, we will contact you directly to set up an interview by phone or video conference. You will not travel to The Met Opera house for an interview (even if you are a local student). Due to the high volume of requests, staff are not able to conduct informational interviews. \Do not contact individual staff members about internships in their departments.

• Undergraduate and graduate internships at the Met Opera are open to international applicants. Interns are responsible for ensuring that they have valid legal status under applicable U.S. visa regulations while participating in the Met Opera's paid internship program. All interns must have valid U.S. work authorization. The Met Opera does not sponsor visas for interns. If you require a visa, you may be eligible to participate in the Exchange Visitor Program (J-1 visa program), by going through an outside agency that has been authorized by the State Department to sponsor a J-1 trainee visa. These sponsors are responsible for supporting and monitoring foreign nationals during their exchange programs in the United States. Note: The J-1 visa program currently requires that interns work 32 hours per week; for this reason, individuals requiring a J-1 visa should only apply to the full-time Internship Program.
• We recommend that you consult with the U.S. embassy in your home country to determine which visa will allow you to participate in this internship. Please be aware that obtaining a visa is usually a lengthy process and can cost upwards of US$1,500; it must be completed well in advance of the internship start date. If you are offered an internship but do not have work authorization before the start date of the program, your internship will be canceled.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:

Are undergraduate and graduate internships at The Met Opera paid?

Yes, all internships are paid. The Met does not offer any unpaid internships. The pay will be $16.50 per hour.

If I am accepted for an internship will the Met Opera provide housing?

No. If you are accepted into the internship or fellowship program, it is your responsibility to arrange your own housing. We will provide a list of places to start looking.

Do you offer application and workplace accommodations for students with disabilities?

Yes. We are committed to ensuring that everyone can apply to the program and can participate fully if accepted. Please email questions about accommodations to hrtraining@metopera.org, and list INTERNSHIP in the subject line of your email.

Which departments currently have internship openings?

Internship opportunities vary based on available projects and supervisors. Interns are matched with only administrative departments based on their interests and skills. Please be sure to describe the specific interests and skills that might make you a good candidate for the kind of project or department to which you apply.

If I am not accepted for an internship position, may I reapply the following year?

Yes, if you are still eligible the following year. You will need to resubmit a complete application, including letters of recommendation or references.

What happens after I submit my application for Met Opera Internship Program?

The Internship Program staff will read through all the applications to determine whether your interests and skills match an available intern project. If we think you are a good candidate for one of the projects, we send your application to the supervisor of the project for consideration. All applicants will be notified about the result of their applications by the date indicated on the internship program page.

I have already graduated from a degree-granting institution. Am I eligible to apply for an internship?

If you graduated within twelve months of the application deadline, you are eligible for an internship or fellowship. Contact us at hrtraining@metopera.org   to inquire about opportunities and eligibility.

Do I need to be a major in an arts or theater focused program to be eligible for the Met Opera's internship program?

No! We welcome applications from students with varied interests and backgrounds. We have many departments with academic relevance to business, computing, finance, humanities, liberal arts, writing/editing, and many more.

Does the Met Opera sponsor visas?

No. The Met cannot sponsor visas for interns. Interns are responsible for ensuring that they have valid legal status under applicable U.S. visa regulations while participating in the Met Opera's program. If you require a visa, you may be eligible to participate in the Exchange Visitor Program (J-1 visa program) by going through an outside agency that has been authorized by the State Department to sponsor a J-1 trainee visa. These sponsors are responsible for supporting and monitoring foreign nationals during their exchange programs in the United States. We recommend that you consult with the U.S. embassy in your home country to determine which visa will allow you to participate in this internship. Please be aware that obtaining a visa is usually a lengthy process and can cost upwards of US$1,500; it must be completed well in advance of the internship start date. If you are accepted to the program and not granted a visa by the start date of your internship, your internship will be canceled.

Do I need to submit letters of recommendation with my initial application?

Yes. Two Recommendation letters are required for Internships.

How do you review applications for undergraduate and graduate internships?

First, we gather substantial educational projects from supervisors across Met Opera departments. We categorize the projects based on their learning outcomes, goals, and department areas. We read the applications and match applicants with projects in their areas of interest. If there is no project available in the department or area you select on your application, we consider your application for all related projects. We select students who above all are enthusiastic and eager to learn.

I missed the application deadline. May I submit a late application?

No. We do not accept late applications; there are no exceptions.

May I contact an individual Met Opera staff member about being an intern with her/him/them?

No. Please do not contact staff about internships. All undergraduate and graduate students interested in being an intern at The Met Opera house must apply. All internship inquiries should be directed to Internship Program. Individual Met Opera staff members will direct you to our office if you contact them directly.

How much does the internship pay?

The internship pays $16.50 an hour—plus funds for travel assistance in New York City – you will be expected to work 35 hours/week.

Notification and Interviews:

Will I be notified when my application is received?

Yes. You will receive a confirmation email once your online application has been successfully submitted. If you do NOT receive this confirmation, please contact us at hrtraining@metopera.org.

Will I have to interview?

Finalists will be contacted by the Internship Program for interviews with departments. All interviews will be conducted on the phone or Zoom conference. You will not be asked to travel to The Met Opera for an interview.

May I submit a work recommendation instead of an academic recommendation for my application for the Internship Program?

Yes. You can include a recommendation from a person who supervised your work in another internship or other work experience.

Do you require official university transcripts?

No.  You do not need to provide grades or transcripts.

The Metropolitan Opera believes that diversity is critical to our success and growth as a leading performing arts institution and we seek to recruit, develop and retain the most talented people from a diverse candidate pool. Our goal is to be a diverse workforce that is representative, at all job levels, of the communities we serve.

The Metropolitan Opera is an equal opportunity employer. We are committed to providing an environment of mutual respect where equal employment opportunities are available to all applicants and existing employees without regard to race, color, religion, sex, pregnancy (including childbirth, lactation and related medical conditions), national origin, citizenship status, age, physical and mental disability, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, genetic information (including characteristics and testing), military and veteran status, or any protected category prohibited by local, state or federal laws.