Recognizing that English majors need some preparation for a wider choice of employment opportunities, the Michigan State University English Department initiated an internship program in 1979 to offer students work experience, vocational advice, and practical tips for securing permanent employment. Although the choices for English intern positions seemed almost limitless, the project director did find resistance to the program from business leaders, who had to be convinced that they could benefit from participation in the program. The best strategies for placing English interns in big businesses depended on contacts at the higher levels of corporations. In approaching prospective cooperating employers, the internship program director had to be prepared to guarantee quality work as much as possible. One pitfall in the program was the danger of exploitation of the interns by organizations that merely wanted an inexhaustible source of "gofers" and expendable freelance writers. To avoid these problems the director had to insist on employers' commitments to projects of substance that were English-related and to reasonable amounts of supervision. Another solution was to draw up contracts or work agreements at the first interview between the student and the cooperating employer. As a result of the program students gained realistic perspectives of the business world and knowledge about how to market their skills. (RL)