How many coffees?
Once upon a time I would have shined the shoes of an editor if it meant I got to hang around a newsroom and inhale the heady-smells of fresh ink as the papers rolled off the presses. I would have made the coffee. I would have danced on cue, had anyone demanded it.
When I landed my cadetship I arrived at work an hour early and always left hours late – unpaid – because it meant I was surrounded by the process and learning, learning, learning. It wasn’t work, as such. Or at least it didn’t feel like it.
Was I exploited? Probably. Did I care? Hardly.
Who are these work experience students demanding to be paid? If your employer is on their game, you are being paid. In knowledge. In experience! It’s hard to crack into the job market with even a degree these days. Employers want some depth. Some on-the-job training.
Of course, some people really are taken for a ride. Australia’s Fair Work Ombudsman will investigate claims young people are being shafted by unscrupulous employers making them work for free – sometimes up to a year - without offering them employment at the end of it. Fair enough, that’s tough. Some examples from News.com.au:
- A university student studying teaching who worked for a year at a school without being paid in the hope it would further a career.
- A bar worker who also worked unpaid for about a year at a city venue.
But I’ve seen the opposite, too. I’ve seen 17-year-olds and 18-year-olds waltz into newsrooms and offices expecting to be treated as publishing mavens with all the experience of people who’ve been doing the job for years, decades. Going to the Post Office is beneath them, you see. Getting lunch for someone is a terrible affront to their well-honed craft, you see.
I would have queued in a Post Office for a thousand years if it meant an editor spent just five minutes telling me about his job. I would have licked 100 stamps with my own tongue.
I had some sense about me. It’s not like I would have interned with a mad scientist (“I just need you to strap this needle device to your chest”) or given up my time for Cat Walkers R Us. But where it counted, I gladly would have gone.
Maybe I’m a sucker, a glutton for punishment. But … it worked.
Let’s ask my own boss and former work experience wrangler Mia Freedman some questions for her take.
I made this tea and got this sandwich myself
Q: Why do employers even have work experience students and interns anyway?
A: There are two reasons usually. One is altruistic – the desire to give experience to those looking to get into the field. And of course there is a more self-interested reason: to get help with some of the tasks your paid staff members don’t have time to do. Ideally, it’s a combination of both reasons.
Q: Isn’t it exploitation? Getting someone to do all the crappy jobs without paying them?
A: Well, if either party has that attitude, it’s not going to work. There has to be an understanding that it’s a mutually beneficial arrangement. The student gets some experience they otherwise couldn’t get. And the employer gets some help.
Q: What’s the biggest misconception about interning?
That it’s just free labour or that they’re being exploited. Also, that they will be doing skilled or senior tasks. Interns and work experience students need to understand that work places are extremely busy. There are rarely enough staff and never enough hours in a day. In the media, the environment is usually high stress and high stakes. Mistakes can be potentially embarrassing for an organisation and even have legal implications.
Having an intern around means that everyone has to notice they’re there and often adapt their behaviour accordingly. There are private or industry specific things that are discussed in the course of a working day that aren’t appropriate for interns to be part of. That’s why you can’t just “sit in on meetings and learn”.
Q: So, what should interns expect?
A: Maintaining a good intern program takes time. The employer needs to do a thorough job description and the intern needs to be aware of the kinds of tasks they’ll be doing. Everyone needs to be comfortable. You don’t want to do it? No problem. There’s probably a queue behind you that stretches around the block.
Interns can’t be given senior or skilled tasks because if things go wrong, there can be huge consequences for the organisation. At the smaller end of the scale, it just takes twice as long to redo the task or undo errors. That’s not to say an intern can’t advance and take on more responsibilities but you have to be patient. Don’t come into a website expecting to write posts and don’t come into a magazine expecting to choose the cover.
I’ve seen both happen so many times and it’s frustrating for everyone. Manage your expectations. Listen and learn. And ask straight away about their social media policy. Find out what is appropriate information for you to share with your own networks and on your own Tumblrs or blogs.
Many organisations would be horrified if they found out an intern or work experience student was sharing information (even if it seems harmless) about their placement online.
Did you do work experience? Have you been an intern? Did you feel exploited or lucky?
Comments
180 Comments so far
I both agree, and disagree. As a design student fresh out of university, I have been looking for many opportunities for internships and work.
In the past, the internships I have done have not been pleasant experiences. I was prepared to do the mundane jobs, and very accepting of it. But when you’ve spent a day or a week sewing pieces of paper together, or separating string from safety pins, and nobody even thanks you for it, it doesn’t exactly make you feel appreciated.
On the other hand, I’ve been fortunate enough to have been part of a smaller business who really appreciated me, enquired about what my skills were, and let me make use of some of them. Being appreciated for your presence makes you ever willing to do the mundane jobs – because those jobs do exist in any industry, and of course it makes sense for the interns to do them before they can climb ladders of trust and skill.
Searching recently for internships or graduate positions isn’t easy. Paid work demands experience I don’t yet have, but many good internships require full-time work, for a minimum of several months, no salary or expenses, and no promise of a position at the end. I understand that I’m untrained in their business, and that at the moment, I am not necessarily worth paying, because I can’t generate any profits. I am very willing to do 1 or 2 days’ unpaid work, sure. But how can anybody asking for applications for full time, long length, unpaid work, and not be discriminating against people who don’t have the money to work for free. I have to eat and pay rent – there’s a minimum wage for a reason. Businesses might actually do well for themselves by realising that just because a person can afford to work full time unpaid, it doesn’t necessarily mean they’re the best at what they do.
I think there’s a lot of scope in the business – intern collaborations, but both sides need to consider their mutual needs.
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I started doing work experience at a law firm as the Receptionist around September. I wouldn’t mind doing but the thing is I get up round 9- 10 am everyday to open the office and a lot of the time leave around 8pm. My boss said she appreciates everything I’ve done to help but she still hasn’t considered having me permanently because she feels I “Haven’t learnt anything” and wants me to stay a month or two longer. The thing is she said because I can’t find any work and I’ve been going to unsuccessful job interviews, that I should stay here just to motivate myself and have something to do, but it’s not flexible at all! Sometimes, she even calls me after I just get back from there saying she needs me to come back at the officw! I never have by the way, but I just think to myself she is something else. What’s worse is that she constantly has people coming and going, which sounds normal. But as she told me during the interview that if I like it here enough I can stay here permanently, and then ask if I want to extend my time here. And she paid the women who trained me, I just think she only wants me here because everyone else has left and I’m the only one here, but doesn’t want to pay me purely because she doesn’t want to. It’s been over two months now and I should have left last week. She seems nice but she just wants me to do her dirty work and not have to spend any money for it. It’s stressing me out because I hardly have time to do anything else. I apply for jobs at work here everyday on the computer but then she’s constantly asks me to do this and that for her. She knows I have no money, xmas is coming and I’ve just become so angry and passive aggressive. I haven’t slept properly in about a month. And when I ask if she called to ask for new replacements she dismisses it. So if she thinks I’m good enough to stay but still does not want to offer me a job- I’m being exploited, aren’t I? Although I did enjoy it in the beginning, although I was a bit iffy about staying so late and being expected to come monday to friday. Right now, I just want to get up and leave. The only reason I’m still here and stuck to it is because I need references.
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I am currently completing work experience in a 5 star hotel. As a student, it has given me great insight into the industry and confirmed that this is what I want to do.
On the other hand, it’s quite clear that the establishment views it’s work experience trainees as a means to lower their labour costs (we are reminded of this weekly), get the same amount of work out of work experience students as their paid employees and has put students in an uncomfortable position where paid worker shifts are being replaced by unpaid students and there has been some resentment. Imagine their dismay at having unpaid students replace Sunday and Public Holiday shifts and at ours at being rostered each Sunday and holiday.
Also, after a recent audit, us work-experience students have become a great scapegoat for all the things that the department failed. What used to be a great working experience, has now become daily negativity aimed toward the students who are not ‘experienced’ enough.
For work experience to be successful for both the student and the employer, the employer must remember that their role is to train and supervise the work experience candidate, they must be realistic about whether they can commit to this and realistic about the level of experience a candidate is going to have. Why would an experienced candidate take on unpaid work? To expect a student with a short period of study behind them to be the same as an employee with over 20 years experience is unrealistic, and to expect the same amount of work for no money, is shameful.
And each candidate must equally be determined to take the experience with both hands and run with it.
There are institutions that do this well, but there are still many who exploit eager students who lack experience.
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I think it is appalling that these practises are being supported. There is a difference between work experience and exploitation. The fashion and photographic industries in particular are guilty of implied promises for a job at the end of interning only for said interning to go on, unpaid, indefinitely.
It speaks volumes that the most vocal proponents of this awful practise are members of the fashion, photographic and publishing community. They abuse the fact that there are hundreds if not thousands of people who want to work in their industries so badly that they’ll do anything they can.
And before people assume that I am just another kid that expects to walk into a senior role, think again. I worked in publishing in a role I was overqualified for and was underpaid ($32k including super) and completely overworked to the point that I suffered post-traumatic stress after leaving the job. When I wanted to enter a new industry I completed a year long program of volunteering and interning, for free while working a retail job to support myself. Retrospectively though, I know that this was not a fair arrangement.
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I see a clear apttern in this. Employers say their workplaces are much too busy to get many tasks done, so they give them to an unpaid intern. Getting coffies for the boss might be noble but it is not work experience – it is exploitation pure and simple. If a business needs somethkng done they need to pay their way like everyone else.
The problem is though, that because of the desparate situation there IS a queue stretching around the block – which puts us in a helpless place.
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I am wondering what the law is about these work experience or intern “students”
When I was in high school (over 15 years ago) I was lucky enough to do work experience over and above what was required by my high school. To do this work experience I had to provide my own insurance (paid for by me or my parents) through an insurance broker. It was great and I did get a job from one of them and had a mentor for many many years. I got out of the industry though and then went to TAFE this new industry was very competitive as well and so I tried to do further work experience to try and get ahead, but the insurance was no longer available and at the time no one was willing to let me come in and ‘work’ because if i wasn’t being paid i was not covered by workers comp and they didn’t want the liability.
Has this changed?? Or are employers taking the risk that their staff wont get injured on the ‘job’??
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I think internships and work experience programs are vital in some industries
I’m in fashion PR which is an extremely competitive sector of the PR industry. We receive around 10 applications a day from students wanting internships, it’s pretty incredible! Our interns are assigned low level but essential tasks – we love having them around, they really help us out (although sometimes we see some less-enthusiastic interns who call in ‘sick’ a LOT, but most are smart and willing). Our internship program runs for 12 weeks and we generally have two interns during each program working on opposite days.
I started out as an intern, I worked long hours completing repetitive menial tasks for nothing, but it paid off, I was offered a job at the end of my 12 week internship and nearly a year later I’m still here.
So PR students, intern intern intern! It’s essential to securing a job in the industry.
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Hmmm I did my work experience at girlfriend magazine.They were bitchy ungrateful cows who left us in the corner doing what they called work experience.I would have been happy to get coffee rather than be stuffed into a corner because the editor was away.Internship programs are different though in my experience, you learn the ropes and they are willing to give you a go.
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I’m surprised and dissapointed Mia, I think if you give your time and complete tasks you should be paid. It’s as simple as that. I think it’s exploitation otherwise.
The idea that you need to pay your dues and if you don’t like it ‘there is a line around the block of others who do’ I find incredibly old school.
Work experience/ intern roles are amazing ways to gain experience and insight but it’s just not fair to not pay a cent. I’m staggered so many people still think this is ok. I for one, don’t.
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I did work experience at four news organisations – pre and post uni – and didn’t find any of them to be particularly exploitative. However, the editor of the small, independent magazine I worked at did expect me to run personal errands for her, including coffee/dry cleaner runs etc. In saying that, I did get to write a bit of copy too.
I would be very surprised if newspapers asked interns/work experience students to run personal errands. At the SMH I did have to do a bit of mundane stuff, like data entry, contact updates etc (which I didn’t mind at all) but was never asked to pick up lunch for one of editors or senior writers. Often coffee runs would be on a rotational basis among the writing staff. I had a similar experience at two other smaller publications I worked for.
My advice for aspiring journos would be target independent or niche publications. Often they have a skeleton crew and need content writers. You also get a better view of the whole editorial process than you would at a bigger newspaper or magazine and the wait times aren’t as lengthy.
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I have done some intern work (in fact, it’s required as part of my law degree) but that work is structured and is purely observational, some industries are just taking it too far.
For example, my friend’s ex-employers recently fired four full-time staff and are now advertising for “AMAZING 4 MONTH (unpaid) FULL TIME INTERNSHIP OPPORTUNITIES!” where the content, editing and formatting of the publication is done by unpaid workers.
How is this conscionable?
Legally an intern is not supposed to be doing any job that a paid employee should be doing. They are only supposed to be observing or doing tasks and learning about an industry. So “BLOG FOR OUR COMPANY FOR FREE” or “SOCIAL MEDIA INTERN! GREAT OPPORTUNITY” (ie. run our facebook and twitter accounts and don’t get paid!) run rampant.
What’s worse is the new trend of running “competitions” for graphic designers (“DESIGN A LOGO AND WE’LL PICK A WINNER AND YOU’LL GET $100!” OR “MAKE A 5-MINUTE SHORT FILM FOR OUR WEBPAGE AND YOU COULD WIN A PRETZEL!”) which should get the response of, well, no, you hire me and I’ll design your logo / shoot your video and then you pay me.
All my friends in the arts/digital workforce are struggling becaue of this new trend to replace real paid work with an exploitative “intern” workforce.
Worse, who can afford to do a 4-month full time internship without any pay? Not your ordinary student that’s for sure.
[Don't believe me? Log on to pedestrian.tv/jobs and check out the types of "jobs" on offer in this industry - see if you can find a paid one]
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Graphic designers are now competing with graphic designers globally. Which means they may be competing with peers just as educated and talented in say, India, who would design for a lower wage/prize.
Similar to outsourcing in the production/manufacturing industry in China.
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I don’t get paid for doing nursing placements. I personally think we should be paid, though, because we are actually allowed to (and do) the majority of the same work the RN’s do. I realy wish the old training system was still in place where you earn and learn in the hospital. Nursing is such a hands on career that it seems a much more practical way to learn.
I’m doing PCA work in a nursing home because it is the only way I can get paid practical work while I’m still studying and it gives my resume an edge.
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Hi Lauren. You don’t get paid because placements are part of your training degree. You are not yet an RN. By all means take a part-time job as a PCA because that is what you are skilled to do at this stage.
Social Work students do much longer placement blocks (3 months full time) each block and many working students take leave without pay in order to complete their blocks. University study assumes you are a student not an employee.
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Where did all the cadetships go?
I happily did internships but just a thought, when tradesmen are at TAFE they get to train as apprentices. They don’t get paid very well but they still get paid.
I don’t understand why there can’t be an agreement between the government and media agencies to pay communications-based interns.
It’s been said that communications will be the industry of the future but I don’t see much being done to help people who want those jobs to succeed.
I just think that even a very small incentive (even if it’s just receiving some petrol/travel money) it would help the already-struggling but still dedicated communications students to bridge their way into jobs.
Just a thought…
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I did a few internships while at uni. I happily got the coffee, did the photocopying and stapled things.
What I found hard was getting the internships in the first place.
Many places I wanted to intern at did not take interns or they only took interns from selected universities or year levels.
I once called 10 media agencies in a day and got told by nine of them that unless I went to a specific Melbourne-based university, there was no way they could give me an internship. I was shocked.
Luckily, the internships I did was enough to secure me a job but I am still perhaps a bit bitter about the clear favouritism.
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Hey Anon,
I know how annoying that is…but it’s not really a favouritism thing, I don’t think…. Most media organisations who say that generally have a partnership/agreement/program in place with certain universities in regards to their internship progams…This is because at some universities you can actually get credit points for interning, which is something I did for instance….Plus it makes it more organised in regards to selection and insurance because the uni will cover that aspect.
That was my experience anyway.
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Oh wow I’m an awful person but I would have been very surprised to be asked to fetch coffee during my internship, and I WAS paid!! I need to get off my high horse…
I would have done it tho, in hindsight.
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As I start another internship today, I couldn’t agree more with you Rick. Not only do they give you a wealth of experience they are the only way of finding out whether what you are studying is right for you. Studying is one thing, but working in the industry could be totally different to what you imagined. This is why I recommend doing as many internships in the first few years of your study (just to get a feel for your industry).
The other reason why I completely believe in them is because in a competitive market they are they only thing that differentiates you from other candidates in the work force. There was an article written on here a few weeks ago entitled, ‘The Real World Doesn’t Care About Your Degree’ and this is true. University degrees are too common today, employers just expect them to be there. Internships are what put you at the top of the resume pile when applying for a job. It isn’t exploitation at all (if done correctly), the wealth of knowledge that you receive is so invaluable.
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This is interesting. I’m studying journalism part-time as a post-grad while working full-time and juggling a mortgage. I also volunteer as digital editor of the uni news website. I’d love to do internships – get coffee, photo copy, whatever – and I’d do it with a smile. But it’s the money thing. I can’t afford to quit my job.
It seems to me that most people who do loads of internships and get great jobs must either live at home, be financially supported by someone or not have responsibilities like a mortgage?
As others have said here, it would be a shame if the majority of journos all came from middle class, affluent backgrounds. We’d miss out on many diverse voices.
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I got into PR through a 6 month full time internship that paid $10 an hour. Granted this was hardly enough to afford rent, food etc but I made it work.
I was university qualified but was only too happy to stuff envelopes for 8 hours, make coffee, or do anything that was asked of me. I strived to do anything I was given in half the time and twice as well as was expected of me.
I made myself indispensable and in three months I was offered a permanent salaried position.
12 years later, I run my own boutique PR agency, for which we have a regular intern program.
Those that make an effort to be amazing are quickly recognized and rewarded. Good talent is hard to find, when you find it, you want to capture it!!
Having said that, we have plenty of very average interns as well. So dont expect something for nothing. I have hired two interns and offered another two paid part time work while at uni. Those I haven’t been able to hire, I’ve connected as best I can with other agencies and job opportunities. An internship is a foot into the industry and a tremendous opportunity to prove your worth. It is not exploitation but offers “education” you simply cannot get at uni.
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I once spent 10 hours shfiting boxes of tomato sauce from one end of Hyde Park to another
I’ve climbed barefoot (shouldn’t have worn heels that day) through the dusty ceiling of the Conservatorium of Music adjusting lighting fixtures (despite not really knowing anything about lighting and a serious fear of heights).
I spent two days washing up after a celebrity chef while they filmed cooking segments in a park. I also had to build a makeshift cleaning station of buckets and hoses because we were IN A PARK.
I slept on the floor of my brothers bedroom for 6 weeks so that I could intern for a music touring company in Melbourne.
At that internship, I spent the majority of my time cutting up newspapers and glueing the cuttings into books. It was not the most mentally stimulating work.
I’ve made coffee, sorted mail, taken lunch orders, picked up dry cleaning, unloaded trucks, lugged boxes and camera equipment, climbed ladders, served drinks and ushered (and babysat) ‘special guests’.
However, I’ve also been backstage with some of my favourite bands. I’ve had lunch with one of the biggest music industry figureheads in the country, and with a former NSW Premier. I’ve been to amazing parties, met celebrities and industry folk and even got a ride home in a motorcade courtesy of the German Consular-General. I couldn’t have done any of this without the hard work above and everything else in between. And it was all unpaid.
I saved as much as I could to be able to go to Sydney and Melbourne for 6 weeks at a stretch. I was always jealous of the ones who lived in the city and could just come in for one day a week. I would have loved to do that.
It was hard work. I didn’t really sleep much because I wanted to always be first one in, last one home and I was always EXHAUSTED at the end of the day. I’d live on 2 minute noodles and pasta and spend my weekends jogging and reading because it was free and I had no money. I loved every minute of it.
I learnt so much in that time, not just about events/ music/ media but also just about how to get along with work colleagues. I learnt that complaining gets you nowhere (although I still wonder, why didn’t the truck just drop the tomato sauce at the right end to begin with?). I also learnt how to deal with mistakes – something a lot of my colleagues now still have trouble with.
My advice to anyone, regardless of what they’re studying for – get out and find work experience or an internship. Even in smaller towns there is usually something at least a little bit related to what you’re training for. It teaches you how to get yourself noticed – which is a huge advantage in the current job market!
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Great comments. I’m starting my first internship next week at an agency so thanks for the inspiration everyone!
I still feel a bit uneasy about the idea of internships/unpaid work. I think it’s great as a way to get experience, but I am concerned that in PR/comms/journalism these industries are exploiting people trying to gain experience while at the same time using interns to fill positions that should really be filled by paid workers. The net result being less paid jobs in the industry altogether.
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I think internships are a wonderful experience and give you the opportunity to further your skills. I definitely relate to feeling in awe when walking into work each day.
However, I feel employers should always give feedback on how the intern has performed. I’ve done three internships, some in which I was published a lot. The ones where I got feedback, I was able to learn and take something away from the experience. I think it’s worth it if you can walk away with some idea of how you’ve done. At intern level, there’s obviously going to be room for improvement, so just positive comments are not that helpful. A 15 minute conversation at the end, and possibily in the middle, would make the experience benefitial for all.
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I did a lot of work experience placements when I was at university – television stations, radio stations, magazines.
I don’t regret any of it but I’m not convinced I learnt that much, most of the time. I was watching people do a job and it was interesting enough. On the other hand, I learn mostly through doing. My uni course had such a high practical element that I probably learnt more from actually doing it at uni.
The time I learnt the most was a TV station in a country town. One day after accompanying a journalist on a story, the news director gave me access to the same footage so that I could write a script and show them how I would do the story. Then they gave me feedback. It was a good lesson because the journalist took a much more creative approach that was actually based on the footage, whereas I had played it very straight and boring. I really appreciate that they took the time to do that.
I did also learn quite a bit at the magazine – Cleo, when Mia was features editor. They had a HS student getting the coffee so I helped out with real tasks like transcribing interviews and basic research. I wasn’t studying print journalism at uni so it was interesting to see the way a magazine worked.
But most of the TV and radio station placements were just watching and I’m just not good at learning through pure observation – I need to get my hands dirty.
If I had interned a few days a week after uni that might have been good and led to more of a natural progression. I also might have learned more in the week-long placements if I had known how to ask good questions. I just tried to be helpful and not bother anyone, instead of trying to make the placement work for me as well.
When I left uni, I worked six months as a receptionist in a different industry and I was then lucky enough to get a paid traineeship in journalism. I had trained in broadcast journalism but decided I wanted to move back to Sydney after three years in Bathurst for uni, so I ended up working in print. I’m glad of it too – I enjoy writing, much more than broadcasting.
It’s ironic that the only place I didn’t intern was a newspaper and yet my career has been focused on newspapers!
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I take interns as a fourth year subject in PR. I love it because its structured. They are taught before hand how to behave in an office (I didn’t think this would be necessary, but apparently it is) and I have to provide real work for them to do and document it in advance. I get them for 200 hours. It rocks. Some of them are surprised at my ‘here’s a brief, I need a media release in an hour’ work lol. But some of them have been fantastic. One I referreed a number of times and then she got a job the day before I was finally in a position to offer her a contract. Two have left after two days because the work was too hard. Nobody has complained about making coffee…seeing as nobody does!
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On of my more ‘interesting’ PR interning tasks was returning 100 boxes of condoms to Town Hall Woolies because the client didn’t go for the media kit idea. I did it with a smile and even told the cashier “last night didn’t go as planned”.
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My one and only work experience job was nursing. I didn’t want to be a nurse but I procrastinated too long over what work experience to choose that nursing was the only one left. On the very first day I had to rub the heels of old, sick people (ok not so bad), then had to empty full bed pans (getting pretty icky now) and then had to wash down beds with antiseptic after people had DIED in them (nearly vomiting). I fully realise nurses have to do these chores as part of their duties but I feel I copped all the crap on the first day.
Needless to say my mother phoned the school the following morning to say I wouldn’t be going back. Am now waiting for people to call me a wuss!
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you are not a wuss. nursing isnt for everyone. at least you didn’t spend a lot of money on a degree to find out.
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Definitely not a wuss, nursing ain’t easy or pretty!! I love it, but I think you definitely have to WANT to do nursing. I think you made the right decision and I hope you can find something you are truly passionate about
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Thanks, I turned out to be a fantastic secretary!! The other end of the spectrum. Ha ha
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I’ve worked at a magazine for a year and a half and I got my job after interning there for a couple of months. At first I had no idea why I was hired over the other more self assured, glamorously dressed interns, but now, having been in charge of assigning tasks to new interns, I’m starting to understand. So many of them arrive late, leave early, spend most of their time on Facebook and drop out after two weeks because they’re getting the more menial tasks. When I started, I expected to do the dull things and was excited when I started getting more responsibility. I was always asking if there was anything else I could do. Now I’m actually doing another internship on my days off from work because I want to get experience in book publishing. It’s a little jarring being the intern again but I love the work. I’m trying to remember all the things I did without realizing so I can impress everyone there. It feels so calculated!
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I recently worked with an Intern at my advertising agency who was brilliant. I work in the Digital department and this intern had an interest in that area of advertising. It worked out well for all of us – he helped me on both billable and non billable tasks and created reference documents for us that are constantly utilised.
His attitude was excellent and he felt that he really understood more about digital advertising when he finished up. In return I wrote him a glowing reference and also sent him links to job sites/industry online publications so that he could secure a job in the industry.
On the other hand, I’ve had interns who clearly had no interest and it seemed like a waste of both our time.
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Interning is essential! For so many reasons. I recently completed a three year media and communication degree after that I chose to complete an honours degree in journalism to make sure I stood out when applying for jobs. I always told everyone they should intern. For two reasons. One is to get experience and learn. Obviously. The second is to make sure you actually LIKE the industry you have chosen at least three years of your life to study for. This is the thing – studying and doing are completely different. At the beginning of uni I was convinced I wanted to be in PR. That was the job for me. Loved it lived it! Was in the top of my class. I soon scored a month long internship was happy to fetch the coffees, photocopies and even on one night the pr directors husband from a closed door cocaine binge (yes- that happened) but all that aside I LEARNT that the PR industry just want for me. Not because of the tasks I had to do but just because I wanted to write more and be creative (not that PR wasn’t it just wasnt where I wanted I be) and the agency offered me a role at the end and I declined politely.
Shortly after I began harassing newsrooms kindly to let me in their doors and soon scored a cadet reporting role at a radio station. The hours were long and sometimes the editor was rude to me but I persisted. I knew these people didn’t hate me they just had their own daily tasks to complete and interns can at times be burdens. So I made myself proactive. Studied their daily tasks and when I saw them falling behind on a task I knew I could tackle I offered to.
My advice. Be nice. Don’t complain. When it’s quiet ask to pick people’s brains. Speak to everyone not just the ‘big guns’. Observe tasks and remember – your first priority may be to get a job but everyone else’s priority is to keep theirs so just be happy to be on the radar and if you don’t want to do what they ask you to then leave – there are a million other people who will do it.
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I am in the travel industry and knew what i wanted to do when i did work experience in the industry in year 10. Whenever i passed the then Jetset Building in South Melbourne i could always see myself working in their.
In my last year of my Diploma i got the opportunity to work their as work experience for 2 days a week, I was so happy to get this experience and do it for nothing, I was that excited, but they paid me a work experience hourly rate. i didn’t care, it barely paid my transport costs. But i didn’t care I finally got to work in the building I always dreamed about. i didn this for about a year, shuffled between different departments see how it all worked. I worked in the mailroom to the board room. 2 weeks before my schooling ended i was offered a job there with no interview. Point of the story it pays to put in the hard yards. As sometimes your dreams to come true.
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Through my journo degree, I interned heaps. I did one-day-a-week for 8 months at OK! as well as two weeks of paid work as Editorial Coordinator there. I also did work experience at Cosmo, Cleo, SHOP, FHM and AAP. I love being a workie. I am happy to do whatever you ask. I will gladly go to the shops and buy you a banana. While interning, I have done so much mailing and made many trips to the Post Office to get new envelopes, packaging or whatever is needed. I’ve assembled more IKEA furniture than I’d like to admit as well as getting millions of coffees and photocopying lots of sheets of paper, I’ve also bought apples to fill a bowl for a photo-shoot. I am the workie who will do whatever you may need as well as more with a smile on my face and a willing attitude and I always got rave reviews and have some pretty lovely letters of recommendation. I don’t think anything is beneath me, I don’t go in feeling all entitled and like I should be writing. I’m happy to just step foot in the office and feel lucky to be there.
I did all the interning and had a few articles published at FHM and lots published online while at AAP as well as worked at my student magazine my entire degree, but none of it has helped me get a job in the media industry. I did what you are meant to do. I was happy to work and not get paid for it because I knew that I had to work hard to be noticed. I spent hundreds of dollars catching trains to Sydney from Bathurst while going to OK! as well as commuting everyday from Newcastle to Sydney while doing week stints at magazines, rising at 4:30am and getting home at 9pm. I did it all. But it hasn’t seemed to help as it is April and I still find myself jobless. I am still interning wherever I can, but it has not helped in finding paid employment. Don’t get me wrong, I have never felt exploited as an intern and I feel incredibly lucky to have interned everywhere that I have, but it’s disheartening to do all of this and not get a job.
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I’ve had a few friends in the same situation as you. It’s a notoriously hard industry to get into and I wonder how anyone without personal connections does it. It seems to be near impossible if you don’t know someone who can help you out.
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Hi Monique
Just wanted to let you know you’re definitely not alone but if it’s still what you want to do I wouldn’t give up yet.
I graduated at the end of 2010 and it took me almost a year to secure a permanent full time job working in the industry as a journalist. It was one of the hardest and most demoralising processes I’ve ever had to go through but it was worth it in the end as I’m now in a job I’m really happy in.
Like you I worked my butt off during uni doing volunteer work but it still doesn’t guarantee you a break in such a incredibly competitive industry…about 70% of my year group at uni never got jobs in journalism. I think the only thing that will really get you there in the end is persistence.
So April is still early days!
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Hi Lisa,
I’m definitely not giving up. I know I’m not alone, some of the smarter girls in my year who did a ridiculous amount of work experience as well as working at a radio station for two years are still struggling. It’s so hard to get into.
I was interning at SHOP recently but they had to let me go because they simply didn’t have the work for another intern and they’ve let me know that they’ll be happy to have me when there is more to do or if there is a particularly big shoot. I also have a meeting with WHITE magazine (bridal magazine) about becoming an editorial intern. I’m quite happy to work for free, as long as I’m doing something communications based, I’m good, but would ultimately like some of this to lead to paid employment.
I hope I don’t have to wait a year but if it’s for the right job, I’m sure it will all be worth it
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Yep it’s a sad reality that journalism schools are pumping out so many more graduates than there are jobs. I don’t think anyone realises how incredibly tough it is until they’re out there looking for work.
Good to hear you have a few things in the pipeline, it sounds like you’ll get a break soon (and in less than a year I’m sure! haha)
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It is a ridiculously hard industry to get into and at times I really wish I wanted to do something else, but I really don’t.
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Monique – journalism sounds so much harder to get into than it did when I started out 19 years ago (I’m no longer in the media). Just remember your skills are transferable if you need to do something else to make money in the meantime.
I really hope things work out for you.
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For the four years I studied, the only time I’d use my leave (paid or unpaid) would be to intern at a magazine or newspaper for as long as I could afford to. Until I had no money left to cover rent. All up, not including hundreds of hours of unpaid freelance work, I’ve accumulated months of interning experience across a number of different publications. It means I haven’t really travelled – aside from stints interstate on work placements – and I have no savings.
While I don’t have a permanent job in the industry yet, I’m still aware of the advantage it’s given me. It all feels worth it. I would do it again if I could afford to cover my own workplace insurance.
I get frustrated hearing other undergraduates think they can do away with it all; who walk into placements and expect a job. Sometimes it does happen, and yes, fellow graduates with much less on-the-job experience have gotten work ahead of me. These are exactly the kind of confident, forward people who might expect and even ASK for a job after two weeks of interning. It’s a double edged sword. I have the experience under my belt but lack the confidence in myself to reap the full rewards.
My advice as a serial intern? Take every opportunity and always ask for more work. If you live at home or can take time off work – do it. This is what you want to do. Why wouldn’t it be worth it? For many industries, once you’ve graduated, that’s it! You need your institution’s insurance to cover your placement, so don’t delay.
Don’t presume anything, but also don’t discount yourself. You’re doing something active for your career and you do have an advantage. It can never hurt to really put yourself out there and show them who you are. It can hurt not to. I know that too well.
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I loved interning and I’m a fan of interns. I actually learnt a number of key, basic admin tasks from interning but more importantly I discovered how an actual organisation RAN.
From an employees perspective, you gain a lot of insight into a person from how they intern and can quickly gather whether you want to hire them in the future – even if the budget is tight!
I’ve had people tell me outright that the work assigned to them “is beneath their qualifications” – love, you just lost any hope of working here! And I’ve had those who just couldn’t be taught no matter how many creative ways, diagrams, analogies, pep talks, or plain right “how-do” instructions you leave… this relationship wont last!
But then you get those that come along, some are shy to begin, others are full steam ahead – but they just fit and before long you are paying them and increasing their responsibilities.
But yes – it’s true. There are some interns that are taken advantage of, and I’ve seen plenty of that and it always makes me really sad. Those interns burn out very quickly and it affects their self esteem too.
There is a balance, and when it’s found – interning is amazing!!
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One concern that was raised while I was living in the UK was that journalism/media was increasingly becoming a profession that only those from wealthy/middle class backgrounds could enter because they were the only ones who could afford to live on unpaid internships or appallingly low wages (as their parents would pay for their living costs.) I would say that is a real concern that many voices from a diverse range of background won’t be able to enter these professions.
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and just to add – whatever happened to cadetships? It’s a good way for someone to learn as an employee of the company and also for them to feel and be invested in?
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I myself happily did unpaid work experience in journalism – but I worked my butt off at university and TAFE equivalent while doing do so. But once I finished I expected to get paid (and did). That’s not having an ‘attitude’. I think a lot of employers are exploiting graduates who may have even been in the work force for years just to get some free labour.
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I paid my way through as many internships I could afford when I was studying journalism, and I have to say this thought crossed my mind, too.
It is definitely a worry.
I did the below-the-poverty-line-uni-student thing. I did every placement I could afford to. Now I’m being told I’m giving up on myself because I can’t handle the thought of another year at an unpaid internship overseas that I couldn’t possibly afford to begin with. This is actually coming from a family member of mine. I get a lot worse from friends with affluent parents who trill out the old lines: ‘if you want it badly enough, you’ll make it happen’.
People don’t understand how difficult it is to get your start when you’re your only financial backer.
I come from a poor background and the last thing I want is to be as stressed about paying the bills as my mother was. Unfortunately I also want to follow my dreams. What will happen to all of our voices? Hopefully we’ll still get an outlet. Fingers crossed.
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so sorry to hear that Anna
just remember your skills are transferable and being “in the media” isn’t the be all and end all – remember you have to live. I would consider looking at alternative careers outside journalism but still using those skills.
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Maybe you could suggest to that family member they could put their money where their mouth is and help you out financially while you do yet another unpaid internship. It would be interesting to see the response.
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Thanks speccygirl!
I am not giving up (or anything like it) yet, but I know I am not the kind of journalist many organisations are looking for. I won’t death knock, won’t pull apart celebrities, etc. If I can forge my own place within the media without compromising on my beliefs than I will be deliriously happy, but I think I would be happy to work a day job and keep my passion alive on the side.
I’m giving it a few years yet, but I am realising, like you said, I need to live and it’s okay if I can’t afford to dedicate myself to it full time. We’ll have to see how it turns out!
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Whether it’s fair or not isn’t the question. Under current legislation, a genuine volunteer or someone who is completing work experience/an internship as a requirement for their education are the only people who don’t need to be paid for work performed. If they’re contributing to the bottom line of your business they need to be paid.
If you do chose to do have unpaid interns you will possibly in future hear knock on your door from the Fair Work Ombudsman who will slug you with all the back wages you owe your “free” intern if a complaint is made.
So it looks like the only work an unpaid intern is able to really do for you is fetching coffee.
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I did high school work experience at Foxtel and a PR firm. Both were fantastic.
I think on the job experience is really important in a lot of professions (like teaching) and it helps get past the can’t-get-a-job-without-experience quandary. A few stints of interning during uni is probably a good idea in whatever industry you want to get into.
However, I have some equity concerns about the interning system, especially in hard to crack industries like publishing. If you are at uni and supporting yourself or don’t live at home, giving up a week or a month or three months of paid work might not be possible or you might find yourself working full time and working a night job to pay the bills. It’s even worse once you are out of uni. Many people can’t get a job straight out of uni and need to intern for a few months if they want to break into their industry. If you can live at home supported by your parents, then it’s fine, but it is a big barrier to entry for kids from the country and poorer families.
In that way cadetships, traineeships and graduate programs are a lot more equitable, where it is possible to implement them.
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I wonder if teacher placement is considered internship??. I am about to rush headlong into a boat load of unpaid placement all while working 30-40 hours in a restaurant should be very very very interesting indeed!!!
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The thing I don’t get here is saying that internships are for the ‘privileged’.
Internships aren’t all 5 day a week things you know. You could intern 2 or 3 days in your uni holidays, and still work part time at the pub or cafe on the weekends or evening.
Or sometimes internships are just for a few weeks even. Which is hardly going to break the bank if you plan for it.
We give our interns travel and meal allowances – but not proper pay. If we had to pay them properly, why would we hire an intern rather than a proper staff member?
We take the idea that they help us with our work and we help them by giving them industry knowledge and experience. Seems like a fair exchange to me. And if it doesn’t to you – don’t do it!
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Hi Karen – in publishing most interns work one day a week for about six months before they get a job and sometimes longer. I have yet to meet any recent editorial coordinators who have done less than six months (often with various publishing houses until a position comes up that they get, competing against about 200 people at least). Our company has a limit on six months, but I have interviewed people from other publishers who have done more. One person worked one day a week for over a year in a fashion department (with the odd break). There are no travel or meal allowances for regular staff, let alone interns.
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I’m interning for local government at the moment and yesterday I stuffed so many envelopes my fingers bled. And I was thankful for every minute of it.
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Oh the mail merges!! Bless them so.
The worse one I did had 5000 letters and only “lick and stick” envelopes! Opted for sponges with all that glue, however the table was very sticky by the end and the paper cuts too many to count.
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I’m doing a masters in psychology. It requries a min of 18 months unpaid placements (unless you are very lucky and land a paid gig). Best learning experience I have ever had- but certainly requires you to stretch the budget.
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It took me 5 years to do a 3-year Journalism degree… I had to do it part-time.
My parents are from a country town and didn’t have the money to support me, so while I was going to uni/studying for 20 hours a week, I was working for 35-40 hours a week (babysitting 2 nights a week, working a restaurant 3 nights a week, working at a shoe store on the weekends). Trying to find the time and energy to do unpaid work experience was a nightmare, but I managed it. It just meant that I was completely, utterly exhausted, didn’t get to see my friends very often, had little sleep, and was always broke.
BUT I did it. I racked up hundreds of hours at radio stations, newspapers and TV stations (maybe 500+ hours?), because that’s what counts when you’re trying to get into the media. People want to see published work. And know you’re willing to start from the bottom and work your way up, without complaining.
I have no doubt that my unpaid work experience got me to where I am now, with an amazing job at a glossy magazine. And I wouldn’t change anything – sure, getting paid would been awesome… But it taught me a lot: time management, delegation, how and what to prioritise, and most importantly… that I can survive on very little sleep and pure adrenaline!
Also, I may have a great job, but I get paid PEANUTS. I got more working retail part-time aged 22 than in publishing full-time at 26. But I know that’s the nature of it. And luckily, I now know how to survive on very little – albeit these days I eat better… I’ve learnt spending $40 on fresh fruit and vegies goes a lot further than $40 on packet Alfredo mixes!!
(Side note – I remember at one radio station, one of the presenters mentioned they felt like a sausage roll. Here was me jumping out of my skin: “I’ll get it! Do you want sauce? What if they have no sausage rolls – do you want a pastie?” He attempted to protest… “Oh no, I can’t make you do that…” but I persisted and then rushed up and down the street to find a bakery open at 4.30am!I later found out they had a ‘thing’ where they always tried to make work experience students get them sausage rolls, and they based their assessment of them on their enthusiasm to do it!)
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But damn those packet Alfredo mixes were good weren’t they!
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Sounds like what you learned most of all was how to be exploited. How did running around to get someone else a sausage roll teach you anything about how to be a good journalist?
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I found your story really inspiring!
While I don’t work in journalism (I’m a teacher) and didn’t really do work experience except for prac teaching, it was great hearing about how hard work got you where you are today.
It reminds me that hard work is more important than anything else when it comes to careers.
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I don’t think anyone is questioning if it can be done or not. It sure can, as you demonstrate. I think a lot of students don’t consider part-time study enough. There is nothing wrong with being a couple years older when you graduate.
But is it fair? No, it’s not and it is getting worse. Internships here and there fitted around casual work and study can be done. The level of commitment it is now getting to for some sectors is now cutting of people who are financially disadvantaged. It’s like the old jobs for mates system, or the old school tie, but now it’s jobs for those of a certain background – as determined by your ability to work unpaid for very long stretches.
I think internships are great, there just needs to be equity and fairness.
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No Rick, you’re not a sucker or a glutton for punishment. You’re an honest, hard worker who understands that nothing comes on a silver platter.
I’ve never done an internship or anything like it but even in paid work you do what your boss tells you to do, even if it’s not in your job description, so you can get ahead.
I’m sick to death of people who think they are above certain duties. I work with people who won’t even wash their own coffee cups because they think someone else should do it. Funny thing is, the person who ends up doing it is a Director of the company and knows exactly who the slack arses are. Needless to say, it’s funny to watch these people wonder why they don’t get ahead in their roles.
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‘I work with people who won’t even wash their own coffee cups because they think someone else should do it.”
But – if you (hypothetical ‘you’) ask the intern/junior to wash your cup, isn’t that the same thing?
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Well it would depend on what the rule is in the work place.
At our workplace the rule is everyone is meant to wash whatever they use. If the rule was for one person to wash everything then asking a junior or intern wouldn’t be a problem.
I used to wash cups for other people occassionally until the Director specifically told me not to. I think if she does it and knows who is not doing it it’s better for her. If you can’t be trusted to wash a coffee cup how can you be trusted with important tasks?
Plus in our workplace, it’s not just washing coffee cups that people think is beneath them. It really shits me and sometimes I wish I was in charge just so I could tell them off lol.
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I work in health and we regularly have interns. The placements are highly structured with learning contracts and evaluations. It’s in my interest and the interest of my profession if i treat the internship as an opportunity for learning and development. The more self motivated you are the more exciting things you get to see. Under no circumstances would I expect an intern to get me a coffee or do the dishes…. it creates an unhealthy hierarchical culture in the profession which i cant stand.
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I think what half of the readers of this article really want to ask is “how the hell do I get an internship at mamamia?”..
Well at least thats what I’m thinking!
I will paint your toenails (yes, I’m talking to you Rick), grab your coffees, babysit your children and beat down one direction fans if I had to.
And I’d smile the whole time
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You won me at I’ll paint your toenails.
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How do you feel about
Mint green? Miss foster said it was all the rage these days! Hah
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Yes, but could you bring One Direction to the office? That would be your test…
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I guess you will just have to wait and find out
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I think there needs to be a realism about the age of the intern and their living situation to truly understand the expense associated with taking on an intern position unpaid. Yes, I would have done anything to break into a career in the media when I first finished my degree – like Rick, I would have worked stupid hours, delivered coffee and shined shoes – but I also no longer had the option of living at home and so, at twenty, was faced with the reality of having to work to, ya know, eat, rent, avoid public transport fines and buy clothes appropriate to a workplace environment. I did spend a year interning and volunteering whilst also working 40 hours a week in a call centre but when you get to the end of that year the reality is you’re often no closer to being paid and you are forced to give up the volunteering and keep working in the (unrelated) field that will hire you.
I think there’s an expectation now that university students and recent graduates will be prepared to intern and volunteer, and it’s an expectation that overwhelmingly favours the privileged who still live at home and/or for whatever reason, don’t need to work – because the reality is, every hour that you are interning is an hour that you’re not taking home a wage. It’s also generating a culture that increasingly expects young journos to generate free content for any number of blogs, social media outlets, etc. The image of interning generated by programs like Gossip Girl and The Hills isn’t too far off the mark (in that it’s an option exclusive to the privileged) a lot of the time. And all the experience in the world won’t pay for your Mi Goreng.
This isn’t just true of the media industry, by the way. The required placement components of teaching, nursing and other such degrees also force students out of paid work due to the hours involved. How does a nursing student living away from home in a rural area eat when they’re pulling volunteer shifts at a hospital an hour away, as a requirement of their course? Because it happens every semester.
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Teaching and nursing pracs are compulsory, so it’s an entirely different situation to people who do non-compulsory experience during a communications degree or something. People who are eligible for support from Centrelink will continue to get payments while they’re doing a prac that’s compulsory for their degree. People who aren’t eligible for Centrelink are usually getting support from their family. You’re also not expected to be at lectures or anything while you’re on prac, so you don’t have to commute to the place you’re working – you stay there. My uni at least, gets students to allocate preferences for placements, so people can normally go somewhere where they have family or friends to stay with. People can also get notes from employers etc to say that they need to be placed in town so that they can continue working, and people with kids etc can also get special consideration.
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Cerry, you must go to a very nice uni with an abundance of placements available. I’m doing my PhD (in journalism) at a tiny satellite campus of a major university, in the middle of nowhere – fortunately because I’m a research student I don’t have to be there very often but I know the realities of our nursing program. There is only one hospital in the district and it can’t fit everyone. Rural students come from all over the place and there is no feasible public transport network. If you’re living on campus then you can’t just stop paying rent to the university residential provider for four weeks while you go complete your placement an hour away and stay somewhere else – and that’s if you’re lucky enough to have friends or family in the area to stay with. If you’re travelling each way then the petrol bill adds up.
Also, and I think you will agree from reading the comments on this page, internships may not be compulsory in communications degrees but they ARE compulsory to the getting of a job in the field. The difference is that as a result of being non-compulsory they go unregulated, and are exceedingly more competitive – which means employers can demand more and the students who can’t afford to provide more, miss out to those who can. I don’t disagree that Mia obviously treats her interns well from the feedback on this page, but this isn’t always the case. The point I am trying to make however is that regardless of how willing a person is to do the hard yards, sometimes financial disadvantage or disadvantage of location is the yardstick by which such things are measured.
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Oh, I agree, communications internships are absolutely crazy, and in that situation, I certainly agree that having a family who can support you is necessary. I’ve never seen people have experiences like that with degree compulsory pracs, but based on what you and Catherine are saying, I’m beginning to think our uni prac offices are probably responsible for our good reputation in teaching and nursing (which is worrying, based on some of the things I’ve heard from people trying to organise their pracs).
The nurses who go somewhere regional (a huge number of them) are usually offered nurses’ quarters to stay in if they need to, and while they’re not always 5 star, they’re both livable and free. They also only have to be on campus a few weeks a year for 2nd and 3rd year, so they don’t have to live here if they don’t want to (but they do have a large online component for their degree, which my friends tell me really sucks), which probably also helps. I’m genuinely amazed that most of this (online learning aside) isn’t normal practice – most of my friends at other unis have talked about pracs as if most of it is fairly common, but I guess I may just talk to the wrong people at the wrong places.
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When I was a Ba Education student at one of the top universities in QLD that was not my experience at all. I had to find one of my own teaching internships because the university had run out of schools volunteering to take students. I should add that there is a practicum coordinator whose job it is to find internships – it’s not usually up to the student. If I hadn’t have found one in time I would have had to have done my practicum at a different time to the rest of the students meaning I would have missed out on lectures etc that would have been vital to my success in other assessments. During my internship I had to work 7 days a week for 10 weeks to support myself financially and every night I was doing preparations for the next day until at least midnight.
At the internship I was worked like a dog with the carrot of employment being dangled in front of me. I am a naturally hard worker but some of the tasks I was given to do were just plain stupid and were NOT part of a teacher’s normal day to day workload. I did get a job at that school but it took me about 5 years working there full time until I finally managed to break out of the ‘girl friday’ trap I’d found myself stuck in and got myself taken more seriously.
It’s important to show you’re willing and a hard worker but I think it’s dangerous to always say yes because there are always bad superiors out there willing to take advantage of your enthusiasm and eagerness to please. They won’t care if you have to spend your weekends working retail to earn money or that you also have uni work to do in whatever spare time you have left.
I’ve always been careful to treat my student teachers with respect and recognise that they do have a life outside of their practicum and that it IS important too. That being said I have had my fair share of total slackers who don’t put in the effort at all which is REALLY frustrating for the supervisor (and students!)
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I can’t believe they made you organise your own prac, Catherine. I’ve never heard of that happening to on campus students here (the off campus students all organise their own pracs, because they take them whenever’s convenient for them, rather than in designated prac periods), but I imagine that NSW has a larger pool of schools to work with than QLD (based purely on size). And as I said to Meghan B above, I’m now starting to wonder if we don’t have some sort of exceptional prac office at uni.
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I finished a fine arts degree majoring in Design – it was a combination of graphic design, industrial design and interior design. I finished uni as computers were coming into the workforce (early 90s) and had no compiter experience. I ended up working in retail part time. I then did work experience at a newspaper for 2 weeks. A part time job came up and they asked me to apply. I started in advertising part time as an artist. After 2 and a half years a position came up in Editorial as a designer. I volunteered in my own time for a month until I learnt the skills to do the new position. Eventually I got a full time job and then within a few years I was promoted to Art Director. I have worked in the industry for 18 years. The hard work and competition is never ending with changes in how we do things in print and online. The reward is that I have a job I love in an environment full of people with a similar passion. When anyone asks me how I got into this industry I tell them – work experience, and for all those who won’t work for no pay there are plenty of people who will.
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I work in radio, and often train interns as many come in of a weekend.
Some last the distance, others can’t hack the pace!
I never abuse the privilege of having an intern- the longer they stay, the better they get and it is almost guarenteed they get a job out of it (once one comes up).
There’s no set time for them to stay, but I wouldn’t expect them to work a full-shift. They start on menial tasks (no coffee or admin, but practising writing and voice recording). Then they learn the ropes of the computer system & get sent out to stories and eventually, report on them.
They get plenty of feedback, advice and training and in return, I get a bit of help and a warm fuzzy feeling from helping out a fellow peer.
How did I get my job at one of the country’s biggest networks?
* began work experience in high school, organising my own (and paying for insurance) when I wasn’t covered at uni
* pulled every shift imaginable on community radio, learnt the ropes, got paid (unheard of!) to produce content for Australia-wide community radio network, eventually leading to a year’s paid internship.
* moved to a country town I’d never been to & knew no-one to get my foot in the door.
* worked, worked, worked (hello 4am starts, goodbye social life).
And I lived out of home, was always broke and still am. But it’s the career picked, not the income. For a while I wondered if I was ever going to break through (I’ve kept a box full of rejection letters) but I stuck to it and it paid off!
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I never did internships when I was at uni simply because I couldn’t afford to do them. Couldn’t afford to take the time off paid work, and my budget was stretched thin as it was.
I’m now a fair bit older and studying for a graduate degree in another field. Internships would be so valuable to do but again, I simply can’t afford to work without pay.
The jobs I’m working while I’m studying are mostly admin-type roles, and I’ve looked for those roles in my chosen industry, but it seems that’s not really an option.
Unpaid work is so valuable but it’s also for the privileged, and that’s what frustrates me the most. It’s easy to be keen to learn, eager to help, when someone else is picking up the tab for you at home.
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I completely agree with this. I was very fortunate I lived with my parents when I interned at a media agency for 5 months. Even though the agency was very generous and paid me $50 a day (taxed and paid monthly), if I didn’t have the support of my parents I wouldn’t have survived.
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I dont think it’s for the privledged – I worked my way through uni and did unpaid work, certainly not privledged. Id go with lucky my hours managed to fit around it and damn hardworking
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Interning/work experience etc is great…as long as employers don’t abuse it. I did a brief work experience stint with a small local law firm for free. I quickly saw I was there to be exploited. I never had the solicitor sit with me once, and my role was basically to rearrange files. They then offered me an extended long term role with no pay, and I refused it as there was no benefit me staying. I was never taken to court, never shown the way things run, never really spoken to. I later heard from a few other law students that they experienced the same thing. Since that time if I have had a work exp person come around with me I always let them tag along to court etc….its a waste otherwise!
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I landed my current job after two weeks of work experience. The best advice I can give is make yourself noticed. I was sitting in a fortunate area of the office as there was a number of people around. When a conversation came up that I could relate to, I piped up and threw in my two cents.
It also helps if you can come up with a few of your own stories. I was terrified at this idea, but if you take a breath, it actually isn’t that hard.
I take umbrage with the Government changing the Fair Work Act however. A year or so ago, you could do as much work experience as you wanted – now you can only do it if it counts for a credit point at university. I understand that the law was changed to prevent exploitation, but it’s actually having a negative effect on journalism students because it makes it so much harder to get a foot in the door.
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