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Unpaid Internships: Show Me the Money
Tuesday 21st August 2012 | Osh
As someone who graduated University back in 2010, you might think I’d be safely settled in a job by now. I’m sorry to say you’d be very wrong. With more people than ever looking for work, and fewer jobs available, the entire game has changed, and unpaid internships have become an integral part of job-hunting.
The question is whether or not you want to play along. In many industries, unpaid internships have become as competitive as jobs themselves, with dozens of applicants desperate for a two-week placement, or the chance to shadow someone they admire. This competition and hard work isn’t a bad thing in itself. In fact, it can be a great way to sample an industry before committing to anything, and to boost your CV, contacts and experience in just a few weeks. However, they’re still a really controversial practise for a number of key reasons.
Firstly, how long could you afford to work without earning a wage for it? Some people have savings, supportive family, or can hold down two jobs at once. Any of these would perhaps make a few weeks or even months without pay a more manageable option. Secondly, where you live has a huge impact on your options. London is where the vast majority of jobs and internships are based at the moment, and for those who live elsewhere, the costs of rent and travel make undertaking any unpaid work impossible. Inevitably, these two factors have led to the entire practise of hiring unpaid interns being condemned by many as being elitist and favouring a well-off, London-living minority who already have so much going for them.
Is this an entirely fair judgement, though? In such a depressing job market, it can only be a good thing when someone is given the chance to prove themselves and gain hands-on experience in a career they want to pursue. Companies, who may well be struggling financially themselves, can’t be held responsible for everyone, and the few applicants who they can help out should be allowed to benefit from this opportunity. Most see it as a mutually beneficial agreement. The company gets help with their workload, and rarely have to pay out more than the cost of lunch or a bus fare in return. It can’t be ideal to have to train up a new and clueless student every few weeks.
Perhaps they deserve credit for helping young people improve their situation, in whatever small way. In fact, very few companies can even compete without some unpaid help these days. If their competitors are taking on interns while they’re paying out full salaries, they soon stop being competitors at all. Like I say, the game has changed – for everyone.
If this article seems to be sitting on the fence, it’s because I’m sitting right up there with it. Working three jobs, only one of which pays me, (minimum wage) and the other two which take pride of place on my C.V. in my daily job applications, I’m probably too exhausted to even know what I think any more! Suffice to say, there has been nothing more damaging to my self-esteem than the 200+ companies I admire informing me over the years that they don’t even want my work for free. But there has been nothing more encouraging than the praise and reassurance I get from those who’ve given me a chance.
Yes, there is a looming deadline on how long I can keep this up, as it drains my energy, confidence and mainly my bank account. But in my view, blame for the jobs market and elitism lies higher up than any boss I’ve ever had, as does the power to create a fairer system.
This isn’t a fad, it’s a huge cultural industry shift and it’s not going anywhere until laws are created to define when someone’s being taken advantage of, and make it fairer for everyone. In the mean time, I’m grabbing every opportunity that comes my way with both hands and working to earn a job I’m passionate about.
Áine Ryan
@AineSays (where I’ve got #InternFail trending all by myself)
