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Interns: Slaving away for our CVs ‘til we’re blue in the face

Melissa Koutoukidis

by Melissa Koutoukidis

04 May 05:45am

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Filed under: Employment, Experience, Internships, Work

27 comments

In this job climate instead of greedily battling for the last cent, many are competing for the first opportunity.

Surprisingly, interns are usually a bit bigger than this guy

Only a short time ago, I was offered my first, official internship position. Conscious of how challenging it can be to secure such roles, I was eager to boast to my family of the accomplishment. The preliminary question and answer session wasn’t of where I would be interning, nor the duties I would be assuming. Rather my elation was met with a unified, “Is it paid?”

Finding a paid internship these days is like unearthing a talented Kardashian. There are plenty of internships, just not a lot of paid ones.

However, due to the proverbial ‘I-can’t-get-a-job-without-experience’ quandary an increasing number of individuals are sacrificing income for a stepping stone into their industry of choice.

Such a high prevalence of unpaid employment arrangements has prompted the Fair Work Ombudsman to launch a meticulous investigation. Two legal experts from the University of Adelaide will inquire into whether companies are taking advantage of a younger generation willing to do almost anything to crack into today’s particularly competitive job market.

Hardly coerced into allegedly ‘exploitative’ positions, fledgling interns fight tooth and nail for that one shot. Simply itching to get their foot in the door, internships facilitate a candid taste of the industry.

And despite what many may believe, these opportunities do possess value. Albeit that remuneration may not derive from digits scrawled crudely on a pay packet, the dividends emerge from the experience.

Within particular job markets, any practical experience that can be foraged ought to be. Especially since the competitive nature of the employment market renders tertiary studies next to futile if not bolstered by bouts of on-the-job learning. 

At least that’s emblematic of the media industry. As a student of media and communications, we are continually informed that internships and work experience will be our point of differentiation.

At the end of the day when we’re tarrying at the metaphorical employment stand with our two-dollar degrees and two-dollar youthful enthusiasm, practical placements are conveyed as the certain je ne sais quoi we will want to be sporting.

And having undertaken my fair share of work experience, the skills you acquire are incomparable to that which students are exposed to in the university environment.

Your reimbursement contains reference letters, a sheet full of contacts, and the refreshing outlook that this career path is or isn’t one which you would like to pursue. For these precious employability commodities, an unpaid internship is a reasonable price to pay.

That’s not to discount the real-life horror stories regarding unpaid work. The tale of the young labourer committing a year to a business in the expectation of full-time employment only to leave empty-handed is the potential pitfall. 

Unfortunately, the issue of self-regulation arises in response to such tales of injustice. At the most basic level, discernment of when one is getting the raw end of the deal is crucial. Unless you’re able to exploit the employer for all the insider knowledge and advice they can lend, you end up slaving away at the price of your time, rather than at the price of experience.

It is when internships are the mutually beneficial arrangements they were intended to be, that the results are invaluable.

Previously on The Punch: It’s hard to get a job. It’s even harder when this government service tries to help.

That being said, if the findings from the Fair Work enquiry reveal that paid internships are a legal entitlement, the outcome could be a double-edged sword.

Whilst interns would revel in combining experience with currency, these already limited positions would be severely monopolised. The sheer scarcity of roles could lead to increased nepotism overriding merit when it comes to dictating who attains such positions. 

In truth, many companies have the means to provide interns with experience but not with an income. And often it is within these types of institutions that the most in depth learning occurs.

My experience at these smaller workplaces has been extremely positive. In fact, the very character of such companies permits interns and volunteers to explore nuances of the industry in much different ways. It gave me the freedom to make mistakes without fear of reprimand or the hindrance of numeric expectations. I dipped my toes into responsibilities which amateurs would only dream of undertaking. I was rewarded with a portfolio that is continually enhancing in both quantity and diversity.

Perhaps certain regulatory guidelines should be in place to avoid naïve hopefuls being taken for a ride, but by no means is an abolition of unpaid internships warranted. If this is the case, only a minority of us will gain the experience we require in order to truly tackle our future professions.

Most commented

27 comments

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    • acotrel says:

      06:42am | 04/05/12

      @SteveKAG
      The system is disingenuous ?

      Reply

    • Al says:

      07:33am | 04/05/12

      The thing is, unpaid work is illegal.
      There are only specific circumstances where a person can do work for an employer and not be paid.
      These are:
      - If the placement is a requirement of their course (tertiary) of study.
      - If it is a work experince placement through a school.
      - If it is done on a genuinely voulantary basis.
      As such, interns in the majority of cases are entitled to be paid for the work they do, to do otherwise the employer is breaking the law.

      Reply

    • Jonathon says:

      07:57am | 04/05/12

      Huh??? Isn’t the term ‘voluntary’ a pretty big hole in your argument, Al???? Surely the fact that internships need to be voluntary under your criteria would mean that your last observation that most of them are illegal is totally, ummm ... bogus?
      I haven’t seen too many forced interns. In fact, the whole point of this article is how hard it is to get them, isn’t it?

    • MarkS says:

      09:13am | 04/05/12

      @Jonathon
      Ever heard of minimum wage? No employer can get around it by saying “But they agreed to be paid less”.

      Voluntary workers exist but there are rules, it does not sound like these unpaid internships are within them.

    • Al says:

      10:45am | 04/05/12

      Jonathon - generaly ‘genuine voulenters’ would include people who are doing charity work with no expectation of being paid and can choose when (and if) they perform any work and what work they do perform.
      If you are required to be there at certain times and can’t choose when you will stop work then it isn’t voulantary.
      Just becuase you ‘voulenter’ doesn’t necasarily make it a ‘genuinely voulantary basis’. Examples would include if there was a suggestion that it may lead to ongoing employment it would not be considered a ‘genuinely voulantary basis’.

    • gobsmack says:

      08:10am | 04/05/12

      I had to read half way through the article before it became apparent what field of employment the author was referring to.
      Of course employers aren’t going to offer paid internships, even if they could well afford it, if there are any number of desperate wannabes willing to do it for free.

      Reply

    • Rocksteady says:

      09:18am | 04/05/12

      Media is a dog of an industry nowadays, don’t really understand how they make money from declining paper sales and increased web traffic. I’m impressed most journalists stick around and the Australian public actually gets a few slithers of decent reporting.

      My advice to Melissa is to give up journalism, do a few days training, get an entry level mining job (can easily earn $100K depending on location).

      Sure it’s not as glamorous as reporting live from Canberra, but despite popular opinion it’s not hard work. Operating simple pieces of heavy machinery all day requires less physical effort than walking down the shops to buy coffee for all the senior journalists.
      Play it right, don’t waste your cash and you’ve set yourself up for life. Traditional media businesses are going down the drain, the writing is on the wall.

    • amy says:

      10:29am | 04/05/12

      @Rocksteady I have doubts it really is that easy to walk into a 100k mining job

    • M says:

      11:34am | 04/05/12

      Good luck walking into a mining job without experience.

      Employment is a catch 22 thing in this country. Need the job to gain experience, can’t get the job without experience. And all the while the employers cry fould about a skills shortage, yet they are too stingy to actually spend the money to train and educate.

    • Fiddler says:

      12:52pm | 04/05/12

      @M, that is crap, I know a lot of people who are under 20 who got a six figure job in the mining industry, all training provided.

      It’s more about knowing people though unfortunately

    • Admiral Ackbar says:

      02:23pm | 04/05/12

      M you can definately get 6 figures in mining easily without experience or qualifications or training. Shit tonne of guys I know have done this, and a whole lot have arranged for their mates to be employed and so on. Some of them I’d guess couldn’t even spell their name, and most hadn’t finished highschool past a year 10 level yet have 100k+ mining jobs.

      I know for a fact that I could approach the guy I live with today and ask him to line up a job for me and I’d start on over 100k, but the lifesyle would shit me. He started on the mines with no experience in anything, but a degree in economics, and now he’s a jumbo operator on around 200k per year.

      amy you’d be surprised at just how incredibly easy it is even for a complete dumbarse to get a 6 figure mining job with no prior experience.

    • M says:

      02:50pm | 04/05/12

      Fiddler, that merely re-inforces my argument.

    • amy says:

      03:57pm | 04/05/12

      @Admiral Ackbar

      drving trucks and stuff right?

      somtimes I curse this xx chromozome

    • Admiral Ackbar says:

      06:07pm | 04/05/12

      Some drive trucks I guess, but need truck licenses to do so. You’d be surprised at the pay rates at even the entry level positions such as a nipper. Probably not 100k but you’d be there in a few years. Nothing stopping women from going for the jobs either, I’ve met quite a few of my mates mining buddies and a few are female. From the sounds of it though, knowing someone already working on a site definately goes a long way. I don’t know of many of them to be honest who got their job of their own accord, they all seemed to have already known someone working on a site. I doubt the higher end, more technical and professional jobs so to speak would be like this though, definately need a shit tonne of experience before you go up there to be an engineer for example is my guess.

    • Daylight robbery says:

      06:49am | 05/05/12

      Rocksteady “My advice to Melissa is to give up journalism, do a few days training, get an entry level mining job (can easily earn $100K depending on location).”

      You are a fool. 

      Even the lower skilled mining sector do 12+ hour days 7 days a week in 50 degrees heat fly in fly out for weeks from families where they cant assist wives at parental care in the event of illness.

      The money is made on an average city wage times the long hours done.  You’d earn the same if you did the hours on shift work in the city which is hard to find.

      Id expect this insolent behaviour from a journalist to create controversy.  The unfortunate thing is the public have woken up to this piffle and its kind of got f#&&!!#@ boring a long time ago.

      People want to be happy; not read or watch how someones dog died every week.

      The sooner newspaper editors get away from info-mmercial agenda based content the sooner they’ll keep the lights on.

      If they want to treat the public like they’re dumb expect them to go next door.

    • S says:

      08:20am | 04/05/12

      Whilst I agree that internships and volunteer roles can provide valuable experience and an opportunity for professional growth, there is also an element of division between those that can afford to participate in unpaid work and those that can’t. However trivial a task, everybody should be entitled to remuneration for the work they complete.

      Reply

    • Tubesteak says:

      08:45am | 04/05/12

      This is nothing new. I did years of “interning” when I was doing my undergrad degrees. That was quite some time ago now and I was no trailblazer in this regard.

      Reply

    • Vince says:

      08:54am | 04/05/12

      This is an interesting article when considered against yesterday’s piece about “Age Discrimination” and the alleged “right” of older people to work, even past retirement age.  I feel strongly that we need to consider people like Melissa before we force employers to hire older people when they don’t want to.  It is a competitive job market out there and employers should have the right to hire and invest in young people if and when they want to, and not be forced otherwise by the PC brigade, under the threat of “discrimination”.

      Good on you, Melissa, for working so hard to make a life for yourself.  At your age and level of experience one of your biggest assets is your attitude.  Keep it positive and, don’t worry, you’ll get there in the end.

      Reply

    • Expat Ozzie says:

      10:13am | 04/05/12

      “Finding a paid internship these days is like unearthing a talented Kardashian”

      One of the best comments I’ve read in the punch yet!! LOL

      Reply

    • j says:

      10:40am | 04/05/12

      and this is why after finishing my media production and comms degree i didn’t bother working in the industry, they don’t bother telling you during the course that it is a waste of time!! the industry is interested in experience not in a piece of paper, and (as i later found out) having a degree makes it even harder to get some of the jobs in the industry!
      i have forgotten about working in media and getting paid bottom dollar (starting wage for a camera man is about 27k ....) i managed to fall into project management and am now taking home over 120k a year .... screw the media let it die a horrible death.

      Reply

    • j says:

      10:40am | 04/05/12

      and this is why after finishing my media production and comms degree i didn’t bother working in the industry, they don’t bother telling you during the course that it is a waste of time!! the industry is interested in experience not in a piece of paper, and (as i later found out) having a degree makes it even harder to get some of the jobs in the industry!
      i have forgotten about working in media and getting paid bottom dollar (starting wage for a camera man is about 27k ....) i managed to fall into project management and am now taking home over 120k a year .... screw the media let it die a horrible death.

      Reply

    • hot tub political machine says:

      02:21pm | 04/05/12

      Similar story to yours J. Took me around 2.5 years into my degree to realise this was not an industry I wanted to be in. We all give journo’s a hard time – and the fact they are scoring so low on trust show why. But I also think the conditions of the industry, - a monopoly – means that wages are driven down, quality is driven down, and understaffing is not punished commercially because the customer ain’t got nowhere to go. Monopoly makes the job impossible – but this is work that matters, the 4th estate (now the failed estate) – so we can’t just let it slide that utter bs is published so often. Between an employer free to exploit you and a public that won’t excuse you – its not a good place to be.

    • Soon golf & surfing says:

      11:14am | 04/05/12

      I am 39 YO professional and was at uni in the early 90’s downturn where things were so bad to the extent our course simply cancelled the work exp requirement and allowed us to graduate anyway.  By fortune and contacts I managed to get one of the few jobs going.  I had may friends at the time who faced the issue of having to work for little or no pay - imagine spending at least 5 years at uni becoming an architect only to find the best you will get is $100 per week.  It happened to a lot of people I know.

      BUT

      I appreciate whilst this may be against workplace laws and the like I know myself how hard some businesses are finding things - I know as fact some guys are holding onto staff and paying their wages out of savings instead of laying them off (which they can afford to do) as they know these staff will have problems finding work. - If you are just trying to get your start that is the unfortunate reality of what is happening… at a young age I think getting some runs on the board is far more important than earning the minimum wage if you can afford to take this approach.  Remember if the people you are dealing with are older than 38 or so they will recall how hard it was for them… we have seen this before so make your own judgement - get some runs on the board for not much pay or keep serving lattes?  Decision in yours.

      Reply

    • Al says:

      12:23pm | 04/05/12

      The other option is to perform the internship unpaid at the time, then lodge a workplace complaint (up to 6 years later, so likely after you have left there anyway) to get the money owed backpaid.
      But again, the decision is yours.

    • Blazes says:

      01:05pm | 04/05/12

      I did an internship in the public service a couple of years ago in my gap year - did absolutely nothing, in spite of the fact that I kept asking for work. The culture is way too laid back - it takes forever to even organise morning tea. It put me off ever considering working in the public service again.

      When people ask how many people work in the public service, my response is always “about half.”

      Reply

    • Grumpy says:

      02:17pm | 04/05/12

      Why wouold anyone want to find a job let alone an unpaid one.

      Reply

    • C says:

      03:47pm | 04/05/12

      I was offered an “internship” by the Commonwealth Public Service . No, they were not expecting to pay me. 
      I made further inquiries. “Would it help me obtain a job in the CPS?” No, but it might help me find a job somewhere else. Oh?
      “What would be my working conditions?” Well you would probably need to do some overtime, possibly quite a lot of overtime and you would not have any staff privileges - not even use of the lunch room. Right.
      “Do you have something specific in mind?” Well yes, we would like to use your expertise on two projects so we would expect that you would stay for at least twelve months.
      Yes, true - that is the CPS. If they can do it is it any wonder private enterprise wants to do it. What it boiled down to was that they did not want to employ “another person with a disability” but they were happy to use my extensive qualifications and expertise in order to get an important project started. 
      I was later told by one of the senior staff that word went out to several other potential employers that I was “uncooperative, unwilling to make the effort to find a job and incapable of taking orders”. Defamatory? Yes. Able to be proven? No. I was told if I repeated it I would be sued for defaming them.
      It can happen anywhere.

      Reply
 
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