The super-luxe fashion label Balanciaga – a favourite of Victoria Beckham and Kate Moss – has advertised for a “intern sales assistant” to work on the shop floor of their London store for up to four weeks, paid travel expenses only. This is despite the fact that this season’s “soie double face sleeveless dress” currently retails at £3,950 and their “papier A4 serpent peint” handbag is on sale for £2,050.

Apparently, the lucky candidate will “have the opportunity to gain experience” in tasks including “customer service” and “how to replenish stock”. Previous experience is not essential, but scruffy-looking interns need not apply, as “Personal appearance has to be in line with the company standards.”

The advert – posted on the University of the Arts London website (what were they thinking?) – reads:

INTERN SALES ASSISTANT – LONDON
BALENCIAGA

Deadline May 29, 2012
Industry Fashion
Placement type Unpaid work placement
Placement length Up to 4 weeks
Expenses Employer has agreed to pay Travel Expenses during this placement
Role Type Retail
Supervisor Michaela Nostinska (Store manager)

During this placement you can expect to gain the experience and/or skills outlined below

Reporting to : Store Manager or Assistant Store Manager

Role objective : learn the basic skills in selling

You will have the opportunity to gain experience in:

- To develop a good product knowledge and provide customer service

- Understanding of the current product / collection

- Learn how to replenish stock

- Learn internal procedures and ensure that they are understood

- Use the sales techniques which have been tought by the tream

- Competitors analysis (visual merchandising, customer service, windows…)

- Adhere to Security and Safety procedures

Who would benefit from this placement?

Skills :

- No specific experience in similar role is required

- Ability to adapt to change , flexibility

- Ability to initiate contact with excellent communication skills

- Motivated by being a team player

- Personal appearance has to be in line with the company standards

We have written to Balenciaga to request an explanation for how they feel this role fits with the minimum wage law, which states that anybody who fits the criteria of being a ‘worker’ must be paid at least the minimum wage (£6.08 for over 21s) for their labour. (The employer must pay this – and the intern cannot waive their right to pay, even if they say they are happy to work for free). Several months ago, HM Revenue and Customs vowed to crack down on the fashion houses who use unpaid labour – yet this advert is a clear sign that some of the big labels still haven’t got the message. We will let you know when Balenciaga replies…

See the ad for yourself:

*SHOULD BALENCIAGA BE ASHAMED?
Does this sound like a proper job to you? Are you disgusted that a high-end fashion label has advertised for an unpaid ‘intern sales assistant’? Do they have a responsibility to pay their shop staff a wage for their labour?

£4,000 for a dress – yet Balenciaga can’t pay their ‘intern sales assistant’ the minimum wage? is a post from: Graduate Fog

Concerns have been raised that yesterday’s apparent good news about UK unemployment is in fact masking a crisis that has seen over a million people forced to take part-time work because they can’t find a full-time job.

Employment minister Chris Grayling declared it “welcome news” that unemployment had fallen by 45,000 to 2.6million in the three months leading to March 2012 – and the number of people in work increased by 105,000 to almost 30 million. But number-crunchers pointed out that this second figure is entirely due to a rise in part-time workers – many of whom are not doing it by choice.

Almost eight million people are now in a part-time job, the highest since records began in 1992, while those working part-time because they cannot find full-time work increased by 73,000 to a record high of 1.4 million. Self-employment has also reached a record figure of 4.1 million, up by 89,000 since the previous quarter.

David Cameron said he accepted that the new figures should be treated with caution, saying:

“We are not remotely complacent about this because although there is good news about youth unemployment and the claimant count coming down, there is still too many people in part-time work who want full-time work, and also we still have the challenge of tackling long-term unemployment.”

…but Unite general secretary Len McCluskey blasted the government for creating a “part-time, low-pay Britain”:

“The Chancellor has created a part-time, low-pay Britain with his austerity programme – a political path that is increasingly being rejected by other European countries, France being the most prominent example.”

And TUC general secretary Brendan Barber said:

“The falling number of full-time jobs and the 6% fall in real wages over the last two years means that people are having to make huge salary sacrifices and put their careers on hold just to stay in work.”

Graduate Fog is hearing growing anecdotal evidence of graduates taking whatever work they can find – often several part-time jobs – to try and cobble together something resembling a half-decent monthly wage. Many of you are being forced to put your career plans on ice indefinitely while you try and find work that will help you pay the rent. We have also not forgotten that the many graduates working as unpaid (or very low-paid) interns will also not be counted as unemployed, as they cannot claim jobseekers’ allowance. So how accurate is the picture painted by this new batch of statistics?

*ARE YOU WORKING PART-TIME BECAUSE YOU CAN’T FIND A FULL-TIME JOB?
What are you doing – and is the work related to your long-term career plans? Do you have more than one part-time job? How hard is it to find full-time work at the moment?

Working part-time because you can’t find a full-time job? is a post from: Graduate Fog

The Class of 2012 will earn 2% less in real terms than those who left university a year ahead of them, as graduate salaries are expected to fall to the lowest level since 2003 this summer, new research has found. Two factors are to blame: the spiralling cost of living (inflation) – and the failure for graduate employers to significantly increase wages, because they feel it is a ‘buyers’ market’.

A report from the Incomes Data Services found that 90% of employers plan to freeze starting salaries for graduate entrants this year, despite a general increase in the cost of living in the UK. In real terms, this means new graduates face a 2% ‘pay cut’ on what those in the year above them at uni were earning last year. As many young workers tell Graduate Fog you are already struggling to make ends meet, the news that things are set to get worse is very serious indeed.

According to the research, the median graduate starting salary has remained unchanged since 2011 at £25,000. But when that figure is adjusted to account for high inflation and cost of the living, graduates actually face a pay cut of 2%, from £19,020 last year to £18,705 this year, the report found. In other words, graduates are now worse off in terms of spending power this year than they were in 2011. The last time that graduate starting salaries were lower than this year’s estimate was in 2003, when graduate salaries were £18,524 in real terms. (Graduate spending power was at its peak in 2008, when real terms pay hit an all time high of £20,601.)

Nasreen Rahman, a spokesperson for IDS, said:

“With starting salaries stagnating, the high rates of price inflation in recent years have been eating away at the purchasing power of the wages paid to newly recruited graduates. In real terms, it can be seen that graduates starting work this Summer can expect to be paid slightly less than their counterparts in 2000.”

But high inflation is only half the story. The research found that fierce competition among graduates for a relatively small number of roles was also a major factor. Even the good news that the number of graduate jobs is set to increase by 9.1% this year is unlikely to make much difference, as Rahman explained:

“Demand for graduates is expected to be relatively buoyant in 2012, but this is unlikely to impact pay levels. With so many graduates competing for positions it is clear employers see little need to boost starting salaries. Even though the demand for graduate recruits is showing signs of revival, the competition for places means that employers are under little pressure to increase current rates despite high inflation.”

These statistics have come some way to confirming what we at Graduate Fog have suspected for a long time – that the reality of life for many graduates is not being reflected in the figures that the government and universities are putting out. Furthermore, these figures do not take into account the huge number of graduates who are still hunting for jobs, working part-time because they can’t find full-time work, or ‘interning’ for free (or next to nothing). If those young job-seekers are taken into account, what would the true ‘average’ graduate salary be?

*ARE YOU STRUGGLING TO MAKE ENDS MEET?
Are you surprised to hear of the 2% pay cut for graduates? How much are you earning – and how much would you need in order to live comfortably? Are you forced to claim benefits because your wages don’t cover your basic living costs?

This year’s graduates face 2% pay cut is a post from: Graduate Fog

More than a third of UK graduates have been forced to claim Jobseekers Allowance, two fifths have applied for over 100 jobs and a quarter have not been offered any interviews at all. The shocking statistics come from jobs website TotalJobs.com, whose researchers also discovered that a third of graduates have been jobless for six months after finishing university.

Graduates said the biggest barrier they faced when trying to enter the job market was a lack of experience. Whilst they felt that university had been worthwhile, four in ten graduates said they thought six months’ work experience was the most important consideration for employers looking to fill entry level positions. Less than one in 10 rated having a 2:1 or above as the most important factor – and only one in 20 said their university’s reputation was the top factor.

And the challenge of finding work is pushing down graduates’ salary expectations. Today’s graduates expect to earn £19,800 a year, while those still at uni anticipate a salary of £800 a year more. But there was some good news. There has been a 5% drop in graduates that have been looking for work for over a year and confidence has also improved as a result. In November 2011, 19% of graduate jobseekers said that they were not at all confident of finding work in the next year. Six months later, the figure had dropped to 10%. Confidence in finding work in the next six months has remained stable.

Mike Fetters, graduate director at totaljobs.com, criticised the government for advising so many young people to pursue a university education – and said of the results:

“Overall, the picture for graduates is tough, but there are signs of improvement; we are seeing some growth in the number of job available. This is little comfort, however, for those that took the advice of successive governments and invested in their education only to find themselves forced through necessity to claim the dole and fail to be invited to a single interview.”

And he had this advice for graduate jobseekers:

“With graduates recognising the importance of experience yet unable to get their foot through the door, it can seem like a vicious cycle. But there are some things graduates can do. The first is to maximise the power of your network and keep in touch with classmates, they might hear of an opportunity that you can take advantage of. If you’re able, get some work experience or charity work so that you can fill gaps in your CV and finally don’t be tempted to apply for all and every job. Think about what you want to do and tailor your CV and covering letter accordingly. Make every application count and understand how to stand out from your competition.”

*HOW IS YOUR JOB HUNT GOING?
How many jobs have you applied for – and how many interviews have you had? What’s the hardest thing about being a job-seeking graduate? Do you view your degree as a waste of money – or do you have faith it will pay off in the long-term? What advice would you give to today’s 17-year-olds considering going to university – is it worth the investment?

A quarter of graduates haven’t had a single interview is a post from: Graduate Fog

The three leading candidates in the race to become the new Mayor of London on 3rd May claim to view youth unemployment as a priority – but how many have been relying on unpaid interns to promote their campaign for office in the last few months? Graduate Fog decided to investigate…

BORIS JOHNSON, CONSERVATIVE

Says: “It’s a modern tragedy that so many of our young people are struggling to get a foothold in the jobs market and are drifting into crime.”
Unpaid internship adverts found: Six
Official response from his people: “We don’t have any interns on the campaign.”

The evidence:

BoJo racked up the largest number of unpaid internship ads we could find online, with an impressive score of six. One was for a “campaign assistant”, paying just travel and lunch expenses. Duties included “administration, data entry, analysis and day-to-day running of a busy office”. Candidates were assured that “both full-time and part-time applications will be considered” and that “This position will provide an excellent opportunity for candidates to further enhance their CVs and gain valuable political and office-based experience.” It would “suit a student, recent graduate of an individual who is looking to learn more about how Political campaigning works.”

The second was for “campaign intern” who “will roll up their sleeves and support the delivery of Boris’ re-election,” for just travel and lunch expenses. The intern would “assist with young people’s involvement in the Back Boris 2012 campaign” and “assist in a range of campaigning activities and liaise with campaign organisers at all levels.” Candidates are assured that “this is your chance to get involved at the very heart of the campaign.”

The third was for multiple ‘volunteers’ on the telephone canvassing team, and the others were for “campaign volunteers.” As these were sold as opportunities to “gain experience”, we can assume they are aimed at young jobseekers interested in starting a career in politics.

The response:

When we approached Johnson’s people about the adverts, they denied all knowledge, saying: “If you want an on the record response on the advert you will need to go to whoever took out the advert as it wasn’t us. It is not our advert. We are not advertising for interns. We also don’t have interns on the campaign.” This seemed weird, so we asked again – and this is the response we got: “As I said, you’ll need to contact the person who took out the advert as it wasn’t anything to do with the campaign. And we don’t have any interns on the campaign.” They declined to answer any further questions about the matter.

KEN LIVINGSTONE, LABOUR

Says: “I introduced the London Living Wage because below that people are living in poverty.”
Unpaid internship adverts found: None
Official response from his people: “Our volunteers roles have been approved by Intern Aware.”

The evidence:

We found no evidence that Ken’s campaign has been using unpaid interns – which either means he doesn’t have any, or just that they’ve been much more careful than Boris and Brian’s campaigns in how they recruit them. An advert for “campaign volunteers” posted in November 2011 did not outline specific tasks or responsibilities and said the volunteers could choose their own hours. It did not appear to be targeted at young jobseekers any more than any other age group and it was stated that the advert had been approved by Graduate Fog’s friends at the campaign group Intern Aware. Travel and lunch expenses were offered.

The response:

Ken’s spokesperson told us: “We have volunteers who give their time on a voluntary basis to help the campaign. They are paid expenses for any receipted travel and lunch costs incurred. Our volunteer adverts and the way we work with volunteers are approved by internaware – the national campaign to end unpaid internships.” They declined to say how many of these ‘volunteers’ were under 25 and hoping to pursue a career in politics.

BRIAN PADDICK, LIB DEM

Says: “Unpaid internships are slave labour as far as I’m concerned, plain and simple”
Unpaid internships adverts found: Two
Official response from his people: “The Brian Paddick campaign does not have any interns.”

The evidence:

Oh dear, what happened here? We’re not quite sure. The first ad we found was for a ‘volunteer intern’, described as a “hands-on role in a fast moving political environment, one where you will be expected to pitch in and learn on the job the many skills needed for an effective ground campaign,” but paying only “travel within London and lunch expenses.” Applicants are warned that “Political campaigners keep erratic hours so flexibility and an easy going nature will make life easier and the campaign even more fun!” Still, applicants were at least assured “we absolutely understand that it may be necessary for you to work part time,” which is thoughtful of them…

The second was for multiple “phone canvassing volunteers”. The salary was stated as ‘None’ so presumably travel and lunch expenses weren’t even on offer. Candidates were told “You will be making calls from the new phone bank at the Ministry of Sound in the evenings leading up to the elections on Thursday 3rd May 2012.” As with Boris’ ads for ‘volunteers’, this was clearly aimed at young jobseekers, as it was sold as “an excellent opportunity to develop key skills.”

The response:

Initially, Paddick’s people said: “We don’t have any interns on the campaign.” When we showed them the ads concerned, they said: “Like all political campaigns, we welcome help from volunteers of all ages. These are supporters who give their time freely to help out with everything from phone canvassing to door knocking. Some of our phone bank volunteers have done two hours as a one-off, and some have returned on a regular basis.” Sgain, they declined to say how many of these ‘volunteers’ were under-25 and hoping to pursue a career in politics.

GRADUATE FOG SAYS…

Political campaigns rely on volunteers – but are the many young people working on Boris, Ken and Brian’s election campaigns really doing it purely out of their passion for the cause? Frankly, we doubt it – we suspect they hope it will lead to paid work in the future. In which case, are the candidates guilty of taking advantage of desperate young jobseekers, in their quest for office?

All three men claim they see London’s youth unemployment crisis as a priority – but Boris and Brian have certainly ‘sold’ their volunteer roles as an opportunity to gain experience, suggesting they are targeting those at the start of their career. If these really are such a valuable opportunity, they should ask themselves whether it is fair that they are only open to those young people who can afford to work for them for free.

In addition, the legal status of these unpaid internships and volunteer positions remains clear to us. It is our understanding that none of the candidates would be covered by the ruling by the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (IPSA) which appears to allow MPs to have unpaid interns, as they are not MPs. Also, as far as we are aware, none of the campaigns is a registered charity, so they could not claim exemption from the minimum wage law on that count either. We gave all three candidates’ representatives the chance to clarify the matter but they declined.

*HAVE YOU INTERNED FOR BORIS, KEN OR BRIAN?
Did you receive payment for your work? How many other interns were working on the campaign? Do you feel you were a genuine ‘volunteer’ – or were you doing it primarily for your CV? Would you have had access to the opportunity if you hadn’t been able to work for free? Should mayoral candidates pay their interns?

See the adverts for yourself:

Caught! Boris, Ken or Brian – who’s been using unpaid interns? is a post from: Graduate Fog

The average parents of today’s young adults are shelling out £15,490 per ‘child’, as their offspring continue to need financial help well into their twenties. One in three parents admits they are currently forfeiting long-term financial planning for the sake of their children’s immediate needs.

New research – conducted by savings and investments company Standard Life – found that parents are currently supporting their over-18s with expenses such as university costs, debts, plus help with wedding costs, a flat deposit and other general living costs, as their young adult children struggle to make ends meet thanks to high unemployment, low-paying jobs and the soaring cost of living, including sky-high rent.

And researchers pointed out that the true scale of their parents’ sacrifice is even greater than £15,000. If that sum was invested into a pension pot it would be worth far more to their parents in the future. In 20 years’ time it would amount to £38,500 for a basic rate taxpayer, or £15,380 for a higher rate taxpayer. This means that a higher rate taxpayer with two children could be foregoing £100,000 from their pension pot in order to tide over their grown-up children now.

Standard Life’s spokesperson John Lawson said:

“A parent’s desire to provide for their children even when they become young adults is increasingly coming at a huge cost to their own future financial security. Our research highlights the significant financial challenges facing parents, whether to secure their long term future or meet their family’s immediate needs.

“The high level of unemployment among young people can only be exacerbating the problem. There’s no doubt that many more adult children will be relying on their parents for support which must be a real worry for many parents. Some may even be returning to the nest as they are made redundant or fail to find work.”

The question of how ‘adult’ graduates feel has been raised several times in recent weeks on Graduate Fog. These new figures appear to show that those of you who still don’t feel truly independent have a good point.

Much of the government’s plans for tackling graduate unemployment seem to involve keeping you financially dependent – whether that’s your parents or the state – for hand-outs. But that’s just not good enough.

This government must do much, much more to help young people find proper jobs that pay wages you can actually live on, rather than herding you into low-paid apprenticeships, unpaid internships and work experience schemes. For your sanity – as well as your parents’ bank balance – you need to be earning your own money so that you can pay your own way.

*DO YOU TAKE HAND-OUTS FROM YOUR PARENTS?
What is the money for – and why can’t can’t you pay those costs yourself? How does it make you feel when you’re forced to ask your parents for money?

The hand-out generation: Today’s parents pay over £15,000 per ADULT child is a post from: Graduate Fog

*GRADUATE FOG EXCLUSIVE!*

Journalism interns can claim a victory at last – Time Out magazine has announced a review of its policy on using unpaid interns, after Graduate Fog brought the issue to their attention last week.

We contacted the magazine after spotting a advert for a three-month internship paying only the “princely” sum of £2 per day in lunch money, a Zones 1 & 2 travel card and “the odd invite to something very exclusive.” Despite the advert stressing that the intern would have “writing responsibilities,” Time Out’s Editor Tim Arthur insisted the role was merely “work experience,” and we had to sit through a lecture from their lifestyle editor about how valuable her unpaid internship had been in getting her the role she’s in now (Grr – that’s the whole point, stupid!). We assumed we’d heard the last of the matter, until this email arrived on Thursday:

To: Graduate Fog
From: Time Out, HR
Date: Thursday 19 April 3.07pm
Re: Time Out Internships

Dear Tanya

Thank you for contacting Time Out and highlighting your areas of concern regarding the Company’s use of Internships.

Whilst Time Out prides itself on the experience all Interns receive during their time with us we acknowledge that greater steps should be made to ensure the scheme meets current requirements on pay and the needs of the Interns involved.

As many in the industry are aware Time Out is going through a period of change in the products that it offers but also in the policies by which it works and operates.

This has resulted in recent changes to the management structure including that of the HR function. As of April I have taken over as Manager of the HR function and along with my colleague I am in the process of reviewing and updating all HR policies.

Thanks to your initial email I can now confirm that a review of our Internship policy is now underway and I will happily update you on the outcome once it has been completed.

Should you have any further questions then please do not hesitate to contact me. I would also like to take the opportunity to meet with you to discuss our Internship Program, should this be of interest to you.

Regards

Andy Goode | Senior HR Manager
Brockhurst Human Resources

For and on behalf of Time Out

We wrote back:

To: Time Out, HR
From: Graduate Fog
Friday 20 April 12.29pm

Hi Andy

Thank you for this email. It is certainly sounds like Time Out is taking steps in the right direction and I would very much like to be kept informed of any changes to your policy on internships in the future.

In the meantime, can you please confirm whether the advertised internship is or isn’t going ahead? Or whether it is going ahead, but will be paid?

Also, does Time Out currently have unpaid interns already working at the magazine – and, if so, what will happen to them?

With thanks again

Tanya

An out of office response says Andy is away until tomorrow (Tuesday), but we’ll let you know when he responds…

*WHAT DO YOU MAKE OF TIME OUT’S ANNOUNCEMENT?
Should they cancel the internship, if they can’t make it paid? Should all magazines and newspapers follow Time Out’s example and review their policy on unpaid internships?

Victory for interns! Time Out announces review of unpaid work placements is a post from: Graduate Fog

Chris Grayling, the employment minister who came under fire earlier this year for the Workfare scheme which saw thousands of young jobseekers forced to work in supermarkets for no wage, has again defended the programme. He claimed that those who criticised it “just don’t get it”, should “take a long hard look at themselves” and understand that “in today’s world, things don’t come on a plate.”

In a speech made on Thursday at the Policy Exchange in London, Grayling slammed what he called the “Polly Toynbee left,” who – like the Guardian columnist Toynbee – have opposed his controversial work experience programme. He also accused his critics of being out of touch with the current economic climate and in danger of putting a huge number of young people at risk. Grayling – thought to be a likely contender for a cabinet post in the next re-shuffle – said:

“I’m afraid that too many people still just don’t get it. Like the ‘Polly Toynbee Left’ who rail with outrage against the idea of a young unemployed person being offered the chance to do a month’s work experience with Airbus, British Telecom, UK Mail or Tesco.

“Slave labour they call it. Well that’s just insulting to some great companies who are helping young people get a job, not to mention the young people benefiting from placements by picking up the valuable skills and experience they need to get a leg up into the world of work.

“They just don’t understand that in today’s world, things don’t come on a plate. That government can’t just create opportunity for all. That people have to go the extra mile if they want to succeed.

“It’s time for those who have criticised work experience to take a long hard look at themselves. Work experience isn’t about exploiting young people – it’s about showing them what life is like in a workplace.”

Grayling also claimed that young unemployed people who participated in government work experience schemes were 20% more likely to find work and 16% more likely to be off benefits 21 weeks later than unemployed young people not on the programme. But Toynbee – writing in yesterday’s Guardian – suggested that the figures were “not quite a lie, but profoundly deceptive” and that the true figure was closer to 6%. She also made the point that many of those counted as ‘off benefits’ had vanished, which did not necessarily mean they had found jobs. She also said:

“Grayling defended his work experience programme which was criticised by me and many others when it emerged that companies like Tesco were using large numbers of the young unemployed to stack shelves for free, without training or a job offer, and that anyone dropping out could lose benefits.

“Grayling labelled critics of this programme ‘job snobs’, as if we were deriding the work itself. But the protest was against large companies using a battalion of free labour as a substitute for employing people fairly on the minimum wage.”

At Graduate Fog, we think it is not Grayling’s critics who ‘don’t get it’ – but the employment minister himself. Unpaid work may seem harmless enough – helpful, even – in the short-term. But far from being a solution to youth unemployment, we have seen (from the spread of privately-arranged unpaid internships) that in the long-term unpaid work only serves to cheapen young people’s labour, move the goalposts further away from them and pull down wages for everybody. It is crystal clear to us that in time the same thing will happen with government-backed unpaid work schemes. Unpaid work is not a miracle cure for youth unemployment – it is already a big part of the problem.

The fact that unpaid work forms such a large part or the government’s plan to solve youth unemployment betrays these politicians’ terrifying lack of understanding of the problems facing out of work young people today – and what is really going on out there.

Here’s an idea – why doesn’t the government instead start putting pressure on companies to pay their young employees a fair wage? One that they can actually live on, without having to rely on the state – or their parents – for hand-outs? It is Mr Grayling – not his critics – who needs to take a long, hard look at himself.

Chris Grayling defends Workfare AGAIN (Jeez, when will he give it up?) is a post from: Graduate Fog

The Liberal Democrats have broken a promise they made last year to stop using unpaid interns within 12 months, brazenly advertising multiple placements on their ‘internship scheme’ lasting over three months and paying expenses only.

In April 2011, Nick Clegg promised that by that time next year “proper remuneration” would be paid to anyone who secured a work placement with his party. Yet on Monday an advert was posted on political jobs website w4mp advertising a ‘voluntary’ internship scheme, paying travel and lunch expenses only:

Date Added: 16 April 2012
Closing Date: 23 April 2012
Job Title:Internship Scheme
Working For:Liberal Democrat (Federal) HQ
Location:London
Salary:Voluntary. Travel and lunch expenses available
Job Details:

The Liberal Democrats offer an internship scheme for those wishing to undertake short term voluntary placements with the Party after completing full time education or in anticipation of a change of career direction.

Our internships are short intensive volunteer placements that offer you the opportunity to gain experience of the practical and professional side of Party politics. You will have the opportunity to join the team at Liberal Democrat HQ and in Parliament and gain experience of life at the heart of Westminster.

There are a range of opportunities across the organisation, including in areas such as campaigns, policy, media, and events. Please visit our website for more information http://www.libdems.org.uk/jobs.aspx.

Closing Date:23 April 2012
Interview/Start Dates:

Flexible placement periods:
14 May 2012 – 17 August 2012 (Application Deadline: 23 April 2012)
3 September 2012 – 14 December 2012 (Application Deadline: 1 August 2012)
21 January 2013 – 3 May 2013 (Application Deadline: 1 December 2012)

Job Contact:

Please visit our website for more details http://www.libdems.org.uk/jobs.aspx.

Website:http://www.libdems.org.uk

Speaking to the BBC last April, Clegg had promised:

“From now on, people who are advertising for internships in Liberal Democrat offices or Liberal Democrat MP will have to make sure that applications are name and school blind and there’s proper remuneration so that we give new people opportunity to participate in that kind of political activity.”

When questioned by the Guardian about the apparent back-track, a Lib Dem spokesperson said that selection for places would be name and school blind and argued that they were “properly remunerated” – as Clegg had promised – because expenses and lunch were being paid. Yup, that’s right, in his own words: “The rules of the scheme do provide for proper remuneration in that they provide for lunch and travel expenses.” Plans to provide bursaries for poorer candidates will not be available in 2012 due to lack of party funds. He also insisted:

“The internships are designed to be three months and to provide a number of different experiences of working for the party. The Liberal Democrat internship scheme is particularly aimed at recent graduates and all our internships are voluntary. There will be no contract to work set hours or undertake set tasks.”

They said that they were “planning to bring forward proposals” which would look into paying interns, as soon as they could but could not give a date and did not have the money to currently do so.

The government’s own legal advisors have warned that under minimum wage laws, many internships including those in MP’s offices could be breaking the law because they remain unpaid and therefore exploitative under the law.

As Graduate Fog told the Guardian, we are baffled by the Lib Dems’ continued ability to look this generation in the eye. What do they think they’re playing at, continuing to use young people’s labour without paying for it?

Claiming they can’t afford to pay their young staff is irrelevant and insulting – travel and lunch expenses are not a wage and nobody can live on that. The Lib Dems – and all the other parties – must find the money to pay the staff they need, end of story.

In continuing to run unpaid internships, Nick Clegg and his party should know they are directly contributing to the graduate jobs crisis, in which hundreds of thousands of young people have already worked for nothing – and many more have been locked out of these ‘opportunities’ simply because they can’t afford to work for free.

See the ad for yourself

*HAVE YOU DONE INTERNED UNPAID (OR PAID EXPENSES ONLY) FOR A POLITICIAN?
Graduate Fog and Intern Aware will shortly be launching a new campaign to help interns get justice against high profile employers, including MPs. You may well be entitled to claim back pay (at minimum wage) for the period you worked. Contact us for more details – all correspondence will be treated in the strictest confidence.

Lib Dems break their promise to stop using unpaid interns is a post from: Graduate Fog

THIS IS A “FUN” AND “VERY SOUGHT-AFTER OPPORTUNITY” SAYS EDITOR-IN-CHIEF TIM ARTHUR

*GRADUATE FOG EXCLUSIVE*

The Editor-in-Chief of Time Out has defended the magazine’s controversial £2-a-day internship, insisting it is only “work experience.” This is despite the fact that the advert for this position states that the three-month, full-time role will involve “writing responsibilities” and the intern will “build up a portfolio of printed work” during their time there.

On Friday morning, Graduate Fog wrote to Time Out for an explanation about the ad, which appeared on Gorkana last week. The intern – who must be a graduate – was offered only the “princely” sum of £2 a day in lunch money, a two-zone travel card, “plus the odd invite to something very exclusive” as payment. (Click here to see the original ad). On Friday afternoon, Time Out’s business manager, Alex Batho, wrote back:

To: Graduate Fog:
From: Time Out
Date: Friday 13 April 2012, 5.09pm

Hi Tanya

See below response from Time Out’s Editor-in-Chief.

Tim Arthur, Time Out editor-in-chief
Time Out intern/work experience placements do not last longer than three months; most are between two and four weeks. These placements are not paid because they are work experience. The £2 offered, besides travel expenses, is a contribution towards lunch not a fee for their work. Placements are given to people who are studying or just starting out in the media and genuinely want the kind of experience they can gain working within an organisation such as Time Out. We ensure that every person who undertakes a placement with us leaves having gained valuable practical experience and often with some published work under their belt, something that is invaluable when trying to get a job within the industry. At a time when gaining relevant experience in your chosen field can set you apart from others we feel that an internship/work experience placement at Time Out is not only a very sought-after opportunity but one which is actually fun, carefully planned and something we know that many many people have enjoyed and found helpful over the years.

Our own UK Lifestyle Editor is testament to that:

‘Like most people with editorial jobs, I started out as an intern/work experience. However, rather than making hot beverages and clearing out cupboards, my placement at Time Out gave me experience of actual editorial work: I was allowed to practise writing up events (with all of my work supervised and rewritten); I was taken to events (given tickets to Fashion Week shows, allowed to attend openings and make contacts). I was also given paid work on other sections of the magazine, and at the end of my placement I was given regular paid work, which ultimately led to my current position as a section editor. I had no financial support from my family: while an intern, I worked in a bar to fund my placement, and Time Out’s editor at the time was understanding about my need to leave early and arrive late. Being an unpaid intern is hard, but the Time Out internship was genuinely enjoyable and useful. Which is why so many of our interns get jobs – their experience sets them apart from other candidates in what is an extremely difficult climate for aspiring journalists.’

Best wishes

Alex
–
Alex Batho
Business Manager
Time Out
Universal House
251 Tottenham Court Road
London W1T 7AB
Tel: 020 7813 6605

Today (Monday) we replied:

To: Time Out
From: Graduate Fog
Date: 16 April 2012, 1.11pm

Hi Alex,

Thanks for your email.

Unfortunately, I’m afraid it has only proved that Time Out is a very long way behind where it should be in understanding why graduates are so offended by unpaid internships like the one you have advertised.

We believe that unpaid internships exploit those who do them and exclude those who can’t afford to do them. While unpaid internships may seem harmless (and even helpful) at first, they have in fact proved to be hugely damaging for young people.

Now that these internships are so commonplace, graduates are finding that they last longer and longer, with less chance of a job at the end of them. And they have to do more of them – often over a year of unpaid work – before they can find paid employment. Most of the time, unpaid internships do not lead to a paid job – they just lead to another unpaid internship.

Of course, this supposed ‘system’ for entry also serves to block out all the talented candidates who are unable to work (and somehow live?) in London for free. It was interesting to hear your lifestyle editor’s story – but I suspect that s/he would struggle to survive on part-time bar work now, with the cost of living as high as it is in the capital today.

Finally, I would like to ask how Time Out feels that this role fits with the national minimum wage legislation, which states that anybody doing the job of a ‘worker’ (as defined by law) must be paid at least the minimum wage (£6.08 for over 21s). The employer must pay this an the intern cannot waive their right to this wage, even if they say they are happy to work for free. Is it your understanding that this intern would not fit these criteria and would therefore not be eligible for pay?

With thanks again

Tanya

PS I understand you have removed your advert from Gorkana – but are we to assume that the internship itself is still going ahead?

We will let you know as soon as they reply…

*WHAT DO YOU MAKE OF TIME OUT’S RESPONSE?
Is this role really ‘work experience’? Is a part-time bar job enough to make ends meet while you work full-time for companies like Time Out? What would you like to say to the Editor, Tim Arthur?

Our three-month, £2-a-day internship is only ‘work experience’, claims Time Out’s editor is a post from: Graduate Fog