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What is the alternative Tanya?
I took the attitude that I didn’t want to work for free.
The problem with that is after sending off scores of CVs suddenly you’ve been unemployed for a couple of months and there is a massive bias against hiring the unemployed which a lot of academic research has proven.
If I could advise my younger self I’d say do an unpaid internship and jump the moment paid work comes along. It stinks but without experience you do not get taken seriously. I’ve got enough form rejection letters to know.
As Bruce Hornsby sang ‘That’s the way it is…’
Well, at least you had the choice. Working unpaid just isn’t an option for everyone, hence why unpaid internships should be stopped. You can get experience through volunteering which is much more flexible and (in my experience) offers better opportunities. Internships – where you’re essentially doing an entry-level job but unpaid – are not accessible to everyone, only those who have money or support from someone else. If you’re on benefits, you have restrictions which stop you from taking on full-time unpaid work (not to mention it’s very difficult to keep up a job search and appointments at the Job Centre when you’re working full time). So I guess what I’m saying is it’s not ‘the way it is’ if you can’t afford it!
Good list, Tanya. I’m still chasing up Shelter for a voluntary position they’re advertising which looks very much like an unpaid internship (see here charitycomms.org.uk/sector-jobs). It’s been two days since they asked me to email them and no response yet… Interestingly, they don’t seem to have advertised the position on their website.
No need to tell me about the wonderful world of the Job Centre. I had to sign on JSA as the moment I graduated my father’s employer of 30 years went bust. We went from a middle-class lifestyle to signing on together. It was a scary six months. We are slowly getting back on our feet.
In my experience it was a complete benefits trap. As you state the conditions of JSA prevent you from undertaking unpaid internships needed to get taken seriously. Even too many hours volunteering risks a sanction. You are right some people simply don’t have the choice to sign off as I eventually did.
My point was that, for some, it can be a false economy. You gain £56 but employers in my experience do not like hiring unemployed people. A horrible catch-22.
Long term unemployment for me meant antidepressants, terrible mental health, loss of friendships and a massive CV gap. Had I stayed on JSA it would have meant the Work Programme eventually.
Suddenly an unpaid internship doesn’t look too bad — but of course it is only possible for those who can live off Mum and Dad.
LVMH hiring unpaid interns for retail! This is clearly not so much a training opportunity as an opportunity to exploit unpaid labour in a low-skilled job
http://www.lvmh.com/talents/open-positions/offers-list/lvm00202-internship-retail-milan-rome-florence-palermo-bologna-torino
Thanks David. Have you every seen LMVH advertise unpaid internships in the UK? Sorry, I just don’t have the resources to follow up all these leads myself – would be grateful for any detective work anyone else can do – thanks!
@David
How do you know they are unpaid? The advert says “Contract type: internship”, but I can’t see any mention of pay?
@Tanya
From a legal perspective, a quick check indicates that if these internships are unpaid, they are still probably legal. Italy has no minimum wage.
They do have four internships based in the UK listed on their site with no mention of a wage. If they are unpaid, you know what to do.
However, I know that LVMH and its associated companies have paid their UK interns in the past. I’d like to hope they haven’t gone backwards on that policy.
Here’s another employment travesty: “shared risk.”
My self-employed husband (who has decades of experience and is looking for fulltime work) was contacted by the CEO of a small health firm, who said she was looking for 4 people. “I’m not offering you a job,” she told my husband, “but a shared risk opportunity!”
My husband almost said to her: “Yes, my risk. Your share.”
In any case, he politely ended the call.
If you think this is bad, come to France, where ALL internships are unpaid, apart from a token few hundred euros at the end, called an “indemnité de stage”. Outrageous exploitation. Some employers will renew internship agreements “conventions de stage” several times over, milking out the free labour for as long as possible. Happened to me in the early 90’s, still happening now. It’s the common accepted way of doing things over here.