YOUR CHANCE TO THANK THE ‘GOOD’ EMPLOYERS OUT THERE (YES, THEY DO EXIST)
Yes, we know there are still too many employers who run bad internships – but what about those who run GOOD ones? Do they exist – and, if so, what exactly makes a great internship?
As the media spotlight has shone on dodgy placements, employers have reacted in many different ways. Some have just ignored it and continued as before, swapping the word ‘intern’ for ‘volunteer’ (like Vivienne Westwood and the Conservative Party).
Some have ignored the moral argument and insisted it’s their legal right to have unpaid interns (including charities like the National Trust). Some have pledged to change their ways (Tony Blair and Time Out). Others have made secret pay-outs to interns they should have paid in the first place (Miss Selfridge).
But another group – let’s call them the ‘good employers’! – have taken the opportunity to do even better. They’ve listened to the arguments, checked out the facts, considered their options, assessed their budgets and worked hard to create internships that work for their interns, as well as for themselves. So, we want to know… What’s the best internship you’ve ever done? And what made it so good?
* WHAT’S THE BEST INTERNSHIP YOU’VE EVER DONE?
What made it so great – the pay, the work or the people? Was it in London – or are internships better outside the capital? Did your internship lead to a graduate job? Feel free to name the organisation where you worked – we like to give credit where it’s due!
Lets not indulge the fallacy that internships should be considered as anything other than a false positive…any internship can be fulfilled by any candidate employed in the role, on full market salary, and predicated on a Structured Training Programme.
Having said that We should complement those candidates who indulge such pathetic excuses of any employer who, rather than employ someone to do a job, find someone gullible to do the job as an Intern.
@Eowyn Can you explain a bit more what you mean? Do you think all internships should be scrapped and replaced with proper (and properly paid) graduate jobs? Is it fair to say you don’t feel internships have a legitimate reason to exist at all… By which I mean you don’t seem to buy the ‘let’s try each other out’, ‘gain some experience’, ‘learn a bit about what a job is like first’ lines of argument used to justify the existence of these placements?
My internship was great!
It was well paid and well structured. It gave me an opportunity to complete a project that was relevant and useful to both me and the company. It also led directly to a permanent graduate position with the same company.
I’ve since left but getting the foot in the door there made it fairly easy to find my current job.
Our summer interns have just left us to return to university. They too were paid and hopefully we’ll welcome them back when they graduate.
What I’m trying to get across is that not all internships are bad. They are often used as a way of getting cheap or free labour and I can’t stand that idea.
In my industry we pay our interns and prove it can be done well!
I undertook not one, but two internships at Mintel – and it was one of the best decisions I’ve made!
The first time round was during the summer between my second and final year of university. It was invaluable – I grew in confidence, gained an insight into the working world and direction for life after university. I also learned how to interact in a professional environment and improve my writing skills. I really believe it was a big boost to my final grade.
The marketing team at Mintel were fantastic at keeping in touch, replying to my emails throughout the year.
When it came to graduation I was really worried about my chosen career path in marketing, but Mintel welcomed be back instantly, offering me another internship, with pay.
This 3 month internship has now led to a full time job and I have been here a year.
I’ve seen 4 other interns come through, all very happy, and 3 of us who originally started as interns have all won the quarterly MVP (most valued player) award in the company.
I couldn’t recommend an internship more as it seems nowadays you need so much experience to get a job!
“I’ve seen 4 other interns come through, all very happy, and 3 of us who originally started as interns have all won the quarterly MVP (most valued player) award in the company”
Funniest sentence I’ve read all week!
Give yourself a gold star – then read some Dilbert for an education…