Internships

by Peter Gilderdale

It's that time of year again. A new batch of design graduates are heading out into industry, and as I talked to some of them at graduation, it seemed like a new theme was emerging. Quite a number were doing unpaid internships of two or three months duration.

I can see the arguments for internships. Graduates have had limited industry experience, and companies are perhaps concerned that in the early days the new junior will drain rather than replenish their resources. And quite a few people think about the internships that happen overseas, where it is normal for students to take an internship – as part of their course. Internships basically allow companies to trial people with no obligations whilst job seekers are getting experience – which is better than sitting on the dole.

Despite these arguments, however, I believe that this practice is nothing less than the wholesale exploitation of fresh graduates who are too intimidated to stand up for their rights. The internship system has been a blot on the advertising and film industries for many years (one former student worked unpaid for a year for a large advertising company which then didn’t employ him). I have always been happy to be able to stay that our industry is largely free of it. No more. It looks like we are doing it too.

So why am I so opposed to it?

The main reason is the bit that is hidden. Internships are only available to those who can afford to live off nothing for several months. So basically they are one of those nice little things that people do to ensure that the ‘great unwashed’ don’t break in to our nice cosy networks. Seen this way, internships are discriminatory. Plain and simple.

As an educator, I have to admit to also taking offence at what is implied. By not paying graduates, companies are saying that the education that students have just paid thousands of dollars for is worth nothing. Now I am not going to say that new graduates are totally ready for the working environment. They often need some judicious polishing, but neither are they walking off the street with no background whatsoever. There is such a thing as a minimum wage. At the very least are they not entitled to that?

What I am saying is that companies that ask people to work for nothing (for more than maybe a two week trial period) are engaging in the sort of exploitation that I don’t believe has any place in this country. What do you think?