The majority of the employees are in their twenties or early thirties and the atmosphere in the company is very laid-back and relaxed. Every Friday they throw themselves mini-receptions on the work floor. Everyone pitches in and two or three employees go out to get the booze and snacks. Around 5 pm everyone stops working and it’s time to start socialising! Work is sometimes discussed, but the majority of the time the conversations are about their personal lives and an absolute favourite is of course, ‘who’s doing who, where, when and how’.

The company lacked any form of hierarchy.  Everyone knows who the big boss is, but no one seems intimidated by him or any of the heads of the various departments. Jokingly insulting each other happens on a daily basis and I even witnessed the head of the department and one of the VJ’s re-enacting a scene from “Celebrity Death match”. The throwing of things (including full beer cans) across the room and into ventilators is considered extremely funny. Being in the middle of a scene like that, is like finding yourself in the middle of a ‘’Jackass’’ episode. The jokes told most often by the male colleagues, were always extremely vulgar to the point where they were sickening. One of the compny’s VJs, particularly enjoyed pulling down his pants and flashing everyone around him.

The contact between the colleagues of the Press office was anything but good. For a communications department, there was very little direct communication. Despite sitting right next to each other, all communication was done through email and issues or questions were never presented straight up. Despite the internal rivalries and horrific backstabbing scenes in the Communications department, there were also some great experiences.

I was able to attend the Kids Choice Awards and the TMF Game Awards, as a backstage crew member. These were amazing experiences and allowed me to see how such huge events are run from behind the scenes, backstage and inside the press rooms. Also very exciting, was when a Belgian rock-band came to play in our cafeteria and everyone was let off early to attend this private mini-concert. This was not the only time celebrities came to the office. Pop and rock stars were constantly walking in and out of the studio and it was not uncommon to find oneself face to face with the artist of the week.

Another great thing about working for the company is all the free goodies you get to take home, from simple key chains and stickers, to hats, t-shirts and bags, just to name a few. They were also incredible at organizing parties and everyone who’s anyone wants to be seen at these events. As an employee, you are of course also invited to these parties as a V.I.P. The amount of financial and time investment that goes into these events is simply amazing.

Looking back, my three month internship, allowed me to experience both the positive and negative aspects of working in this industry. I met new people, I experienced new things, I had to learn to deal with new situations, but most of all I believe it was a valuable experience, in that it gave me a chance to learn a lot about myself and what is that I am looking for in a future job.

Paid Internship in Public Sector

I started an internship in a central government department 3 months after graduation; I applied for the position through the Graduate talent pool. This internship was for a 3 month period (later extended to 6) and paid c. £24,000 pa (+ pension & standard civil service benefits). I really enjoyed my time there and felt that I learnt a lot; I was entrusted with important tasks and even given the opportunity to lead on certain high profile projects.

The team I worked with were very friendly and supportive. I was consistently involved in team and group meetings which enabled me to gain a greater understanding of my role and the workings of my team and the department. I was provided with clear guidance on what was expected of me, and was even supported in attending training courses and shadowing ministers/civil servants.

Unfortunately, I was told that, whilst the team would have liked to have kept me on, the fact that I was not recruited through standard civil service methods, and ongoing budget cuts and headcount reductions, made this impossible. Nonetheless, I feel that this (PAID) internship was incredibly valuable, and that it was an excellent example of all that internships should be about.

Unpaid Internship in Private Sector

After this I moved to London and sought full time employment, or just temping work. I was unsuccessful and after a few months I was offered an unpaid 3 month internship at a small private company in the centre of London. I have been in this position for about a month now. My transport expenses are paid and I am allowed a couple of pounds a day towards lunch.

The bulk of my work consists of simple administrative tasks but it obviously has a value as much of it is presented to clients. I have not been given particularly clear guidance on what is expected of me, nor on best practice within the sector. I have been repeatedly left out of team meetings and I feel that the opportunities to gain experience and improve my skills are very limited. I have found that I am considerably less motivated in this roll than in my paid internship, where I felt far more valued. Despite the fact that I am now haemorrhaging money living in London, I feel that I need to persist with this internship to demonstrate both private sector experience and commitment; even though the development prospects are limited and the employment possibilities virtually nil.

Soon after completing this internship the money I saved from the Civil Service internship will be gone, and I will not be able to continue living in London. I have continued to apply for paid positions whilst in this second internship, with no success. I am doubtful that this unpaid internship will have been worth the expense; it adds little to my CV. I am unsure what I will do if I am unable to find paid employment soon.

Anyways, I am now an intern at Which?, fully paid (though minimum wage) and able to support myself financially here in London. I have enough money to pay the rent, buy food and go to the cinema once in a while. I don’t really go out and I had some savings with which I bought a bike to avoid further transport costs. I find it horrible that graduates should work for free and I find it even more horrible that some people do. While I understand their desperation it is simply not fair as it only feeds into the system of exploitation. Nevertheless I acknowledge that I am extremely lucky. The staff are awesome – they are nice and treat you like their equal. Also, I get the same benefits as every other employee (pension and reductions on many purchases). And unlike interns in other companies I get to do proper work like everybody else here: I am currently doing economic research in finance and renewable energy, attend all the staff meetings and can join other team members when they meet MPs to lobby or consult with other companies or organisations.

I think companies that claim that they don’t have money are often just lying – which?’s only income is through the sales of their magazine. They don’t make a huge profit and most of the profit they do make goes back into funding their market research and paying their employees a decent wage. I can only recommend it as a great place for work experience and can only hope that other companies and organisations will follow the lead and pay their graduates appropriately.

“InternStar connects quality interns to internship opportunities in small- and medium-sized British businesses with exclusive access to some of the most ambitious and talented university candidates, young graduates and postgraduates.”

How much of this work is unpaid?

I bet that InternStar will also be connecting a raft of poor unemployed twenty-something’s with small businesses desperate to shelve £20,000 off the cost of a basic administrator – who see a 3 month unpaid intern as a viable alternative in tough economic times.

It goes on:

“InternStar is an innovative approach to recruiting:

• We offer qualified, motivated personnel at a fraction of the cost of a full-time employee.

• We are a better alternative to direct recruitment – mitigate your risk by trying out candidates first.

• We help companies bypass hiring freezes, so that your projects are properly staffed.”

By “innovative” do you mean illegal and an abuse of basic minimum wage laws? A burglar doesn’t have an innovative way of making money – he cheats the system.

Next:

“Hiring an intern now helps your company to meet immediate operational needs, save on the cost and lost opportunity of bad recruitment decisions, and tap into talent from among the next generation of achievers to stay ahead of the competition.”

And abuse a generation of graduates, saddled with university debts – unable to pay their way in an economy fucked by people like you. F-u-c-k you.

Last week I spent three days as a sometime researcher/photocopier at a weekly magazine. Rather than running around the office pestering everyone for tasks to fill another few squashed lines on my CV I took the novel approach of having a coffee with someone who I got on well with. A human being. Not an automaton who might, just might (although its very unlikely) offer me a little networking opportunity.

I asked her where I went from here, and she pointed me in the direction of a few people I could contact for more work experience. I showed her my CV and she suggested a few corrections. She also suggested a course that might make me stand out from the pack. All done in just over an hour, and for the price of a cappuccino.

I can’t pretend that I didn’t put those three days onto the top of my CV, or that I didn’t embellish it so it looked like I was practically running their office. But much more worthwhile was finding someone decent enough to take a little bit of time out to offer advice and talk to me as a friend.