For a young person in a competitive job market, getting your foot in the door in your chosen industry is key. Viva talks to three interns about the ups and downs of working for free.
It's a familiar rite of passage: working for free, trying to impress and a hunger to learn more. For young men and women who are willing - and, importantly, able - to work for free, an internship can mark the transition between the freedom of the teenage years to the reality of adult working life; it also looks very good to future employees. Nothing shows dedication and passion for said career path like a willingness to work for nothing, right?
It's a competitive business, especially so overseas: earlier this year an internship at American Vogue "sold" for US$42,500 (NZ$56,500) at a charity auction. It's unlikely that would ever happen in New Zealand (largely because we don't have an equal to Vogue), but internship spots are highly sought after; especially so in a time of economic uncertainty where paid jobs are hard to come by. Dedicated intern companies place people in suitable companies here and overseas, while companies like Russell McVeagh and Ernest & Young offer specific programmes, and most university courses demand, or at least encourage, students to partake in an internship (mine was at a newspaper magazine similar to this one).
So what does it take to make it as an intern? We spoke to three young women about their journey so far.
Charlotte Billing, 19
Proving that hard work and genuine passion does get you somewhere is Charlotte Billing, who started at 95bFM handing out flyers and now has her own show - and is set to DJ at next year's Big Day Out.
Billing began volunteering at the radio station last year, during her first year of studying English and media at Auckland University. She began by handing out flyers and stickers at gigs, but it was meeting bFM morning host Charlotte Ryan (herself a former intern) that sped along her journey. Billing soon became the producer of Ryan's Tuesday show, dedicated to new music - something that she was particularly interested in - and eventually began producing a weekly feature for the show where she showcased a new, young band.
"I thought that was quite important because young people who make music deserve to be showcased as much as people who are older; I was really glad that I had a good platform to do that."
Several seized opportunities later - covering Ryan's show, working in the bFM CD library, discovering as many new bands as she could - eventually led to an offer of her own show.
"I was hanging around there a lot, because I wanted any excuse to - I was a bit of a bFM fan girl," she explains.
Billing now hosts Saturday afternoon show Totally Wired. She goes into the bFM studios around two or three times a week to research and prepare for her show (she jokes that, "a lot of what I do is sitting around and annoying people"), putting together playlists and taking in as much as she can.
"I always seem to spend hours and hours in there, and not know where the time's gone. I guess if you're in this environment where everyone's like-minded and everybody is interested in the same, quite specific thing, it's easy to get quite caught up in conversations, YouTube marathons, that kind of thing."
Like most interns, Billing isn't paid for her work at the station, which can be a struggle for a young person wanting to assert their independence. But she's quick to point out that, "that's something I shouldn't complain about because I get so much experience out of it. But I guess trying to convince people that you do have a job; because you're not paid for it, people don't think it's quite as valid".
"It doesn't really leave time for a part-time [paying] job, so it's quite hard to balance all of that and get your priorities straight. That's a little thing though because I know that the experience I'm getting will probably lead me to a great job. It's just a bit frustrating when you're not getting paid and you want to leave home..."
For now though, the priority for Billing is the experience.
"The most important thing that you can get from the experience of an internship is the people that you meet, and I guess the people they can introduce you to; the amount of connections that you make, which are really important later on.
"It's important to get work experience, especially if you love something. I felt really lucky to be able to start doing it so young. As soon as I started Uni, this is what I started doing, and by the time I graduate I'm going to have so much experience. Every little bit counts."
Emma White, 20
As a new intern for Oxfam New Zealand, Emma White works on the organisation's annual "Coffee Break" campaign; an unpaid role that reflects her passion for event management and making a change in the world. As White explains, "Being able to work for such a well-known and established NGO is greatly inspiring as I get to be a part of changing the world and knowing the work I put in is helping someone out there".
White officially began working as an intern with Oxfam in November, working 15 hours a week alongside a paid admin job at St Cuthberts College. At Oxfam, she assists the campaign team on various aspects of the annual Fairtrade campaign, which involves everything from editing sponsorship proposals to creating design briefs to liaising with potential organisers to creating databases to help promotion. Oxfam can have around 12 interns at any given time, in offices in Auckland and Wellington. For White, this work is crucial in gaining the right experience within her chosen field.
"Internships are very important to young people coming out of uni with no other relevant experience. If you have never worked before, you get the chance to learn how a workplace is run and what is required of you when you are to be a paid employee. It gives you insight into the standard of work you need to produce and how it is implemented in the real world, out of uni. It's a good opportunity to learn and take everything you can from the experience."
The opportunity to learn is key for White.
"The expectation isn't that which it would be if you were a paid employee of the company, so there is room to learn and benefit from the guidance of professionals."
The 20-year-old, who used to flat when she worked full time but moved home to study, established a relationship with Oxfam while studying Event Management at AUT University, where she had to plan and implement an event for them.
Oxfam co-ordinator Shirley Everton was so impressed with White's work as project manager that she asked if she would be interested in working alongside the Oxfam campaigns team. After an interview, White got the position.
White's position is unpaid, something she credits as the hardest part of being a young intern.
"You are working without pay and although gaining good experience and becoming a better candidate for an employee, you still have expenses. I work for a school part-time and they finish up for the year next week, leaving me with no pay after this date. Trying to find a job at this time of year has proven to be hard."
Imogen Wilson, 17
She's the epitome of a young creative, dabbling in various areas and taste-testing everything. Imogen Wilson has worked as a styling and photographic assistant and now styles her own photo shoots, she has launched her own blog, and currently volunteers as an intern at fashion label Lonely Hearts.
Wilson approached the designers after deciding to leave her Wellington high school earlier this year with ambitions of working in fashion.
"Not only are they one of my favourite brands ever, they came across as really friendly, nice and down to earth. A lot of people in the industry are quite exclusive and not so supportive; they were the exact opposite of that."
She began working in their Auckland studio in April, going in two or three days a week to assist on various aspects, from research to quality control to sending out orders to helping the PR and sales manager.
Lonely Hearts' Steve Ferguson says they like to help nurture young talent, and try to give Wilson tasks that are specific to her own interest and skills.
"We try to offer paid opportunities for our best work experience people; for example, Imogen recently organised and styled a shoot for a small injection range of printed tees and sweaters we've done for Christmas. She's also really helping us with our expansion in to places like the US and Japan; she'll research competitors and pricing which is great in making us as prepared as possible."
When not working with Lonely Hearts, Wilson develops her styling portfolio and contributes to website Always Sometimes Anytime.
Like all good internships, Wilson considers her role at Lonely Hearts to be on-the-job training, similar to university for someone wanting to break into the industry.
"It's definitely who you know, but also important to be a good worker. I think internships are great for learning about what goes on behind the scenes and the reality of working in fashion."
She eventually sees herself working at a magazine - Australian fashion magazine Russh is one that she particularly admires - and credits her current fashion apprenticeship with opening her eyes up to the less enticing side of the industry.
"I didn't know anything in the beginning about the not-so-glamorous jobs and how much hard work goes into it, but I really found myself having the drive to do something - and now I find working isn't 'work'. It's not a chore, which is what I think everyone's job should be like."
