First things first, I’ve written this post in response to We Are Empire’s hunt for a design intern. Well, more to the point the response we received on Twitter about the position. Although I’m not speaking for anyone other than myself, I feel people who have gone through unpaid internships have been unfairly targeted by people believing they are bad for the industry, unethical even.

My Journey

I attended university for 2 years, studying Web Systems (although I was misled into joining the course, but I’ll talk about that another time!), in an attempt to gain knowledge that would help my career.

During my time at university I had various part-time jobs so I could survive, none of which were within the web industry and definitely didn’t have amazing pay - 16 hours a week in a stockroom unpacking boxes was an unpleasant experience, but financially it helped me get through university.

When I gave up on my studies, my work situation didn’t exactly improve. No employer wanted to take on a university dropout with no industry experience, so whilst I continued to unpack boxes 16 hours a week, I managed to convince a local agency to let me do a 3 month unpaid internship. Even though it was unpaid I felt lucky to be given a chance to take my first steps within the industry and even luckier when it eventually led to me getting a full-time position at the agency, making some amazing friends in the process. I could finally pack my unpacking job in, what a relief!

2 and a half years later I felt I’d done all I could and it was time to move on. After months of searching, trying to find the right studio, I was over the moon to have my application accepted by We Are Empire, and now nearly 12 months on I will get to be a part of someone else’s journey.

So Why the Hatred?

Everyone ignores the positives. I’m not just talking about internships here; young children aren’t being given the credit that’s due because exams are getting easier. Why can’t children be praised for studying, trying to create good foundations for their future?

That’s a horrible estate to live on. Why? Because ONE kid painted something on a wall. It’s the negative press that is prominent, no one remembers the old age pensioners landscaping the communal park.

I understand that just because my journey through an unpaid internship turned out pretty well, it doesn’t mean everyone else’s will. But it’s these stories that attract all the press and negativity - no one takes note of the success stories. Why? Because within these negative stories there is always 2 topics that come up; ethics and damaging the industry.

Ethics

Straight to the point, people’s problem with unpaid internships boils down to one word, unpaid. It’s as simple as that.

People seem to hate other people working for free, even though the person in question is willing and excited to sign up to receive much needed experience. At the end of the day an internship has everything to do with gaining experience and if you’re offered money towards travel, food or living then that’s a bonus. Make it count and get the best experience possible from the internship.

Damaging the Industry

I’ll be honest, I’m not exactly sure how to respond to this claim. Apparently because unpaid internships are well, unpaid, only the richest prospects can apply for them because, (again, apparently) you can’t afford to live on a part-time job alongside studying and an internship.

According to this lovely article on favouring the rich the BBC claim that it could cost up to £926 per month for an individual living in London, and up to £804 per month for someone living in Manchester. Now granted I wasn’t living in either of these cities during my internship, I was earning less than £400 per month and still having to make my way to both jobs, eat and although not essential, still have some semblance of a social live.

So What Am I Trying to Say?

If you’re in the position where you don’t need to think about looking at internships then I’m happy for you. But don’t try and taint the opportunity for those that see this as their way into the industry. I couldn’t be more thankful for my opportunity, as I’d most likely still be in a dead-end job without it. But look at me now, I’m a respected member of the industry, getting involved and trying to share my knowledge in a studio that’s trying to give someone just like me their own chance.