by Rachel Smith
21 September 2018
At #MumbrellaPublish2018 yesterday, I was on a panel talking about the proliferation of lengthy unpaid internships (and whether journalism is becoming a profession for the privileged). Although I didn’t do an internship (and certainly, internships didn’t exist in the way they do now), I couldn’t help thinking about the experience I was given when I was starting out and the people who helped steer me in the right direction.
One stint of work experience I did was at the Manly Daily. I remember it was structured very well. I had time with different reporters, including a day at court. And I was taught how to do interviews and structure and write a news story.
One reporter there really took me under her wing, encouraging me to come with ideas – and, under her guidance, I wrote a story that was published in the weekend edition. I left that placement with an article bearing my byline – and knowing without a doubt what I wanted to do for a career.
Similarly, a placement I did with a corporate photographer taught me a lot about using different cameras and lenses, how to shoot in a studio, composition of subjects and so on. Again, I was encouraged to come up with a concept, plan and execute my own photo shoot and I ended up doing a photo for a kid’s bedroom – all my old teddies from childhood, staged and shot beautifully in the studio. I left THAT placement with an A3 print of the photo I’d taken, all ready to be framed (and an even bigger love for photography than I’d had going in).
I feel very grateful that I had such positive experiences when I was trying to figure out what I wanted to become.
The fact that they were short, sharp placements made me wonder yesterday, although unfortunately I didn’t have the chance to mention it, whether internships should be structured in a similar way.
Short and sweet. A placement with very defined goals and mentors who understand your interest. The chance to make contacts and network widely. And hopefully, a task or two that’ll result in a piece of work you’re proud to share with future employers (or which shows the company you’re in that you’re worth employing). You’re not out of pocket or having to work nights to pay the rent. There’s a good chance of a job at the end – or if there isn’t, you simply move on but with examples of your work to share with potential employers. There are good internships out there just like that – I’ve had feedback about them from students and junior journos.
But there are also a lot of bad ones, too – which can drag on for ever and the lines between learning and being an unpaid lackey for the company can become increasingly blurred. It’s not hard to understand why: resources and budgets are tighter than ever, editors and employers are stretched to the max just trying to get through an ever-increasing workload – and there’s a bit of a belief that interns should be grateful for whatever they get.
The solution is tricky. At Rachel’s List, we believe all interns should be paid, for starters – and that internships in general should be regulated. And I would love to see a system whereby internships are capped at, say, two weeks – enabling more young up-and-comers to get their foot in the door.
Did you do an internship or stint of work experience that you remember fondly? Or NOT fondly?
