Earlier this year after I completed an internship, the time came to start my job search. Whilst looking for a job I wanted to keep busy – having already gained an intern opportunity through WEXO in October 2009 at Extreme, I was keen to see what the site had to offer. I came across a position looking for a writer to join the London-based charity Kids Company. After the initial interview they were happy to take me on.

I felt, however, that the posting on WEXO was initially misleading as it was filed under the job section; it was only during my interview that I realised it was to be an unpaid position. I took the opportunity anyway and for two weeks was immersed in the Kids Company world. I went to a centre visit to see all the great work Kids Company does for young children in inner city London. I found the staff to be very welcoming and friendly which is always a massive plus when you are the ‘newbie’. For a journalism graduate I enjoyed reading all the different print media they produced and was itching to get down to some writing on their behalf. Unfortunately, it transpired that I was to be more of an editor than a writer. Initially I was disappointed with this but then was able to put my own stamp on pieces that I had edited.

I enjoyed my time at Kids Company and would have happily stayed there if I thought I was going to be paid for my contribution in the near future. Sadly, I had to leave for a job that was paid. I am still in touch with Kids Company and have put myself and a friend down to volunteer this Christmas as part of their volunteer team.

Catherine Andrade

Standing outside the House of St. Barnabas, a beautiful Georgian building, I felt sick. It was the morning of my interview and my nerves had the better of me.

I had moved to London two weeks previously, yet another graduate anxious to find a job. I spun off hundreds of applications, evading boredom through an incessant hunt, and landed an interview here.

During the interview I gave it some welly. The role had two aspects to it, both to assist the CEO and to help the charity to run a Life Skills Programme. The Life Skills Programme is a 12-week schedule of training, work experience and personal development for those who have been homeless and are looking to return to employment. It sounded quirky, unique and philanthropic: I liked it.

Within a week I had the job. I started just before the next programme began and at first helped to ensure that all the paperwork was ready for the programme to start. I was introduced to all the staff at the house and was given a special historic tour. Built during the eighteenth century, its original purpose was residential, hence the plethora of rooms and elegant interior. However, in 1862, after an interim in the House’s use, it was taken over to be put to use as a House of Charity. From then on the House of St Barnabas has continued to help the homeless in some shape or form.

I quickly learnt that this was no ordinary internship. Although primarily administrative, as part of the Life Skills Team, my role demanded perception and delicacy above all else. Helping the CEO too also proved a diverse and varied role. From researching projects to diary management and, of course, refining my mail & label merge skills, I was never sure what might come next!

Now, I have just two weeks left of my internship and can’t believe how quickly the time has gone. We are almost at the end of our programme and the volunteers are soon to graduate. During my interview, all that time ago, I was told, “No two days will be the same.” And that is exactly how my experience has been.

Philippa Record

It’s hard to believe that another year’s about to fly by, but it certainly won’t be wrapping up without a bit of drama. In case you hadn’t heard, Lord Young suffered as David Cameron’s first advisory resignation casualty two weeks ago. All the uproar centred around his comment that young people of today ‘have never had it so good’ in the current ‘so-called recession’. Hmm. This is an interesting one, because the ex-enterprise adviser has been both defended and reviled in the press since.

On the one hand there is the sense that given current mortgage rates, people in the current recession do have a better deal than usual. On the other, we’ve got the prospect of soaring university fees and nearly unrivalled unemployment rates to contend with. So the plot thickens.

However, my goal isn’t to obsess over press speculation and controversy. Instead, it’s to remember the very sorts of ventures and advice that made Lord Young a candidate for his lost position. Check out the video below in which Lord Young talks to our own Robin Kennedy about opportunities for the youth. It’s great to see that he cares about, and believes in the relevance of youth employment. See the original post here too.

Tshepo Mokoena