How to get the most from an internship
ANYONE read last Friday’s (26th) Guardian article jumping on the intern exploitation bandwagon? No no… don’t get us wrong, we think intern exploitation is out there and we don’t like it one bit, but seriously, the case study they used, ‘Jake’ – get some common sense!
Jake “ha[s] a master’s from Durham and this is what [he’s] reduced to.”
Everyone’s been talking about intern exploitation after it was highlighted by the Trades Union Congress’ (TUC) concern that 1 in 3 are finding themselves in unpaid internships for long periods of time and still not gaining relevant experience. We here at Wexo always encourage companies offering internships on our site to pay their interns so you lucky members are already ahead of the curve in this department. Well done. With the news of 1 in 3 interns exploited here are a few tips to avoid becoming the unlucky one.
1) Make sure you know what you want to gain from your internship AND convey this to the company from the get go. BUT also be realistic. You will probably have to make more than one or two cups of coffee. If you feel the situation is becoming ridiculous, simply politely and intelligently having a conversation with your superior more often than not will resolve the situation.
2) Make sure you know your rights as an intern, a bit of homework in this department will go a long way to ensuring you don’t end up like Jake.
3) A good bit of enthusiasm on your part is going to play a big part in you getting what you want from your internship. If you are always asking questions and prepared to put in that extra bit of effort the people around you in the office are far more likely to get you involved with what they do. Remember: YOU got the internship for a reason, they wanted an intern and they liked something about you. With that in mind, don’t let anything get in the way of making the most of the opportunity.
Read the original article here and all about ‘poor old’ Jake.
Also this might come in handy!
