essaygothinkbiggraduate jobHMRCindustryinternshipslifestylelifestyleandculturemediaNMEpersonalplacementspopcultureuniversityunpaid internshipsWork Experience
Pushing For Pay - How the media world is fighting back against unpaid placements for students
![]() |
Image Source |
Every July, 370 different media based
courses in the UK spit out hoards of graduates, all clutching hard-gotten
pieces of paper that boast the results of three years of identikit studies.
They all dream of the same thing: to be a writer, a TV presenter, the next big
thing in Radio. Whilst their ambitions are admirable and even well informed
considering their qualifications, many will find themselves making little
impact in an interview. That is unless they support their studies with some
serious real-world credentials, the skills you simply cannot learn in a
classroom.
Luckily for me and my Media, Humanities
and Music coursemates at Huddersfield Uni, we’re set to graduate this summer from a uni with a
strong employment record, bolstered by industry contacts we have made whilst
completing our coursework and a firm grounding in theory that will hopefully
mean we can prove ourselves to be perfect employees. However, with a recent
report from the High Fliers society stating that over
50% of employers wouldn't give a job to a graduate without experience, it is simply no
longer standard practice to swap the mortar board directly for a desk job.
Whilst most students aim to complement their studies with media placements
during their holidays, competition for places forces many to take time off from
their studies to experience work with no financial recompense.
The argument about
unpaid placements isn’t new, but it is one that has always been shrugged off
with the same guidelines – if you’re doing a job that a staff member would be
employed to do, you should get paid. If you’re handing out the post, not so
much. I’ve done my fair share of crappy tea making and boring transcription,
but when it’s for a massive, ‘dream job one day’ worthy publication, it can
often be difficult to know when to say no. In November 2013, HM Revenue & Customs announced it would be looking to protect
students by cracking down on unpaid internships, targeting 200 employers who
advertise for free labour. Whilst this decision seemed to be the start of a
turning point, it still remains to be seen whether it will change such a deeply
ingrained tradition of exploitation.
With research from YouthSight claiming that the
average University experience costs £16,804 a year, forking out daily travel
expenses to the city for six months with no promise of a follow up job can be
hard to stomach, particularly if it yields no further insight into the industry
than what flavour syrup the editor likes in their latte. Students often end up
working extra part time jobs to fund their placement, and are then unable to
give their all to other commitments, least alone their degree course. It’s a
big juggling act: we want to show employers that we’re ready for the industry
by studying it for three years, but somehow we need to prove it practically
too. Can we have another 12 hours in our day please?
One would suggest that this is an issue
Universities themselves should seek to monitor, and indeed many of the
country’s leading institutions are now refusing to advertise schemes that recruit
unpaid interns. This year, University College
London launched a Santander sponsored scheme which sees 90 students gaining
experience in a range of businesses over the summer, earning £250 per week.
Introducing placement years into degree programmes is also a key initiative,
allowing undergraduates to seek yearly positions rather than monthly ones,
allowing more scope for skill development, and ultimately, pay. It’s a system
that works well for our University’s Creative Arts department and may be rolled
out further within the University if proven to be viable.
On a national level, the growth of the
Bauer-Media-meets-O2 enterprise GoThinkBig, who offer paid work at many of the
country’s leading titles including Kiss FM, Kerrang and Grazia has also helped
and is something I directly benefitted from in my first year, when I undertook
a placement at Q Magazine. Launched as a direct reaction to youth unemployment
statistics, GoThinkBig support the development of young people aged between 16
and 24 looking to get their foot on the media ladder.
‘We’ve only been in
business for just over a year, but we have already provided 10,000 career
related opportunities’ explains Tokunbo Ajas-Oluwa, head of GoThinkBig. ‘We’ve
become a one-stop digital hub that bundles together insight, advice and
practical opportunities to enable young people to make informed decisions about
their career aspirations. Work experience and internships are superb because
they provide the individual with a reality check of what awaits them within the
working world. However if a placement doesn’t cover expenses, then only a
minority of young people can afford to take advantage of such a rich
opportunity.’
BBC Radio 1 are also pioneering a new ‘Take It On’ scheme, which sees students of any age welcomed to apply for two months at a time on pay rates of £250 a week, with leave days included. Whilst I wasn’t quite clued up enough on the yoof’s listening habits to claim the placement myself, it was a scheme that greatly benefitted Bournemouth University Undergraduate Pete Simmons, who was able to take time off his Broadcast Journalism degree to put his academic skills into practice.
‘When I arrived I was thrown straight in; I got to write scripts, edit video content, call
listeners and record
pieces to put on air,’ Pete explains. ‘Having kept in contact with everyone I
met, the Head of Recruitment let me stay on as a Team Assistant. ‘Whenever I
meet potential employers and mention my time at Radio 1 they instantly take
notice and respect me. Had I not been paid, I couldn’t have taken the
opportunity- the cost of staying somewhere and living would have been
impossible to keep up with.’
With the HMRC
crackdown hopefully meaning a more secure future for interns, success stories
like Pete’s might become more commonplace. Until then, students are forced to
be more enterprising with their time if they hope to climb the career ladder
with their degree classification intact.
Ways To Get The Most
Out Of A Media Placement
Say yes: Don’t let
people take the piss, obviously, but be willing to help out in any way
possible. Sure, it may mean organising archives for three hours, but by
completely tasks quickly and accurately with a smile on your face, it shows
that you are willing to pitch in on the less glamorous tasks.
Speak to people: It
sounds obvious, but don’t just meekly sit and do the assigned tasks – ask
people questions! It’s the easiest way to show that you are interested in the
company and learn what it takes to get a foot in the door. Volunteering to hand
the post out in the morning is a brilliant way to break the ice with as many
workers as possible. Speak to the other work experience students too – who
knows where they might end up in the future?
Use downtime to pitch
ideas: At a busy magazine or radio station, journalists won’t necessarily
be plying you with tasks; they’ll be too busy themselves. Use this time to
pitch story ideas and concepts to the relevant editor – you never know; they
might end up getting published! (see my previous blog about my work experience at NME!)
Dress the part: For
the most part, magazine placements only require casual clothes, but by planning
presentable (but comfortable) outfits, you will instantly feel more ready to
impress.
Do your research: Before
you start your placement, make sure you are familiar with their output, or even
follow some of their writers/contributors on Twitter. You’ll be much more aware
of how the different parts of the company come together and will be able to ask
much more informed and intelligent questions.
Maximise Your Time In The City: Lots of big media placements
are in big cities like London or Manchester, so take advantage of opportunities
there are to network in your new fast paced surroundings. Organise a post-work
meet up with an old contact you have only ever spoken to on the phone, even go
on interviews for other placements or blog about your experience (keep it
professional, obviously). As the saying goes, it’s all good stuff for the cv.
0 comments