You want to work for free?

bangogroup
Mar 18, 2014
2 min read

Surrounded by girls with legs up to their chin, touch typing away on their laptops, drinking skinny chai lattes as they discuss how they breezed through the latest exam.This is what my public relations lecture looks like every Monday morning at 9:30am.It’s not all glitz and glam and above all it’s competitive. You’re up against thousands of girls just like you and if you don’t stand out you can get lost amongst the sea of perfume and nail polish.For not only PR students, but many industries, gaining an internship while studying proves invaluable.

This is how you set yourself apart from all the students chasing the same dream job. Even if you aren’t as bright as the others, you can edge your way ahead by gaining experience.And then there’s the flip side- are interns across Australia being exploited in companies efforts to get students to work for free? On the 7th Feb, The Fair Work Ombudsman, Nicholas Wilson, announced that he will be seeking a harsher crackdown on internships and unpaid work experience in Australia. I cannot speak for everyone but there is nearly always a shared level of benefit to both the employer and the intern.

An employer gains an extra set of hands to help pick up tasks and lighten the work load around the office. An intern gains insight into a company’s dynamics, completing tasks whether small or big, boring or exciting. They are provided with the opportunity for constructive criticism, to meet and make ties with influential people, gain practical knowledge and much more. For people like me, the scale is clearly tipped in my favour with most of the benefits sitting at my end.However, many students choose not to seek as much experience as they can.

For example, many complete the required placement set by their university without building any further on this experience. Ultimately, some people prefer not to work for free and some do- however, this is what sets the hard workers apart from the those who don’t really want to be there to learn anyway. I suppose to look at internships as weeding out those who lack potential while allowing the hard workers to blossom and be noticed.

Finally, I do not see a cheque in my hand after writing blog posts, scheduling social media, researching, drafting or writing media releases for 6 hours each week. However, I will see it in two year’s time, or five year’s time, or even ten year’s time when an employer looks at my resume and sees how much experience I have under my belt which could potentially land me my dream job.