Unpaid internships - YAY or NAY?

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Internships offer a great and easy way to work for a company, giving you the opportunity to be more than just 'the work experience kid' whilst you are not bombarded with as much responsibility as a full on employee. So, what happens if you come across an internship that seems pretty much perfect? By perfect I mean that it's in the best industry for you, the job description is great and it's in the most convenient location. The only problem? It is completely, 100%, absolutely... unpaid. Would you still apply or keep on searching?  Are unpaid internships just another typical part of the graduate experience that we should all accept? Should they be banned completely or should an internship be snapped up regardless of the pay or not? Internships can of course offer a unique experience, both for the intern and the company, however, they can differ extremely from company to company and intern to intern.  They could offer you the chance to really explore your talents, gaining the right type of experience for you and can even lead to a full time job at the end of the placement. While, on the other hand, an internship can be detrimental - turning you from a budding intern to an office slave; wasting your time, skills and effort, with nothing but the promise of 'it will look good on your CV' at the end of it. It will look good on your CV... but have you learnt anything worth while?

 Whenever I have come across any internship placements, I try and follow a three step rule:

 1. The company: What type of company will I be interning at? Are they well established and will they offer me the right type of experience I am looking for?

2. Length of placement: Will I be working, unpaid and full time, for longer than one month?  How long can I, realistically, afford to work unpaid for?

3. Location: Is the placement far or near? Will it be a mission to get to or just a bus ride away?

When I first graduated from uni I would spend hours upon hours applying for jobs and internships - any that I could find really within the media industry. Nine months on and I have slightly changed my approach to things with the above three step rule. I don't know if this makes me extremely picky or not but I've found that being specific saves time and allows me to take extra care when filling in application forms.  Having recently quit an unpaid placement at a local radio station I realise that many companies, especially the less well known ones, rely heavily on interns.  Of course, it was a great experience but after a couple of months I felt that I had not been learning anything new or broadening my skills on the placement.  It dawned on me that while it may be great to be offered an internship, could I realistically afford to work at some of the places that I had been applying to? Looking for work instantly places you as the underdog and just a face amongst the sea of applicants. At the same time, however, you still have a right to learn and grow on any placement, whichever industry it is in. I'm not saying all unpaid placements are bad, but from personal experience, I have yet to really gain anything from one.  I also find that industries such as media or fashion are swamped with applicants that we will gladly snap up any opportunities in these industries, paid or not.  I've read many articles on this issue and they have ranged in conclusion - some stating that unpaid internships are a form of 'exploited labour' while others simply state that they are something every graduate should go through.  I wouldn't exactly say that they are form of 'exploited labour' or that they are 'immoral' but neither should a graduate be ridiculed for turning down an unpaid internship or for requesting to be paid after working for a company for a couple of months.  Ultimately, I think what it comes down to for me, and I suspect for many of you guys too, is the content of the internship, the company, length of time and location.  I'm not calling for a ban on unpaid or voluntary internships but, just because prospects may be bleak for graduates and job seekers doesn't mean we should compromise our worth or growth in the workplace.

What do you guys think:

 Have you ever had an unpaid internship and regretted it? 

Do you have any tips to follow when job hunting?

SB:TV #DB8 - 'Urban Culture empowers rather than imprisons'

As part of their 'Inspiration Season' SB:TV recently collaborated with Channel 4’s Battlefront to present ‘The Battlefront #DB8’ – a political debate mixing the rules of competitive debating and MC sound clashes to create a vibrant atmosphere for young people, UK artists and youth leaders and campaigners to attend and voice their opinions.  The debate looked at three arguments often thrown at young people growing up in the UK 

1.       ‘Young people don’t respect authority’

2.       ‘Urban culture empowers rather than imprisons’

3.       ‘Young people can’t create change’

One that seemed to stand out was whether or not urban culture empowers or imprisons people. Now, to define urban culture would surely have us here forever; it is a culture that encompasses everything from music, fashion, art and everything in between.  It offers a platform for imagination to grow, for creativity and individualism; a place to find inspiration. Chantelle Fiddey, a youth culture expert, comments: ‘one thing the urban community is good at is building something out of nothing’. This can be evident in certain aspects. For example, graffiti – a form of art by the likes of Bansky that has derived from what most people have seen as ‘pure vandalism’.  Graffiti is now used by major businesses to engage youth and is even incorporated into the official 2012 Olympic symbol, one person states in the debate.

Empowerment opens up people minds and broadens their horizons, something that is crucial for young people when growing up, in any country, let alone the UK. It forces you to think beyond what you can see and, in this sense, urban culture can provide a great aid in this process.  In terms of music, the reason why artists such as Mc Righteous, Lowkey and Logic seem to be blowing up right now is because people can relate to them, to their struggles, goals, ambitions in life. It is one thing to hear artists forever producing traditional ‘love songs’ and being able to relate, but when artists sing about key issues, it seems like people’s feelings are being engaged and portrayed in musical form.

One thing to note, however, is the fine line between ‘empowerment’ and ‘imprisonment’.  Brian Paddock, Liberal Democrat Mayor Candidate mentions how ‘people take that [urban culture] and see it as an example, rather than a commentary’, pulling on the stereotype and idea that urban society is such that forces young people into a single mind set. While you may argue that certain people have no say-so or knowledge to be commenting on such a complex and multi-layered scene in the UK, it would seem ludicrous to disregard such an opinion all together. Things often look different to those standing on the outside, but this does not necessarily mean that they are wrong (or even right). An argument put forward by another is the way in which artists such as Wiz Khalifa glamorise the weed or the superficial chase of money part. The mindset that people are ‘from the streets’ as one guy puts it, or that to go on and ‘forget’ this would be a form of ‘selling out’ as I have often heard people accuse others of doing.  Surely the idea of urban culture is much more than this. Yet, we are confronted with examples of people everyday simply limiting themselves to this mindset, to the idea that ‘the streets’ is all there is; ‘it’s almost like a fashion to come from a bad background and live that gangster life’ one comments in the debate.

But of course, when you think of Urban Culture, is this what springs to mind? Or is it the positive expression and source of inspiration that many youth draw from?