This Thursday I shall deliver a presentation discussing a topic that upsets me within the arts industry. I have chosen to broach the subject of the thousands of unpaid interns that are potentially being taken advantage of. I have had my own personal experience of being an unpaid intern, although it is true that I have learnt skills whilst in these roles, I pose the question ‘Is that not what you do at work?’. I will outline what the responsibilities of an Intern should be and what they shouldn’t with the aid of the Arts Council Guidelines. I will note how and why the boom in british internships came about, as well as drawing on my own personal experiences and those of others. I will try to give my peers tips on what to look out for in the hope they don’t find themselves in illegal internships and can question what is legally and morally acceptable.

I really think its a problem that should be properly addressed within society, with harsher punishments for those in the system that abuse young workers. With 130,000 UK companies admitting they use unpaid interns, at a time when we have a staggering unemployment rate, why is this allowed? If a business needs that job role to function properly, and they advertise for it, surely it is worth paying someone minimum wage for?

How are these young professionals supporting themselves? Many of whom are graduates, who no doubt have already accumulated debts from education? Why is our young talent being undervalued in such a way? What does this mean for the future of the industry? Is an elite society being formed where only middle and upper-class families see their young progress into creative careers? 

I will also discuss the misuse of Interns, where unpaid workers have been instructed to perform tasks that have no educational value and the court ruling’s that follow such cases.

I suggest that anyone unsure of their intern situation should read the Arts Council Guidelines.

Sources

The Graduate Frog – http://graduatefog.co.uk/2011/1491/unpaid-interns-dont-exist-hesa/

Forbes – Susan Adams – http://www.forbes.com/sites/susanadams/2013/06/14/is-the-unpaid-internship-dead/

Arts Council – http://creative-blueprint.co.uk/library/item/internships-in-the-arts

BBC News Magazine – Jon Kelly – http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-10891905

The Guardian – Shiv Malik & Rajeev Syal – http://www.theguardian.com/money/2011/nov/04/internships-scandal-britain-unpaid-army

Deviant art – goat Roar – by fbcota – http://fbcota.deviantart.com/art/Goat-roar-150016394

Gum Tree http://www.gumtree.com/;gtbuyersessionid=BFD12AB1EA6227DB4C70CEACF6E497C8