The hot tea on Creativity with Phe☕️ Episode 1: It’s time to say goodbye to unpaid internships!
Getting an internship in the creative industries often is the first step on the career ladder for many young creatives! It is a chance to learn skills and gain experience in a chosen industry and with an internship under their belt, the world is their oyster!
Internships usually last anywhere between a week and a year, and are comparable to a full time job.
Surprisingly, even though interns are expected to work full time for up to a year, creative internships are often without pay. With all of the hard work an intern puts in over a potential year, this uncodified practice leaves creatives undervalued and out of pocket.
According to a 2018 report by the Sutton Trust, this culture has led to 86% of interns in the UK’s creative sector being unpaid. There is a real grey area in legislation that surrounds unpaid internships in the jurisdiction of England and Wales and it appears that many companies within the creative industries have exploited this obscurity.
As much of the industry favours unpaid internships, including well known, larger companies, many creatives do not see another option to get their foot in the door. They often take on these internships in the hope that they will later be offered a paid position. Working for free with no guarantee. This might be viewed like a career risk similar to any other. However, to work for free for up to a year, often going above and beyond to prove your worth should not be a standard practice to start your career in any industry.
Not only is this culture harmful, but as a condition of the internship requires creatives to work for free this can be exclusionary and leave many marginalised communities out of the equation, leading to further elitism within the industry. It is not a feasible option for creatives in less stable financial circumstances to break into the industry this way and they should not be left without opportunities because of this.
The inaccessibility and exclusivity of the unpaid internship narrows the options for ways creatives can start their careers in the industry and restricts creatives who are without financial support, leaving them to go without. Alternatively, it might mean that young creatives work evening and weekend jobs to sustain finances, putting their mental health at risk and increasing burnout.
Aside from the exploitative and exclusiveness of unpaid internships, the value of interns and the work they produce during unpaid internships must be considered. Doesn’t the very nature of an unpaid internship devalue the work of creatives? Shouldn’t the industry lift up those who are considering creative careers and set them up for success in ways they are fairly compensated?
The answer should be yes, but the weak legislation on this subject and culture within the creative industries allows companies to undervalue their interns and comfortably request free labour year on year.
It is time for a culture shift in the creative industries!
SOURCES:
https://www.theartnewspaper.com/2021/09/15/despite-legal-crackdowns-unpaid-internships-are-still-rife-in-the-art-world
Written by Phoebe Boateng, Content and Guides Lead at ERIC