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Interns should be paid £2.50 an hour training wage

January 10th, 2011

The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) is today calling on the Government to introduce a £2.50 an hour training wage for internships lasting for three months or longer.

The Government was urged by the CIPD to introduce legislation to create a formal training wage for interns to prevent exploitation. The idea is part of a number of measures suggested by the CIPD aimed at boosting the UKs economic recovery.  The proposed training wage of £2.50 an hour, which is the current minimum rate of pay for apprentices, would be introduced to cover all interns regardless of their occupation or industry sector.

Internships are swiftly becoming a prevalent feature on the road to employment, useful for both interns and for employers. However, for many potential interns the largest obstacle to undertaking a placement is financial restrictions.  In a previous CIPD report published in June last year research showed that more than a third (37%) of internships were unpaid. The result of this, critics argue, is that young people from well-off backgrounds or with good connections enjoy an unfair advantage in the job market. The CIPD believes that the training wage would help reflect the contribution an intern makes to an organisation, as well encouraging people from poorer backgrounds to apply. In the same way that university education has been opened up to people from a variety of backgrounds, so should internships.

The issue of National Minimum Wage (NMW) in internships also continues to be something of a legal grey area; as the CIPD notes the central issue of whether they should be paid remains unresolved. By creating a formal training wage for those on extended work placements, the Government will go a long way towards eliminating the marked discrepancies in internship remuneration across different sectors and companies, and create a clear framework for employers.

The CIPDs recommendation comes as part of their wider vision for the future. Their chief economic adviser, John Philpott, is calling for a step-change in the UK’s leadership and people management skills in order for country to keep up with its international competitors.

He says: The government wants to foster a strong, private sector-led, economic recovery, but we have yet to see a coherent strategy for economic growth to sit alongside the chancellor’s very clear-cut approach to reducing the fiscal deficit.

The coalition needs to show greater urgency in implementing measures to help boost the long-run supply side capacity of the UK economy, which must include efforts to boost productivity by improving the way in which businesses manage the people they employ.

Inspiring Interns fully supports the CIPDs proposal, as it strikes a fair balance for someone who is predominantly learning, but also making some contribution to their company. At Inspiring we believe internships are not just a source of practical insight but an essential part of the career ladder. The main purpose of an internship is to provide students and graduates with meaningful experience that enhances their employability and skills, however without financial support many potential interns cannot afford to undertake an internship. Companies are therefore missing out on the wealth of talent that interns possess.  The training wage represents an appropriate level payment for both young people and businesses.

At Inspiring Interns we not only offer quality work experience, but all of our internships also pay lunch and travel as a minimum, a sum which amounts to at least £2.50 an hour. We call on the Government to act on the CIPDs recommendations, many of which overlap with our own manifesto, and create legislation that will ensure fair remuneration and better quality experience for interns.

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Internship Live Chat

December 13th, 2010

This morning we at Inspiring Interns opened up our online live chat facility “ to great success!  Below is the transcript for those of you who missed out.  We will be hosting similar sessions in the near future so keep an eye on our Facebook and Twitter accounts for further updates.

  • Alfred Smith Hi there, I’m looking for a sales and marketing internship and just came across your website. What kind of companies do you tend to work with?

12:05 PM 13/12/10

  • shmule hello there Inspiring….

12:07 PM 13/12/10

  • Inspiring Interns Hi Alfred, we work with lots of different companies. Many of our clients are exciting young SMEs, which we think gives you great hands on experience, but we also work with bigger companies too.

12:07 PM 13/12/10

  • shmule are you able to do an internship for just 1 month as i dont think i can afford 3 months unpaid?

12:07 PM 13/12/10

  • Inspiring Interns Hi Shmule, most of our internships are 3 months, however we do have some shorter term ones. Also, some of our internships are paid, and all of them are with a view to permanent employment.

12:09 PM 13/12/10

  • Ravi hi

12:10 PM 13/12/10

  • shmule OK then, that’s a help! thanks

12:11 PM 13/12/10

  • Inspiring Interns Hi Ravi, how can we help?

12:12 PM 13/12/10

  • Ravi do you have any internships in IT? Support/development/consultancy? thanks

12:13 PM 13/12/10

  • Diane How does this internship work? You just apply with a CV and wait for an interview? Do we have to pay some sort of money once if you got an internship set up?

12:14 PM 13/12/10

  • Inspiring Interns Ravi, we have lots of IT internships available, particularly support and development. You can see all of these opportunities our vacancies page.

12:17 PM 13/12/10

  • Inspiring Interns Hello Diane, yes if you send in your CV (specifying what job or sector interests you) we will try and match you with any suitable vacancies. If we have something that matches your profile we will invite you into our office for a preliminary meeting and then send you out to companies.

12:19 PM 13/12/10

  • Inspiring Interns Also, our service is completely free for candidates – we won’t ask you for a penny.

12:20 PM 13/12/10

  • Ravi Thanks – I will send you my CV for consideration shortly

12:21 PM 13/12/10

  • Ravi should i include a cover letter?

12:22 PM 13/12/10

  • Catherine What is your success rate for interns getting jobs at the end of placements?

12:24 PM 13/12/10

  • Diane Oh thank you . Also how is the interview like? what question would they generally ask? What sort of qualification you need to apply for the work experience role? Do u need a min. 2:1?

12:24 PM 13/12/10

  • Inspiring Interns Great, thanks Ravi. A full cover letter isn’t necessary, but a quick note explaining what sort of areas you are interested in is useful.

12:25 PM 13/12/10

  • Inspiring Interns Hi Catherine, around 65% of our interns become permanent employees at the company where they did a placement. If you factor in people who go on to get permanent jobs elsewhere after their internship, around 93% of our interns have paid jobs within a month of doing an Inspiring Internship.

12:27 PM 13/12/10

  • Inspiring Interns Hi Diane, lots of questions! Deep breath…

12:27 PM 13/12/10

  • Diane Sorry…

12:28 PM 13/12/10

  • Inspiring Interns No problem at all, we love the questions! Answers coming shortly…

12:28 PM 13/12/10

  • Catherine Thanks! What would be your top tip for making a CV stand out?

12:29 PM 13/12/10

  • Inspiring Interns The interview here is quite relaxed, we just want to get to know you better and establish what sort of roles might suit you. We also give you the chance to film a video CV, which helps you impress potential employers.

12:30 PM 13/12/10

  • Inspiring Interns We don’t look for specific qualifications, but generally our employers are looking for people with degrees. We don’t have a minimum requirement, sometimes someone with a 2.2 will be better for a particular internship than someone with a 2.1

12:31 PM 13/12/10

  • James Have you got any tips for prospective employees when they attend an interview?

12:31 PM 13/12/10

  • James An interview with a company besides yourselves* as part of an internship

12:32 PM 13/12/10

  • Inspiring Interns Catherine – first and foremost check and double check for any spelling mistakes or similar. Otherwise don’t try and make it too flashy, keep it neat with a simple font and well-formatted. Also bullet-points and short paragraphs are far more likely to be read than long chunks of text.

12:33 PM 13/12/10

  • Inspiring Interns Hi James, like with a CV always remember the simple things first and foremost – punctuality, politeness, appearance.

12:35 PM 13/12/10

  • Shelo Hey Catherine I’m a recent graduate in the web design field also in in for some top tips to I

12:35 PM 13/12/10

  • Inspiring Interns At an interview you should also always ensure you know your CV inside out, and know how the experience you have will be useful for the role you are applying for

12:36 PM 13/12/10

  • Kat Hey, I’m a Canadian full time 3rd year Bachelor of Commerce student, specializing in Marketing and currently living in Norway. Just wondering if you accept applications from international students? I found you guys through Twitter

12:37 PM 13/12/10

  • Inspiring Interns At an interview you should also always ensure you know your CV inside out, and know how the experience you have will be useful for the role you are applying for

12:36 PM 13/12/10

  • Kat Hey, I’m a Canadian full time 3rd year Bachelor of Commerce student, specializing in Marketing and currently living in Norway. Just wondering if you accept applications from international students? I found you guys through Twitter

12:37 PM 13/12/10

  • Inspiring Interns Hi Shelo, if you are a designer your CV should be something of an advert for your skills – a word doc won’t get you very far if you are applying for design roles.

12:38 PM 13/12/10

  • Inspiring Interns Hi Kat, pleased to hear you tracked us down on Twitter! We welcome applications from international students, so feel free to send in your CV!

12:39 PM 13/12/10

  • Kat Thanks, good to know. Are your current vacancies for an immediate start date? I’m looking for summer placements and can’t seem to find the start dates on your postings.

12:41 PM 13/12/10

  • Inspiring Interns Hi Kat, yes the vast majority of our placements are for immediate starts. You can still send in your CV, saying you are interested in summer placements, and we will keep you on file until we start receiving summer internship roles.

12:43 PM 13/12/10

  • Kat Great! Last question–is there any support in place either from you or the employer in terms of finding accommodation, getting work permits, etc.? I’m actually visiting London this week for my first time

12:46 PM 13/12/10

  • Inspiring Interns Unfortunately we’re not experts on work permits or accommodation, all we can do is try and point you in the right direction. But we’ll do our best to help!

12:48 PM 13/12/10

  • Kat Alrighty, thanks for your help!

12:50 PM 13/12/10

  • Inspiring Interns No problem at all Kat!

12:51 PM 13/12/10

  • Jill Hi Inspiring, I graduated this year but I’m currently doing a job I don’t enjoy. Do you think that doing an internship is a good way of initiating a career change? Or should I stick out this this job?

1:02 PM 13/12/10

  • Inspiring Interns Afternoon Jill! Sorry to hear you’re not enjoying your job. If you are set on changing jobs an internship can be a great bridge to a new career path. You need to think seriously about what you want from your work, and if sticking out your current role might provide you with this.

1:05 PM 13/12/10

  • Alfred Smith Okay so if I do get an internship…are my expenses paid?

1:06 PM 13/12/10

  • Sam Hi there, I’ve got a general question about the internships advertised on your site. Do you take them down once the positions are filled? I’ve noticed some vacancies are a few months old and was wondering whether it would still be worth applying. Thanks.

1:07 PM 13/12/10

  • Guest Hi, i am at an internship I don’t enjoy should I stick it out or find another?

1:07 PM 13/12/10

  • Inspiring Interns Hi again Alfred – yes all of our internships cover your lunch and travel expenses as a minimum, and some are paid positions.

1:07 PM 13/12/10

  • Stacey Hi! How can a candidate with a 2.2 degree prove themselves to be worthy of a position against their competitors with a better degree? Thanks

1:08 PM 13/12/10

  • Inspiring Interns Hi Sam, yes we do take filled roles down. If they are still there they will still be open, so apply away!

1:08 PM 13/12/10

  • Inspiring Interns Hi guest – the great thing about an internship is you are under no obligation to stay if you’re not enjoying it (unlike say a first job). So if you don’t feel you are getting enough out of your internship it might be time to look for another.

1:10 PM 13/12/10

  • Guest Would a string of internships look bad on my CV? i feel if i leave it will look like I’m not committed

1:11 PM 13/12/10

  • Guest Would a string of internships look bad on my CV? i feel if i leave it will look like I’m not committed

1:11 PM 13/12/10

  • Inspiring Interns Hello Stacey! If you have a 2.2 the key is to focus on all the things you have to offer an employer beyond your degree. You might have some relevant experience, or used your time at university to do extra-curricular activities that stand you in good stead for your first job.

1:12 PM 13/12/10

  • Stacey thanks very much!

1:13 PM 13/12/10

  • Inspiring Interns Guest – inevitably if you have done 4 or 5 placements you might get questions about your commitment, but I wouldn’t worry if you’ve left one with good reason. But make sure you take the time to ensure your next position is the right fit for you.

1:13 PM 13/12/10

  • Guest Thanks. Also if i was put through for an internship at your site how long will it take to hear if i was successful for an interview?

1:14 PM 13/12/10

  • Inspiring Interns If you apply for one of our internships and are successful in reaching the next stage you will hear from us within five working days. Unfortunately because of the volume of applications we can’t reply to every unsuccessful application.

1:15 PM 13/12/10

  • Sam How does the process work? Do you decide to put us forward for interview, or do you pass our CVs on to the employer who then decides? Thanks.

1:17 PM 13/12/10

  • Inspiring Interns Sam, if we think you’ll be a good fit for one of our internships we’ll give you a ring and invite you into our office for a meeting. There we’ll discuss your interests and offer you the chance to film a video CV. After that we’ll send you forward to the employer

1:19 PM 13/12/10

  • Inspiring Interns Thanks very much for all the questions so far, keep them coming! Just over half an hour left…

1:24 PM 13/12/10

  • Sam Sounds great! So how long does the whole process take, from our application until potentially meeting the employer?

1:26 PM 13/12/10

  • Inspiring Interns Depending on how busy we are and how busy you are, it could be as little as two or three days. On average I would say 7-10 days.

1:28 PM 13/12/10

  • Seamus Hi Inspiring. If I send my CV in today how long should I expect to wait before hearing from you?

1:34 PM 13/12/10

  • Inspiring Interns Hi Seamus – thanks very much for sending in your CV! If we have any suitable roles for you we will be in touch within 5 working days. If we don’t have anything at the moment we will keep your CV on file in case anything comes up in the future.

1:36 PM 13/12/10

  • Karl Hi there just saw this on Facebook. I was just wondering – will I get training during my internship?

1:46 PM 13/12/10

  • Inspiring Interns Hi there Karl – yes the point of an internship is to develop your skills so your employer will provide you with mentoring and training. All good internships should do this.

1:48 PM 13/12/10

  • Guest If we didn’t hear back after applying for an internship and want to apply again with an updated CV, is this ok? Would my CV get considered again?

1:54 PM 13/12/10

  • Inspiring Interns Hi guest, yes do send an updated CV in. We’ll have another look and if we have anything suitable we’ll be in touch!

1:56 PM 13/12/10

  • Guest what about if we’re looking at a specific position that we’ve already applied for? it’s okay to apply again?

1:58 PM 13/12/10

  • Inspiring Interns Yes do apply again, but if you were unsuccessful first time perhaps write a quick cover note explaining why you feel you are better suited now.

2:01 PM 13/12/10

  • Inspiring Interns Right thanks to everyone for taking part, hope it’s been useful! The transcript will appear on our blog later today. Bye!

2:06 PM 13/12/10

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Fee reprieve for poorer students?

December 7th, 2010

This week the Government is to vote on whether to back coalition proposals to increase the cap in fees from £3,375 to £9,000 from 2013. Ahead of the vote, it has been announced that thousands of university students from less well off backgrounds may have their tuition fees paid for up to two years under a new scheme proposed.

David Willetts, the Universities Minister, has said that up to 18,000 students may be eligible for the cash which would come from the £150m National Scholarship Programme, unveiled by Vince Cable last month.  Students from poorer backgrounds would be exempt from their tuition fees in their first year of study at universities that charge up to £6,000. Those at universities charging £9,000 a year would be eligible for an additional year of free tuition paid by their institution.

This announcement follows intense pressure from student groups protesting across the country, with particular anger directed at the Lib-Dem leader Nick Clegg and all other Lib Dem MPs, who signed a pre-election pledge to vote against any rise.

National Union of Students president Aaron Porter appears sceptical of the plans, believing that the proposal will have very little impact on rising student debt.

Clearly the aim of this announcement is to soften the blow in the case of any fee rises whilst leaving the door to university open to those from less affluent families.  Do you believe this new announcement will encourage students from less well off backgrounds to go to university?  Or will it be too late, leading to a return to the dark ages of elitism within university education?

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Why aren’t you on Twitter?

November 28th, 2010

As a thoroughly modern, cool, exciting (and very modest) company, Inspiring Interns spends a lot of its time browsing the Twittersphere, keeping a beady eye out for industry developments, potential clients, friends anything useful or interesting. Inspiring has found Twitter to be a great tool for connecting with people, following trends and spreading our own gospel.

So it came as something of a shock when news reached Inspiring Towers that Twitter has a low take up among 18-24 year olds compared to other social networks. The common accusation levelled at the micro-blogging site is that it is a poor mans Facebook status update, a mere forum for sharing your daily tedium (I had eggs for breakfast!! ;-) ). Undoubtedly this sort of post does make up a share of Twitter traffic, but by no means does it define it.

Twitter is about engaging with anyone who interested you. Not just friends (as in Facebook), not just professional contacts (as in LinkedIn), but absolutely anybody you feel might have something worthwhile to say or to share. That might be a celebrity (Inspiring Interns follows @stephenfry), a journalist (@jan_murray, education journalist), or something completely random (@sesamestreet ?!).

Of course, Twitter isn’t just for pleasure. Increasingly recruiters are using it as their tool of choice for sourcing candidates. When job hunting Twitter is also a great way to find and get in touch with key decision makers you might not reach otherwise. You can find some good tips here.

The reach and influence that Twitter commands is clearly increasing. Restricting anything to the now ubiquitous 140 character limit is, to use Twitter parlance, trending – from the Bible to CVs. There are even surveys demonstrating that Twitter users are more likely to get a job, so well-practised are they in the art of being concise.

T-Mobile is even running a competition where business owners and entrepreneurs can send a straight-talking pitch on why their business is so great in (you guessed it) 140 characters. With a first prize of £2000 and two second prizes of £1000, being an expert Tweeter could prove to be a very valuable tool.

So with all these benefits, the one question remains for 18-24 year olds: why aren’t YOU on Twitter?

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Graduate salaries down by 6%

November 15th, 2010

It is something that we know will come as no surprise: graduate salaries are on the decline.

XpertHRs annual graduate recruitment survey showed that starting salaries offered to graduate recruits are 6% lower than in 2009; indicating that they are not keeping up with pay rises across the economy.

Following the student riots over university tuition fee increases last week; this news – though not good – could act as some justification for the protesters. Part of the rationalisation for the substantial tuition fee increases was because it was alleged that graduate salaries were becoming more generous, something the XpertHRs survey disputes.

Half of the 190 employers surveyed offered graduates starting salaries of between £20,000 and £26,000. Overall however, the starting salaries varied greatly: with the lowest graduate earning £12,000, and the highest receiving £42,500.

As the cost of living continues to rise, it is feared that graduates will face further financial pressure in the future, particularly in the context of increased student fees to initially contend with.

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DEBATE: Should the long-term unemployed be made to do community work for their benefits?

November 9th, 2010

For some months now the topic of whether or not the long-term unemployed should be made to work for their benefits has been tossed around Parliament. This weekend the debate surrounding the benefits reform re-ignited as the government looks to go ahead with their original proposals.  Here, we summarise exactly what the government are suggesting, outline different sides of the ‘compulsory community work’ argument being highlighted in the media, and ask, what do you think? Should the long-term unemployed be made to do community work for their benefits?

Background information

The UK currently has five million people on out-of-work benefits, with it recorded last year that three million working-age people had been receiving those benefits for two years or more. Government statistics further showed that 1.4million people have been on an out-of-work benefit for nine or more of the past ten years. The numbers mean that the UK has one of the highest rates of workless households in Europe; with 1.9m children living in homes where no-one has a job.

What exactly is being proposed?

To try and reduce these figures the government plan to make it compulsory for those unemployed on a long term basis (although ‘long-term’ has yet to be defined) to do community work, such as gardening, litter-picking or working with a charity.

Though the community work scheme is in the process of being officially outlined, initial submissions suggest that the placements will be more like ‘work experience’ than full-time jobs, lasting from two weeks to one month. The claimant would be expected to work a 30 hour week to allow them to “experience…the habits and routines of working life” again.

Any claimant who refused or failed to turn up to work on time could then have their £65 Jobseekers’ Allowance frozen for at least three months.

The ‘Work Activity scheme’ is said to be designed to help reduce welfare dependency, stop claimants from opting to take benefits rather than work, and flush out those claiming whilst doing undeclared jobs on the side.

Points against the proposal

- Unemployed people will be treated like prisoners – Community service is currently the most frequently used form of punishment for those convicted of a crime, with over 20,000 people given a community sentence last year. By making the unemployed also do community service, they are a) being “punished” in the same way as a convicted criminal, and b) reducing the impact of this prevalent court punishment for those that have caused a criminal offence.

- It will cause already vulnerable people into further despair – The Archbishop of Canterbury is against the proposals, saying he believes it could drive people “into a downward spiral of uncertainty, even despair.” He argued that people who are already genuinely struggling to find work and struggling to find a future do not need their unfortunate circumstances turned against them.

- It could cost lower sector workers their jobs – If the unemployed are made to do lower sector jobs such as litter picking and gardening, then the demand for people currently hired to perform such roles will lessen or even cease to exist. If those people then become unemployed, they could end up finding themselves doing the same role as before, but on a far smaller income provided by the benefit system.

-  It will force the wages of the average worker down – If people are made to work for free, then the whole employment system could end up restructuring.  Unemployed people, feeling that a certain job is more desirable than community work / that any money paid is better than nothing, may feel forced to accept jobs for less pay than other competitors. The result is that those competitors then also have to take less money to get another job, and so on and so on, eventually impacting the average workers wage bracket.

- Forcing people into work will mean they have less time to find better employment – People who are made to work 30-hour weeks will have less time to search and apply for job posts, meaning that they will be even more unlikely to acquire themselves a permanent position.

- It is slave labour – Forcing people to work for free is being deemed as unlawful and has been accused of being the modern day equivalent of ‘slave labour’.

Points for the proposal

- It will help to flush out ‘benefit scroungers’ – By making people do community service, it will teach those who have opted for a life on benefits rather than employment that they can no longer have their lifestyle funded by those that work. It will also put a stop to those claiming benefits whilst unlawfully working, as they will not be able to carry on their undeclared position whilst carrying out the compulsory work scheme.

- It is fairer to the taxpayer – The unemployed should give something back to those paying for their benefits by helping out in the community. There are many people who have never claimed jobseekers, and have always managed to maintain a working life even if they had to take less desirable positions. Why should they then fund people to ‘sit at home’ when these people could be filling many important roles within the community?

- Allows people to experience the workplace again – Danny Alexander, the Lib Dem Secretary to the Treasury, told the BBC’s Politics Show that the scheme was intended to “support and encourage”  people to get back into the habit of getting up and going out to work, rather than remaining isolated at home. He also said it would help people demonstrate their employability to prospective employers, after many employers said they look more favourably to people who had done some work recently than those who had been unemployed for a long time.

- It gives people more of a push to find something better employment wise – If people are forced to do jobs such as litter picking and gardening, then it may a) motivate them to up the job search to look for something better, or b) make them consider taking jobs which they may have previously felt were beneath them.

- Breaks the cycle of welfare dependency – With the current benefits system meaning that some claimants are no better off – and sometimes poorer – if they come off the dole to take jobs paying up to £15,000 a year, many have admitted they purposely didn’t take work offered to them. With the new system, those who refused to take work, take jobs that were offered to them or do voluntary work would have their handouts stopped, and so the cycle of welfare dependency at the taxpayer’s cost would come to an end.

- It will save money – 14% of Britain’s national income is currently spent on welfare. As the country struggles to pay back its £156 billion budget deficit, the benefits system is being seen as a significant area where costs can be reduced. Iain Duncan Smith, the Work and Pensions Secretary said, “The benefits system is a deeply ineffective and costly way of subsidising people’s lives. We obviously have a limited amount of money and our purpose is to improve the quality of life for the worst-off in society so they can play a part and hopefully pay tax one day themselves.’

What do you think? Let us know below!

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Making it on your own: Digital Whizzkids

November 5th, 2010

As the media was filled with the latest dismal graduate employment statistics at the beginning of the week (see our piece ‘The Graduate Unemployment Sector’ for more details) we thought it was about time to give you something to aspire to.

Or – perhaps we should say – some people to be inspired by.

Here are some clever souls who – with a little help from their computers – decided to take their career prospects into their own hands and make it on their own. And they happened to do it rather well.  Heck, if they can do it, maybe you could to? (It would be nice to see even more English names on the list next time…)

Mark Zuckerberg


If by now you still don’t know who Mark Zuckerberg is then please refer to the picture for a pretty big hint. That’s right, he is the creator of the biggest social media website in the world: Facebook.

Anyone who has read Ben Mezrich’s book ‘The Accidental Billionaires’ about Zuckerberg’s rise to social media fame, or seen the book’s film adaptation ‘The Social Network’ will know that Zuckerberg created the social networking site whilst he was still studying at Harvard.

Now the site apparently rakes in £20 a second and has an estimated net worth of £500 million. All this without even graduating – Zuckberg ended up dropping out of his degree when Facebook took off – so just imagine what you could do with that added degree qualification in tow…

Blake Ross

When Blake Ross, a Miami teenager, was just 17-years-old he helped to create a free web browser that at the time was called Bill Gates’s worst nightmare.  The internet browser was a little one you may have heard of called Mozilla Firefox.

Now aged 22, the net worth of the Mozilla company (which Ross had been interning with when he and his friend David Hyatt began working on their small Firefox side project) is estimated to be around £75 million. Not bad for someone who hadn’t even left school yet.

Catherine Cook

When Catherine was 15 years old she founded MyYearbook.com with her brother David Cook then 16.

The site – an online version of the traditional American yearbook – now has over 16 million members and is the third biggest social networking site in the States behind MySpace and Facebook. Through the site Cook became a millionaire at 18, though not without a lot of hard work – she says she often clocks up to 60 hours a week around school hours (she’s now studying at University). Still, it shows that a bit of overtime can really pay off sometimes.

Kulveer and Harjeet Taggar

Oxford university graduates Kulveer and Harjeet Tagger became millionaires after selling their booming internet company, Auctomatic, less than a year after its launch.

The cousins, who started their online auction management company whilst they were still undergraduates, had many toils before their triumph – with the pair almost running out of money before their big break. “We survived on ramen noodles for lunch and dinner,” said Harjeet to the Times. “We didn’t even buy any furniture for the apartment that we were working out of, just desks. We had foam mattresses on the floor. We would work until we needed to sleep and then get up and start all over again.”

But the students persisted with their project and were rewarded in 2008 when Canadian web firm Current Media bought the site for an impressive £2.5 million, making it a job very well done.

Adam Hildreth

Adam Hildreth from Leeds, West Yorkshire, was ambitious from a young age. He was only 14 when he started his first business, Dubit Limited with seven other friends.

The company, a website that consulted on marketing to the teenage market, grew to become the most visited teen website in the UK. Hildreth then went on six years later to launch his second business, Crisp Thinking, an anti-grooming software which develops online child protection technology. Over the years he has been featured in the Guinness Book of Records, won numerous young achiever awards, and now directs companies with an estimated net worth of £25 million.

Juliette Brindak

Starting young – really young – often seems to be the key. Juliette Brindak, now 20-years-old and studying at Washington University, was just 10 when she came up with her multi-million dollar making idea. It came from a few drawings doodled on a trip home, a bit of encouragement from her graphic designer mum, and some enthusiasm from her peers to get her site, MissOandFriends.com up, running and making profit.

The successful website, aimed towards ‘tween’ girls, offers the chance for young girls to play, create, learn, exchange ideas, compare experiences and get published in an environment away from every day peer pressure. The company has an estimated net worth of $15 million, and a recent survey said it was beating the likes of Barbie, Hello Kitty and Girl Scouts.

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The Graduate Unemployment Sector

November 1st, 2010

After weeks of economic cut doom and gloom (you can see our report on how the Chancellor’s cuts will affect graduates here) the most current graduate forecast isn’t (surprise, surprise) looking any brighter.  The Telegraph today reported that the number of graduates going from degree to dole has hit 8.9%, equalling a total of 21,020 unemployed graduates.

The report, based on official figures obtained by the Higher Education Careers Service (Hecsu), found graduate unemployment has now reached a 17-year high, up from 7.9% in 2008, and 5.5 % the year before.

It further revealed that IT and media degree holders were the worst hit in terms of finding work, with those entering construction and engineering also struggling, particularly within architecture and building.

And in what seems a final twist of the ‘recession knife’, the public sector was shown to be one of the few areas still recruiting through the economic crisis – a small ray of light expected to be considerably darkened when the recent spending reviews prediction of  490,000 public sector job cuts starts to kick in.

But even as the extent of the challenges today’s graduates face when it comes to employment is further heightened, it’s important to retain a strong head. The job market is tough for everyone right now, and rejection shouldn’t be taken personally. Instead, time needs to be used productively, and graduates need to ensure that rather than giving up, they put that extra energy into snapping up that ideal job as soon as it becomes available (things are expected to improve for graduate prospects in the new year).

Check out Friends Provident’s ten great tips listed below to help graduates secure and keep a job (you can read the full article here) and keep checking our blog this week for more Inspiring Intern advice to help our graduates stop being an unemployment statistic and instead get started on their careers.

Friends Provident’s top ten tips to help graduates secure and keep that all important job are:

  1. Career map – Map out all the possible ways that you could break into your chosen industry. There is always more than one way. For example if you can’t secure the role you want perhaps consider applying for an assistant / co-ordinator/ or PA role. Lots of companies promote internally and if you prove your ability you could eventually climb the career ladder and secure the role you want.
  2. Be proactive – send CVs out to companies, get on their database – don’t wait for roles to be advertised. If you are on their database there’s every chance they will consider you before advertising a role publicly.
  3. Networking – Use the people you know and the ones they know too. It’s amazing what you will find out / learn from people in all aspects of your life. Make good use of them- if you don’t ask, you don’t get! Remember digital delivers – Social media is not just for friends. Use your social network to look for work, and to share your experiences with other graduates.
  4. Internships (foot in door) – Not only do they help you clarify your chosen career path, they also give you an invaluable opportunity to continue networking, the chance to build your communication and teamwork skills and help build confidence in the workplace.
  5. Experience pays – Take every opportunity available to you, big or small. You learn from every experience, good or bad and never know what it could lead to. If you are struggling to get paid work consider working for free in the meantime in an area you want to get into. It is beneficial and will look good on your CV.
  6. Business seminars – Go to business seminars and events – this helps you keep up to date with what is going on in your field and also helps with building your network.
  7. Research – find out as much information about the business as possible before going for an interview so you have a better understanding of what the business is about and what it is looking to achieve. This will give you a better chance of responding well to questions.
  8. Positive Mental Attitude – always work with integrity and respect for your colleagues, people are more likely to give you chances if they trust that you will do the right thing even if it is as simple as admitting if you have made a mistake.
  9. An energetic approach – An energetic and enthused approach will help show how much you want a job. Say yes and be excited about the prospects of the job, even if it is not your dream role. Remember to have fun – you spend so much time at work, try to enjoy it – you will find if you are happy it rubs off on those around you and makes the office a more pleasant place for everyone.
  10. Speak up – Your fresh ideas will be extremely valued by prospective employers so don’t be afraid to suggest new ways of working – even if you are just on work experience.

What is your opinion on graduate employment prospects? Got any extra tips you want to add? Let us know now!

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The 40-Year-Old Intern

October 8th, 2010

The knock-on effect of recession means graduates aren’t just competing for entry-level jobs against experienced workers: they’re now competing against them for internships too.



If you’ve been living in a distant galactic bubble for the last couple of years then you still might not have heard the news – we are currently suffering from a severe global economic downturn.

Yet it seems that as well as all the obvious effects occurring; national cuts, increased unemployment rate, higher numbers of university applicants etc, there have also been a few less expected outcomes, like the increase of older people seeking internships.

A survey conducted last month by CareerBuilder.com discovered that the struggling job market has sparked a surge of older people in the US applying for internships as a way to re-enter the employment sector.

The website, which surveyed more than 2,500 hiring managers across America, found that 23 percent of employers are receiving applications from people who either have more than 10 years of experience, or are aged 50 years and older.

“This economic downturn has really redefined what an internship is” said Mike Erwin, senior career advisor for CareerBuilder. “(People) need to make sure that they’re filling in the gaps while being unemployed, so they’re going ahead and taking these internships whether they’re paid or unpaid so they can get more experience, and hopefully land a full-time job.”

Traditionally, internships have been seen as a way for young people to get work experience on their CV. However, as the recession continues to kick in, and more and more graduates struggle to get the jobs that so many other more qualified individuals are also applying for, internships have taken on a much more important role. They are becoming that vital stepping stone between university and permanent employment.

However, the new statistics could mean that such graduates have an even greater fight on their hands as they find themselves competing against experienced people not only for pre-entry jobs – but also for internships.

Furthermore, the websites findings showed that many companies were just as keen to hire the older applicants as the more common younger ones;

“They know they’ve lost a lot of intellectual capital when they’ve had to lay people off,” Erwin explained. “So you’re going to find they’re going to bring back mature and experienced workers for internships as well as entry-level and college students who are going to bring a whole new feel to the job.”

Although this internship redefinition has only been reported in the States as yet, it leads to wonder how long it will take until economic desperation leads to a similar fad this side of the water.

And what would happen then? Will graduates need to do work experience to be able to get an internship to be able to get a job? Where will it end? Let us know your thoughts now!

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At least you don’t do this for a living…

October 5th, 2010

It’s no secret that things in the employment sector are pretty tough right now. People are being forced to take large pay cuts, those made redundant are applying for positions far below their skill and experience level, and reports showed last week that graduates are struggling to get above a call centre position.
Yet, as new MSN article ‘10 jobs no man would ever want’ showed, it could still  be worse;  far, far worse in fact. We did our own investigating here at Inspiring Towers and put together our list of ten of the worst jobs in the world (and no, we certainly won’t be arranging internships within them!)

Portable Toilet Cleaner

Anyone who’s ever been to a festival knows the worst part is the unavoidable visit to the porta-loo – so how would you fancy the job of cleaning it?  After a long, hot weekend with hundreds of thousands of ravers binging on fast food and discoloured alcohol you can only imagine the end results – brings new meaning to, ‘same crap, different day’ doesn’t it?

Roadkill Remover

Not only do roadkill collectors get to scrape off and pick up the decaying remains of dead creatures from the road, they also get to do it whilst braving oncoming traffic. Lovely.

Saddam Hussein’s Body Double

So we appreciate that this job is a little bit redundant now, but for years the Iraqi dictator and his offspring hired decoy lookalikes as a defensive measure (there were even rumours within minutes of Hussein’s televised hanging that they had put the wrong man to death!) With few still alive to tell their stories, it certainly often came under the ‘job for life’ category…

Brazilian Mosquito Researcher

Scientists fighting malaria must study the biting habits of the mosquito that spreads it. However, the Anopheles darling mosquito found in Brazil is too smart for conventional traps – so the scientists have to offer themselves as bait to catch the crafty little suckers instead. Considering that mosquitoes are credited with killing half of all humans who have ever lived, these scientists are certainly “buzzing” (Gettit?) for their cause.

Alaskan Crab Fisher

You’re freezing cold, you’re soaking wet, you could get crushed under the two ton crab cage during a storm, or have a king crab chop off one of your fingers. Filing in the office doesn’t sound nearly so awful any more eh?

Personal Assistant to Naomi Campbell

She throws phones, attacks airline staff and has been in and out of court for years over assault charges put forward by former employees. You might need a thick skull to stick out this job…

Guard at Buckingham Palace


Regarded as one of the worst jobs in the British army (quite extreme when you consider another takes place on the frontlines…) the Guards have to stand completely still, for hours, looking their best. Oh, and of course, they also have to keep straight faced and ignore the consistent antics of the British public and tourist alike as they try and break the monotonous stance (as if you’ve never tried…)

A Colonic Irrigation Administrator

So you hardly need a Sat Nav to figure out where the end of that tube goes, and will hardly be surprised by what comes out. Hailed as a miraculous alternative medicinal therapy, the procedure helps to remove faeces and toxins lodged in your colon and intestinal tract from times past (or even a marble as one guy found that he’d swallowed 25 years previously…!) Interesting stuff, but the fact is it involves a lot of poo, which is why none of us fancy the job…

Flatus Odour Judge

In the research labs of mouthwash companies someone has to test product efficiency, and unfortunately that means enlisting the help of some halitosis sufferers to blow in said ‘someone’s’ face. Nice. But if you think that’s bad, Minneapolis gastroenterologist Michael Levitt paid two plucky people to indulge repeatedly in the odour of other people’s farts and rate how noxious the smell was. We can only imagine how that reads on their CVs…

Sick Collector at Thorpe Park (or any theme park for that matter…)

After 619 ‘sick shutdowns’ last year at Thorpe Park, and an estimated 150 litres of sick kindly left by customers the year before, Thorpe Park were forced to employ 22-year-old Rhys Owens solely as the park’s vomit collector. It certainly wouldn’t be our first choice of employment, though Owens, apparently, is quite happy with his lot in life. Talking to the BBC, he said, “I’m a massive fan of rollercoasters, so I’ve pretty much been on it every single day. If all I have to do is clean up maybe one or two bits of sick throughout the day I’m not really fussed. It’s a dream for me.” Yes, it really is quite the dream…

What do you think? Got some more rubbish job you’d like to add to the list? Did an even worse job yourself?! Let us know in the comments below so we can all sympathise / laugh!

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