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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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Posted in CV & Interview Tips, CV & Interview Tips

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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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Posted in Just for fun

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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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Posted in Inspiring Office Antics, Internship News, News, careers advice

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A step too far? 18 months unpaid work with the Met

October 1st, 2010

So you want to be a police officer; enforce law, fight crime, and generally look out for the health and safety of your community. But however much your passion to work towards the good of the nation is, would you be prepared to do it for free – for up to 18 months?

Well you might have to, if new recruitment plans proposed by the Metropolitan Police go ahead.

Reports yesterday explained how the procedure – to scrap training schools and make recruits work as unpaid special constables before they join up – could save Scotland Yard millions of pounds, a necessity if the Home Office’s 25% policing cuts are to be met.

The change would mean that two thirds of recruits would have to commit to working 16 hours a month for 18 months as volunteer special constables before they would be considered for permanent full-time employment. The rest would come from the Met’s community support officers or have law and policing qualifications.

Martin Tiplady, the head of the Met’s human resources, described the move to the BBC as the “right way forward”.

He said: “This will deliver savings of between £12,000 and £20,000 per officer in salary costs during their training period. More importantly, our future police officer recruits will hit the ground running with full patrol status at the outset.

“This approach simply allows those considering a career as an officer to sample the job and acquire the right skills.”

With Police forces nationwide having to cut back on recruitment to solve financial problems, the move is hoped to offer an alternative way of getting people back into the forces, whilst also maintaining the high level of policing service which can only be sustained with sufficient manpower.

The scheme, however, has been heavily criticised, with opposition groups claiming that the plan was “fundamentally flawed”, and would lead to the recruitment of only middle-class people who have the time / funds to comply.

Jenny Jones of the Green Party, said. “Many people just won’t be able to afford to become a police officer. It would mean they would have to work part-time for the Met for the first 12 to 18 months. I think this will narrow the field of people who are able to join the force.”

Police unquestionably play an important, vital and often risky role throughout the country. To enforce an 18 month voluntary obligation will undoubtedly frustrate many of those eager to get in and get crime fighting. However, some perspective on the situation needs to be maintained.

Whether this plan gets officially passed or not, those eager crime fighters will still have some time to wait before they are on the streets chasing law breakers. The fact is the government wants the 43 police forces in England and Wales to find total savings of £545m by 2014, meaning that there simply isn’t the money available to recruit people right now. Just earlier this year the Met admitted that they had 2,000 successful applicants waiting to start their jobs – but didn’t have the funds to place them.

So assumedly these people have had to find other jobs to support themselves in the meantime? It may be disappointing to have to work at what was considered a ‘temporary’ role for a bit longer, but the time will fly by – especially with their policing goal to look forward to at the end. Plus, the scheme includes extra official training, and provides the opportunity to really experience what the job entails. This allows candidates to quickly realise if policing is for them, rather than waiting eighteen months and then having to figure out that career plan all over again.

Furthermore, the requirement is 16 hours of voluntary work a month. This equals less than four hours a week. To suggest that people cannot afford to give up four hours a week of their time seems a little far fetched. What’s more, most would undoubtedly really enjoy the change in their schedule – and if they didn’t? Then maybe policing isn’t the job for them after all.

What do you think? Is making new police recruits volunteer for up to 18 months a step too far? Let us know!

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Posted in News, careers advice

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It’s not easy being an intern – but who wants it to be easy?

September 6th, 2010


Upon initially reading the strives and toils of the five female interns featured in recent Telegraph article, ‘It’s not easy being an intern’, it seemed I would have another battle on my hands defending the value of graduate internships.

Describing their intern experiences – ranging from placements at Vivienne Westwood to Whitechapel Gallery – Jessica Turner explained how she has to commute an hour each day to her internship in London, whilst Hannah Sanderson noted that most of her friends were buying houses and have cars.

Yet, essentially, by the end of the piece, a simpler message doggedly and unavoidably rang through about internships – that they were worth it.

“I never feel I missed out,” explained Hannah, who is currently interning with emergency relief charity Merlin, “because I‘m doing what I’ve always wanted to do.”

All the women’s experiences listed in the piece demonstrated one of the initial great advantages of an internship – they allow access to employment areas otherwise often strictly closed to new, inexperienced graduates.

But of course, there is far more to an internship than just a bridge into those no-go zones. They can help build professional confidence, teach all the important occupational knowhow, provide relevant contacts and provide the opportunity to acquire work experience sometimes imperative for achieving a permanent position in the employment field you really want to be in.

But no, I’m afraid they aren’t always easy.

What would be the point if they were?

Just think about all those “Devil Wears Prada” incidents you hear about – I shall set the scene:  a lucky someone has accomplished an internship – and it’s going to be ground-breaking. They just know this is going to be their step up, the break they need to really make it in the world.

Then they arrive and get handed the morning’s post to sort and the office’s tea and coffee order to prepare. Turns out, discovering who has sugar – one lump or two? And alphabetising letters are to be some of the more complicated tasks they will be allocated during their time with the company. What do they learn? Nothing. Why? Because it’s all just too easy.

Crucially - internships are a learning experience. They are meant to be challenging! They are meant to make you think and they are meant to teach you something new, not wear out and bore the skills you’ve already perfected – even if you do make a damn good cuppa.

Sure, there is a different side to ‘not being easy’. Some people may need to take a second job to top up the pennies, or have to adhere to a strict budget for a few months, retained from previously saved funds topped up with the paid expenses from the internship. A tough, tiring and limiting experience as I very well know – I’ve been there numerous times myself.

But then is this any different to those who have to do the same to get through their university degree or college course?  - Minus the fact that they don’t get the added bonus of refunded expenses? No, not really. And do those people get criticised? Of course not. They get commended for their hard work and commitment to doing whatever is necessary to achieve their aspirations. Hmm, I see a connection here…

An internship should be regarded as a similar extended curve of education. It is meant, and should be regarded by both sides of the intern agreement as a training opportunity; a chance to work alongside professionals and get the practical skills and wisdom that just can’t be taught in a classroom.  Hopefully such a vocational and colourful educational experience will strongly compensate being a bit short for a few months or having to work a few extra hours. And if it doesn’t? Then leave! No internship should ever obligate you to anything, or -importantly – go on for longer than a few months, i.e. a reasonable amount of time to learn all the tricks of the trade. If it’s not working for you, find something that does.

Despite all the intern horror stories that often take prominence in the media (c’mon – it’s the media…) there are a lot of really good, genuine internships out there, organised and structured for everyone to get the most out of them. Just take our Telegraph girls for example. Hannah is now eagerly anticipating getting involved with the relief programme for Pakistan through her internship.

And Jessica, who was working as a script development intern for Future Films, is thrilled to have just been offered a paid role of production and development assistant at the company. “I’m so pleased to be able to stay,” she said. “It’s been tough getting to this point, but you can’t expect too much because it’s a competitive industry. Because my degree was in film theory, I didn’t come away with the practical experience of being able to go on set and know what’s what. Maybe I would’ve progressed more quickly if I had.”

Like the girls in the Telegraph article, few of the graduates I speak to regret doing an internship.  Instead, they appreciate what they gained from the experience, and are enjoying the career boost it provided for them.

And sure, few of them will say it was easy. But who wants it to be easy?

To read Telegraph article ‘It’s not easy being an intern’ visit: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/family/7956303/Its-not-easy-being-an-intern.html

Inspiring Interns is the UK’s leading internship consultancy. We provide meaningful three month internships, mentoring and graduate job opportunities in London and throughout the UK. The majority of our roles lead to paid, full-time employment. For the latest vacancies visit our website: http://www.inspiringinterns.com

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Posted in Inspiring Office Antics

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They think it’s all over – think again!

August 20th, 2010

They think it's all over - think again!

It’s fair to say there was a strong feeling of apprehension in the air travelling to work yesterday. Groups of parents quietly muttered expectations together on the regular commute, the headline of the daily freebie spoke of record results, and parades of nervously giggling young people – something of an unusual sight at that early time after weeks of summer holiday – indicated which day it was: results day.

And yet this year everybody’s concern wasn’t necessarily about what grades they got. For weeks the headlines had reiterated the same gloomy forecast for this year’s school leavers hoping to go to uni: that there are too many applicants and not enough places. With multi-million pound cuts leaving universities particularly feeling the sting, and student applications ever rising – a said result of heightened media emphasis on the necessity of having a degree mixed in with the effect of recession scare mongers crying about the lack of any employment opportunities right now – the future looked bleak for a generation where even hard work and good grades couldn’t save them from an already pre- determined fate.

The final published statistics said it all. A record 97.6% of students passed their exams, 27% of which acquired an A and one in 12 scored the new, media hyped A* grade. With such consistent high achievers there is no longer an obvious divide between those bound for academic greatness, and those who face a different (and often just as successful) route to their future careers. Instead, a top-end scramble for the 200,000 of those who didn’t quite achieve their predicted results (including notably a large number of brighter school-leavers who just missed out on achieving a set of ambitious grades) is occurring through clearing. Some – the lucky ones – will claw back a last chance second place option. The rest will leave empty-handed, disheartened and dejected by a system that has let them down, and often, with no back-up plan.

Go abroad for a degree the headlines shouted today at the crestfallen.  Take a gap year, go travelling, do an apprenticeship, enrol on a college course. Certainly it is a bewildering time for those whose aspirations were focused on being achieved via a university experience to suddenly have to rethink their strategy. Yet, however great the initial disappointment, and however patronising the media , they do have a point. A pro-active attitude to what could now be a new beginning (especially for those believers of everything happening for a reason…) is the only way to get through such grim times. After a summer of post-exam relaxation and fun it really is time to get off the sofa and get practical.

And by practical we mean making it count. It is time, as John Guy said in a recent Guardian article, “to be selfish and think about what would help your career most in the next five years.” A year out shouldn’t be viewed as a waste, but instead as an invaluable opportunity to not only get some life experience, but to also enjoy the luxury of time – away from the professional and peer pressure – to truly consider what to do in life and which career path to take.

Of course, just considering is often still not enough. How is anyone expected to know what they want to do when the options are things they have never done before? One of the main problems today is that a lot of life-affecting decisions are being made on assumption. As law graduate Ben found out, choosing a degree in something you think sounds good doesn’t always work out; “I hadn’t had any previous experience in Law before choosing to study it,” he explains, “but had always liked the idea of becoming a barrister one day from what I had seen on the TV. I had no idea how boring it was going to be and by the end of my three years knew that law was the last thing I wanted to do. I wish now I had done some work experience or an internship beforehand to give me some better direction on what to do with my life.”

Internships are always a great option – the value of work experience should never be underrated. Not only will an internship allow a proper, lengthy working insight into a particular job sector (rather than just the kettle boiling insight of a work experience kid…) but also, unlike with most work experience placements, they will pay travel and lunch expenses, meaning that there is nothing to lose via the experience, just lots to gain. Plus, in the midst of the current university administrative chaos, more companies are coming round to the concept of taking on interns of all different academic backgrounds – not just university graduates – meaning that finally the opportunity really is getting there for everyone.

Though for some it may seem like a huge defeat to have to wait another year, the professional and personal development that can be achieved during that time (not to mention all those extra points on the CV) can more than make up for it. A portfolio of working experience will not only heighten any candidate’s credentials, but also assist a far more informed decision of where to go and what to do next, and hopefully – if the perfect job has been discovered – drive the motivation to succeed in achieving the realised goal. Recent statistics have even shown that students who take a gap year often achieve better academically than those who go straight onto university – so don’t write off the year just yet.

Hopefully for those who did miss out on the grades, the potential that can be achieved during a year out will be realised, and rather than disappointment, a sense of new beginnings will join me on today’s trip home.

Inspiring Interns is a recruitment agency that place students and graduates in internships with a view to full-time employment.   See http://www.inspiringinterns.com for all the latest news and vacancies.

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Money v.s Life Experience

August 17th, 2010

Minimum wage

Internships: they’re becoming the trendy next-step for graduates, and are a proven success in getting young people onto the career ladder.  But as Julia Margo pointed out in her Sunday Times article, there’s one sure-fire way to ruin them, and it all comes down to money.

In terms of internships, it’s impossible to escape the wage debate – it is dominating all media interest on internships, diverting all attention away from the benefits of these invaluable work experiences.  People are forgetting why internships are there in the first place, what the actual concept means.  It is not a graduate job, nor is it a minimum-wage, bottom-of-the-company-tea-maker position.  It is an experience, a taster of what working-life is really like, an insight into a company.  Internships are not designed for graduates to make a quick buck and then move on to something else.  Their value lies within the experience they provide, which is what many school-leavers and graduates need before they plunge themselves head-first into a job about which they know very little.

The suggestion that all companies pay their interns the National Minimum Wage would entirely undermine the concept of what they stand for – work experience.  Clearly in some cases it is appropriate that the intern receives some level of remuneration.  However, if all internships paid the same amount as entry-level jobs, then why would a company hire an inexperienced intern over an experienced worker?  The intern may be talented and contribute to the company, but then again he or she may be totally unsuited to the role.  Why take the risk when there are plenty of capable potential employees waiting to be given the thumbs up for an entry level job?  Moreover, if internships cost more, then companies and businesses, who already invest a lot of staff time into running these placement programmes, simply won’t be willing to shell out huge amounts of money to run them.  Internships will be harder to come by, and young people will be in an even tougher position when they are looking to enter the job market.

The perception of internships needs to revert back to what it used to be – people should focus on the reasons for why internships occurred in the first place: for the experience, not the pay packet.

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Internships – a ‘first stage of recruitment’

August 9th, 2010

I got a new job

If the term ‘internship’ makes you think of tea-making and picking up the boss’s dry cleaning then think again – internships are now being hailed by the BBC as almost a ‘guaranteed rite of passage’ in the ever-competitive job market.

2009 saw record numbers of university leavers and new figures show more than 660,000 people have applied for a university place for the next academic year.  This staggering amount is up by 12 per cent from last year, once again breaking the record for the number of university applicants.  With these figures on the rise, the coalition government have made an extra 10,000 university places to support the hefty amount of applications, meaning more students than ever will be graduating with degrees in the coming years.  It is becoming even harder for employers to recruit graduates when they simply cannot distinguish who is more qualified for the job – how does one chose between the graduate with the 2:1 History degree from Durham or the 2:1 English Literature graduate from Bristol?

The answer, I hear you cry, is internships.  These are becoming the latest box that graduates need to tick in order for them to increase their employability and stand out from the other hundreds of applicants after the same job.  According to the Higher Education Statistics Agency, 21.7% of graduates in full employment within six months of graduating were taken on by employees who had previously provided them with some form of work experience.  It would appear that employers are less willing to gamble on a new recruit who may look fantastic on paper, instead choosing to take on someone who has already experienced working at the company and who therefore has a “basic grasp of workplace dynamics”, according to a BBC article.  In other words, the internship has become an ‘extended interview’ whereby the intern has a chance to showcase their abilities and see if they fit into the company lifestyle.

One could even go as far as saying personalities are coming back into fashion as far as job placements go – seemingly, it’s no longer just about the prestigious university and impressive degree result; employers are interested in who they are recruiting rather than trusting the CV alone.

So where does this leave graduates? With competition for entry-level jobs as tough as it has ever been there is no room to rest on your laurels. A good degree is not enough to take you onto the career ladder: experience, contacts and demonstrable skills are your key to a first job. An internship will give you all three. So the message is clear: don’t get left behind – call us, email us, tweet us, facebook us, send us a pigeon or do anything to get in touch so that you can do an internship and realise your potential.

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Fashion Internships – a Fashion Faux Pas?

July 27th, 2010

Alternative-fashion-week--001For the student or graduate of fashion, it would be fair to say breaking into the London fashion scene is high up on the ‘to-do’ list.  Alongside Paris, Milan and New York, London claims the title of being one of the fashion capitals of the world, harbouring some of the most sought-after designers and never failing to produce fresh talent each year from some of the most prestigious fashion schools and colleges.  It’s such a highly sought-after career path that it seems like the young and inexperienced are willing to undergo exploitation in order to secure their dream job.

An article written by Jamie Elliott and published in the Guardian details the dream-turned-nightmare of an intern at Alexander McQueen, who was forced to work strenuously for long hours every day, enduring 8 months of unpaid work before deciding to quit.  Not only had he regularly been working seven days a week and doing tasks fit for actual employees, but he soon realised that there was realistically no chance of him ever gaining full employment.  His account is a chilling reminder that there are some companies out there who are more than willing to exploit their interns, unfairly subjecting them to the same working conditions and targets as actual employees, or sometimes even worse.

If you are looking for a fashion internship, fear not!  This is by no means ‘the norm’ and you should not feel disheartened by stories such as these.  There are always fantastic internships available which will feed your passion for fashion without the accompanying horror story.  Poppy, who completed a fashion internship through Inspiring Interns and is now a fashion designer at Timex Fashion 2, spoke about her experience as a fashion intern: “I learnt so much during my time there. I was able to build on my interpersonal skills, gain and expand my knowledge about the whole fashion industry, as well as widen my career prospects within the sector”.  Read her testimonial and a whole range of others at http://www.inspiringinterns.com/interns/testimonials/

Using a reputable internship agency is a safe way to ensure your work experience is a beneficial undertaking.  At Inspiring Interns we advertise a number of fashion internships, and we thoroughly check the companies beforehand to make sure that our interns’ experiences will be fair and non-exploitative, as well as being genuinely worthwhile.  We strive to provide internships which will lead to full-time employment, seeing the three-month period as a means to an end rather than an end in itself.  Take a look at our website at http://inspiringinterns.com/interns/vacancies/ for the latest vacancies to see if anything takes your fancy.

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Eine deutsche Praktikantin in England : A German intern in England

July 22nd, 2010
Anja is 18 years old and is interning in the UK for six months.   She is originally from Leipzig in Germany and is now living near Canary Wharf in London.  It took her three months to arrange her placement through an international recruiter in Germany and she is just coming to the end of her third week in London.
Why did you choose to work in the UK?
My boyfriend had planned to move out of the country and we wanted to go somewhere together.  He could have gone elsewhere to Singapore or Spain, but I also wanted to move out of Germany and improve my language skills.  I am almost fluent in Spanish and I also know a lot about Spanish culture, I could tell you practically everything about the country!  I wanted to live in a country where I could learn about the culture and people who live there, so we chose England.
What do you hope to gain from your experience?
Hopefully I’ll be able to figure out what I want to study, because there are so many areas that are interesting and it’s hard to make a decision.  From my internship I want to get some experience of the working world.
Did you have to prepare a lot for moving to London?
I actually packed my bag the evening before I came away!  It was less preparation than I had thought.  Obviously there are some things to organise when you move to a new country, but in the end it was quite easy.
What are the things you like about working in a foreign country?
It’s really different from my own country, especially the people – it’s amazing to observe them and learn and laugh.  There are also lots of shops here that don’t exist in Germany so it’s fun to go in and look around and get a feel for English tastes.
Are there any negatives about living and working in a foreign country?
I do miss my friends and my family but I knew this would happen.  I’m German and my boyfriend is French and we both don’t speak each other’s languages, we needed to move somewhere outside of France and Germany.  I sometimes have difficulty with business vocabulary but the language is not a problem – I think in internships and work it’s important that people from another country get a chance to prove themselves even if English is not their first language.
Do you think doing an internship abroad will make a difference back home?
Yes it will.  My language skills are going to be much better, and being independent will help to expand my knowledge.  I like the idea of making friendships so in the future I can visit the country again and the friends I have made can visit me.
Although you’ve only been in London for a short while, do you think you will want to work here in the future?
I actually expected a little more from London, but I’ve only been here for three weeks.  It is hard to find friends outside of your work – in the first few days it seems impossible but I’m beginning to find my feet and I’m sure I will meet new people.  I can imagine living in London for a while.
Inspiring Interns is a recruitment agency that place students and graduates in internships with a view to full-time employment.  They help both British and international candidates.  See http://www.inspiringinterns.com for all the latest news and vacancies.

anja photo blog

Anja is 18 years old and is interning in the UK for six months.   She is originally from Leipzig in Germany and is now living near Canary Wharf in London.  It took her three months to arrange her placement through an international recruiter in Germany and she is just coming to the end of her third week in London.

Why did you choose to work in the UK?

My boyfriend had planned to move out of the country and we wanted to go somewhere together.  He could have gone elsewhere to Singapore or Spain, but I also wanted to move out of Germany and improve my language skills.  I am almost fluent in Spanish and I also know a lot about Spanish culture, I could tell you practically everything about the country!  I wanted to live in a country where I could learn about the culture and people who live there, so we chose England.

What do you hope to gain from your experience?

Hopefully I’ll be able to figure out what I want to study, because there are so many areas that are interesting and it’s hard to make a decision.  From my internship I want to get some experience of the working world.

Did you have to prepare a lot for moving to London?

I actually packed my bag the evening before I came away!  It was less preparation than I had thought.  Obviously there are some things to organise when you move to a new country, but in the end it was quite easy.

What are the things you like about working in a foreign country?

It’s really different from my own country, especially the people – it’s amazing to observe them and learn and laugh.  There are also lots of shops here that don’t exist in Germany so it’s fun to go in and look around and get a feel for English tastes.

Are there any negatives about living and working in a foreign country?

I do miss my friends and my family but I knew this would happen.  I’m German and my boyfriend is French and we both don’t speak each other’s languages, we needed to move somewhere outside of France and Germany.  I sometimes have difficulty with business vocabulary but the language is not a problem – I think in internships and work it’s important that people from another country get a chance to prove themselves even if English is not their first language.

Do you think doing an internship abroad will make a difference back home?

Yes it will.  My language skills are going to be much better, and being independent will help to expand my knowledge.  I like the idea of making friendships so in the future I can visit the country again and the friends I have made can visit me.

Although you’ve only been in London for a short while, do you think you will want to work here in the future?

I actually expected a little more from London, but I’ve only been here for three weeks.  It is hard to find friends outside of your work – in the first few days it seems impossible but I’m beginning to find my feet and I’m sure I will meet new people.  I can imagine living in London for a while.

Inspiring Interns is a recruitment agency that place students and graduates in internships with a view to full-time employment.  They help both British and international candidates.  See http://www.inspiringinterns.com for all the latest news and vacancies.

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