Posts Tagged ‘unemployment’

UK job future: a silver lining, or just yet more dark clouds?

October 15th, 2010

For the fresh graduate of the IPOD generation (Insecure, Pressurised, Overtaxed and Debt ridden), throwing oneself into the job market is in itself daunting and confusing enough a prospect. But when the minefield of contradictory statements from various media outlets is added to this, the insecurity is compounded.

A prime example of this indecision was, at the beginning of September, when BBC News published an article heralding a fall in UK joblessness, immediately before the OECD’s pessimistic forecasting of a ‘double dip’ recession and another latent surge in unemployment.

More recently, a ray of hope for the West’s beleaguered jobs market can be gleaned from the Nobel Prize winning research by trio of veteran MIT economists into the impact of government policy on the employment market. With the academic weight of this institution lending itself to the subject of reducing joblessness, surely progress is being made?

But before we even had time to digest this story came the less reassuring news on Monday that HP had axed 1,300 jobs across the UK in a bid to save cash by outsourcing to cheaper climes. Two days later and Lloyd’s group announce they’ve have decided to axe a further 4,500 jobs from the UK to bring their grand total to 20,000 job losses.

Throughout this veritable rollercoaster of uncertainty, employer’s need for experienced graduates has remained constant.

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!

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!

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!

Paying for the privilege to work for free

September 30th, 2010

While the concept of today’s graduates doing internships is a much-debated issue, a more worrying trend established in the US appears to be gaining headway this side of the pond: interns (or their parents) who pay large sums of money to secure unpaid work placements.

Around 10% of Washington D.C.’s 30,000 interns are thought to have been placed by dedicated internship recruiters who charge upwards of $5,000 per candidate. Similar patterns are occurring across the States, with companies such as Dream Careers in California placing privileged hopefuls in unpaid summer internships for $5-10,000. With Dream Careers having operated for ten years, paying for a job in the US is clearly nothing new.

However, BBC News’ Sean Coughlan recently looked at what he reported as a growing trend in this country, citing increasing numbers of graduates paying recruitment companies anything from £250 up to £1,000 in order to land themselves unpaid positions. Lamenting the ability for the wealthy to effectively purchase the careers of their choice as a “perpetuat[ion] of the long standing lack of social mobility in the UK”, Coughlan’s article highlights some of the more controversial facets of this approach to internships.

Charities are also leaving themselves open to criticism by using sought-after internships as a fundraising tool. Earlier this year a charity auction was held at the Oxford University Red Dress Couture Ball, where internships were sold for four figure sums. Clearly if candidates are spending vast amounts of money to do prestigious placements it is better that this cash goes to a good cause, but the issue of pricing out the majority of graduates still remains.

So we want to know your thoughts:

  • In an increasingly competitive job market, can it be right for parents to pay employers for their children to be taken on for free?
  • What about if the graduate is paying for themselves using savings or increasing their debt?
  • Are employers right to accept such payment for taking on an intern?
  • Is it acceptable to auction internships to raise money for charities?

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

My Internship: Vikram Sidhu

September 15th, 2010

Vikram Sidhu has been interning as a finance assistant for the last 3 months

Vikram Sidhu has been interning as a finance assistant for the last 3 months

What was your job role?

I was a finance assistant.

What made you take the job?

It sounded interesting and I thought it would be a good introduction into the world of accounts. It was the area I was considering a career in and obviously it was a better way of getting experience rather than just reading about it.  I also thought that three months experience would give me a good idea about whether or not I wanted to pursue a future in that career.

And do you want to pursue a future in that career now?

Yes, I’m definitely interested in that line of work, it’s different, it’s interesting, it’s unique, you’re on the phone quite a lot, and you’re dealing with a lot of people. It’s nice to be part of a team, as well as getting the chance to work by yourself.

Had you applied for jobs before you took the internship route – or did you apply for an internship straight away?
I did apply for a few – I used reed.co.uk and received their daily email alerts for account assistants and loads of different general sorts of finance roles. But they all wanted x amount of months of experience with whatever packaging, and at that time I didn’t understand what half the words or programmes were.

And do you understand them now?
Mostly, yes. Obviously I am not so familiar with the packages that we don’t use ourselves, but I do now know what they are.

So would you say that this internship has given you a lot of confidence in finance?
Definitely.

What degree did you do?
Maths and finance

Did that not prepare you for a career in finance?
No, because what I did in the degree was more the practical side of mathematics, with a bit of finance. There wasn’t any accounting involved, it was just more about theory and numbers, analysis and that sort of thing. It was quite varied and pretty fun – the financial side anyway! But obviously there wasn’t anything that was going to prepare me for accounts payable – it just wasn’t part of my degree. Maybe if I had done an accounting degree it could have, but we will never know – unless I go and do another degree in accounting. Which would suck!

Did you think you would have to take an extra course in accountancy when you graduated – or did you think that an internship would be a better route?

I preferred to do an internship. I could have just done a course after graduation, but I think that has the same problem as a degree course, a lack of practical experience.

So now having almost completed your internship, do you think you have enough experience to get a full-time paid position?

I hope so. I definitely feel like I have a lot more experience now than before.  When I used to ring up agencies saying I was a graduate they would instantly ask have I got x amount of experience, to which I’d always have to reply no. Now, I get a much different response, which is great. Instead of straight out rejection, I now often get told that there are a few relevant jobs I can go for. I’ve had a few interviews already; in fact, I just came back from one today. So it’s definitely a lot more positive response than before.

So how did you feel the interview went today?

I’ll let you know if I get the job or not!

Did you feel you had more confidence talking about complex finance scenarios now that you’ve had experience dealing with them?

Yes, definitely. It makes a big difference. Beforehand, during previous interviews I had for some graduate finance schemes, they’d ask me to give an example of when I’d had to use / cope with a particular financial situation, and I had to relate it back to when I worked in a shop a few years back. Whereas today, I could say, ‘just this morning I was dealing with invoices chasing x amount of money’ and explain how exactly I dealt with that, how I ensured a good customer relationship was maintained etc. It just comes across as so much more relevant and is obviously a much better answer.

Have you ever regretted deciding to take an internship?

No, definitely not. I guess the only thing that was hard was the money – I had saved up beforehand which made it ok and was able to stay with my parents which certainly made it easier, though I can understand why people find it tough. I do think there needs to be some kind of governmental loan scheme to help those struggling.

Did you get all your expenses refunded ok?

Oh yes, I always got my travel refunded without any problems, and lunch was provided by the company, so I wasn’t spending anything as such as far as the internship went. It just meant I had to budget myself for everything else. I’d saved up about £400 beforehand, and I am just about coming to the end of that now. Though that’s not too bad considering it’s been three months!

So for anyone thinking of undertaking an internship – what advice would you give them?

I would definitely encourage anyone considering an internship to save some money first! I would also recommend from my own experience to go through a reputable company to ensure everything is above board. You hear a lot of negativity about internships in the papers nowadays, and about how they can exploit, so it is really important to make sure that your internship is valuable and genuine, and a good recruitment company can help with that. I know people who have gone on self-organised internships and then left after three days because they weren’t learning anything new and were instead left to teach other staff! The fact is it should be the other way round, the company should be teaching you and appreciate that in return, you are giving your time and hard-work to support and help build-up their company. I got my internship through Inspiring Interns and they were great, especially in maintaining constant contact and support throughout to make sure everything was going well. That’s the main thing with internships. As long as you are learning something relevant that you can put on your CV then you should stick with it. If not, then you should leave, just walk out. Internships shouldn’t be contracted and they should be on your terms. You should be able to leave if you are not getting what you want out of it, and reap the benefits if you are.

What kind of person would you recommend an internship to?

A graduate who has just come out of university, or even one who has been out a while but is still struggling to find employment.  I would also really recommend them to students still at university. One of my biggest regrets is not doing more work experience during my time at university – an internship over the summer holidays would have been perfect if I’d known about them before.  It’s easy to see how a Catch-22 scenario can occur. For example, I graduated last year, and applied for loads of grad schemes. But they all wanted graduates with experience, but you can’t get a job without experience…hence Catch-22!  It’s definitely best to make that preparation as early as possible to help make it easier later on to get a job.

So you would recommend internships to other people?

Definitely. As long as they are regulated and you go with a reputable company, I think internships are a great chance to work in an office environment and make that transition from a university environment into a proper, full-time job.

Is there anything else you’d like to add about your internship experience?

It’s so nice to have something useful and relevant on my CV that makes me stand out from all the other graduates – well worth the extra time I invested. I am now regularly getting responses to my job applications, and am able to talk confidently about my area of expertise. I am really pleased I decided to do an internship and certainly have no regrets, and let’s face it – doing an internship is so much better than just sitting at home waiting for something to come along!

Graduate Tax – Friend or Foe?

July 19th, 2010

tax-bill-stock-photo

As a graduate or current student, the words ‘tuition fees’ and ‘student debt’ may make you shudder at the mere thought of them.  You might want to add ‘graduate tax’ to this list, as the Government has revealed plans to totally scrap the tuition fee system.

Vince Cable, the new Business Secretary under the Coalition Government, gave his first speech on Thursday outlining the proposal to introduce a graduate tax to replace tuition fees.  According to Cable it would be a fairer system, whereby graduates are taxed according to their earnings, higher earners taxed considerable more than those with lower salaries.  “The problem”, he said, with the current tuition-fee system, is that “it is a fixed sum – a poll tax – regardless of the income of the graduate. It surely can’t be right that a teacher or care worker or research scientist is expected to pay the same graduate contribution as a top commercial lawyer or surgeon or City analyst whose graduate premium is so much bigger.”

The proposal comes as part of an independent review, led by Lord Browne, which is assessing how universities are to be funded in the future, with the report being published in the Autumn.  There are a number of keys issues that are going to be reviewed alongside the new proposal, including the impact it will have on student debt and how to encourage more students from disadvantaged backgrounds to get into higher education.

NUS (National Union of Students) President, Aaron Porter, commented after Cable’s proposal, stating his opinion that “the fair solution is to abolish tuition fees and ensure that graduate contributions are based on actual earnings in the real world, rather than sticker prices in prospectuses, which are based on guesswork”.

So does this mean that tuition fees, as well as a hefty student debt, will soon be a distant memory?  Cable recognised this as a major problem with our current university system – that students now expect to come out of university with huge amounts of money owed to the Government.  “Most of us”, he said, “don’t think of our future tax obligations as ‘debt’”.  However, the new tax could mean the top 20 per cent of earners will be paying the equivalent of £16,000-a-year tuition fees, according to The Russel Group which represents twenty elite universities.  Perhaps a graduate tax is the way forward – what do you think?  Is it a fairer system or an excuse to wring out more money from graduates?  Tell us your thoughts.

Does University equip graduates for the real world?

June 4th, 2010

graduate image

The last few days have seen a buzz of opinions and debate in the pages of the Metro about the expectations of graduates when it comes to life and jobs after University. Some have argued that the expectations of graduates are far too high upon obtaining a degree, ‘arrogantly’ believing that this qualification will issue them a fast track ticket into a high flying and well paying job. There has been a backlash against this opinion from a number of recent graduates, some of who bemoan the fact that they have studied hard for a number of years, only to find themselves working in a theme park, in a bar or stacking shelves. Others argue that not all graduates leave University expecting their degree to carry them into a fantastic job. Many work hard, completing work placements and gaining experience in their field of interest and eventually landing that dream job.

Highly academic subjects, whilst offering research, analysis and writing skills, do not equip a graduate with many specific skills needed for a career in marketing, sales or HR. This is where the deficit lies. With 300,000 due to graduate from University this summer, competition for graduate jobs will be extremely fierce and a good degree from a top notch University may not be enough to distinguish one graduate from the thousands of others. Work experience is therefore becoming an increasingly vital addition to any graduate CV. James Caan has recently written about the importance of internships for graduates in the Telegraph. He argues that securing work experience is crucial and encourages graduates to use their summer wisely, by completing an internship.

With the recession still looming large, companies are reluctant to risk hiring a graduate full time who, although may have an impeccable academic record, has no real work experience. An internship is the ideal way for a graduate to prove to an employer that they can do the job well and fit in with the company and in our experience, often results in a higher starting salary, since the element of risk has been removed. University is therefore increasingly viewed as the first step to graduate employment and an internship as the second. The first proves your academic worth and the second proves your ability to do a particular job. Combined, they are the key to career success.

Harry the Homeless Graduate

May 28th, 2010

Harry graduated from Cambridge University with a 1st class honours degree in English Literature.

He has been living on the streets of London for the past 6 months. If only he had known about Inspiring Interns.

What’s the best way for you to secure a graduate job?

May 12th, 2010

A survey by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) found that 61% of employers saw a lack of skills as the biggest obstacle to recruitment. A quarter of graduates have said their degree did not equip them with the skills needed for the workplace. Tom Richmond, policy advisor to the CIPD, recently told the Independent that work experience will make a big difference when applying for graduate jobs this year.  “There may be long waiting lists and rejection, but you’ve just got to keep plugging away, because experience is often the decisive factor that gets you the job.  The skills you can get in an internship – things like teamwork and communication – you can’t always get through a degree.”

As a senior recruitment officer at Shell, Nimai Swaroop deals with thousands of internship applicants each year. A former intern himself, he’s emphatic about the benefits. “It’s a great platform, giving practical opportunities and confidence,” he says. “Of the 14,000 applications we had last year, 130 successes came from our internship programme.”

Even without a job offer, internships are advantageous. Yosuke Homma, 24, interned at legal firm Simmons and Simmons  and found it a hugely positive experience, despite not receiving a job offer. “I came away knowing that I wanted to work for a large international firm,” says Homma. “I’ve now got a contract with another top firm and my internship helped – it showed I had experience.” As well as bolstering your CV, an internship provides valuable specialist training, particularly for those studying non-vocational subjects, says Homma. “Having studied biology, interning gave me the opportunity to understand what solicitors did on a day-to-day basis. There was a decent effort at training us, with lectures on professional skills and resources available for research.”

Internships can also help forge your eventual career path. According to High Flyers Research, a quarter of final year students surveyed had applied to jobs they had little or no interest in. Benedict Hazan, a graduate mentor at Inspiring Interns, has advised hundreds of graduates on roles suited to them. His advice is: “Don’t feel rushed to join the rat race and get stuck in a job you hate. Try a job out through an internship to see if an industry is really suited to you.”  Benedict said the best way to get where you want to be is to know what your goal is and to work towards it. “Read newspaper articles and trade magazines. Speak to friends and family to get a bigger picture of what you really want.”

If you are one of the 1.3 million graduates who might be unsure of what to do post-university, give yourself the very best chance of securing a graduate job. Not only do internships help you clarify your chosen career path, they also give you an invaluable opportunity to network, the chance to build your communication and teamwork skills and confidence in the workplace. Inspiring Interns are the UK’s leading internship agency. Our internships are in a wide variety of sectors, including roles in up-and-coming mobile advertising and social networking marketing agencies. With an internship you have the very best chance to fulfill your potential.

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