
- September 6, 2010
- Vicky
Earlier this year, Ben Tatton-Brown, co-founder and CEO of RingRing Media sold his company for an estimated $20m after just 18 months of business. Here, he explains the value of internships in aiding his business’ success, in advancing the interns themselves, and why he recommends Inspiring Interns to other start-up companies.
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.
With A-Level results released next Thursday, it looks set to be a tough ride for the thousands of people who have applied to university for the coming academic year.
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.
For 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.
There have been whispers in the media about the introduction of a training wage for all interns, proposed by the CIPD (The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development).
Anyone who follows the news cannot have failed to notice the current debate about the value and legitimacy of internships.
Last week the new Inspiring Interns marketing team enjoyed a jolly to the Marketing Week Live exhibition at Olympia in order to spread the Inspiration.