From “Invaluable” To “Exploiting”: 10 Students Tell Us About Their Internship Experience

Turns out, internships can be a bit of a mixed bag.

With more young people heading to university than ever before, the bar for securing job roles after graduation seems to be getting higher and higher.

So, in a desperate attempt to score some of that necessary experience required for many “entry-level” roles, students are turning to unpaid internships as a way of getting a leg-up over their peers.

But, of course, internships come in all shapes and sizes, and don’t always offer that real-world experience we desperately need.

It’s safe to say, getting a professional role after university is pretty damn tough. Frustratingly, not everyone thinks so.

A few months back, Muffin Break’s General Manager, Natalie Brennan, enraged the nation’s millennials and Gen Z-ers by calling them entitled and lazy.

“There’s just nobody walking in my door asking for an internship, work experience or unpaid work, nobody,” Brennan professed.

“I’m generalising, but it definitely feels like this generation of 20-somethings has to be rewarded even if it’s the most mundane, boring thing, they want to be rewarded for doing their job constantly.”

We argued that, actually, Brennan was observing young people not wanting to work for free in an internship that would offer little experience. That’s why we decided to ask a few of you about your internship experiences, to see if anyone disagreed…

More than 50 students chimed in to share their story. They told us how much they were paid (if at all) or if they got any credit towards their studies, as well as whether or not they thought the experience was worthwhile, or helped them get another job down the track.

Here are some of the best responses. At the request of some students, we’ve removed identifying details of their workplaces, and in some instances, referred to them solely as ‘Anonymous’.

  •  Kate D from Victoria- The experience and key knowledge I gained within the industry was absolutely worthwhile and I would do it all again even if it were unpaid. The position in HR wasn’t directly related to my field of interest but the skills I picked up are so invaluable and transferrable to almost any position I could take on. I currently work in HR as a side hustle while studying at uni but I genuinely don’t think I would have gotten this position or been able to maintain it if it weren’t for my summer internship.

 

  • Anonymous from Victoria- I was chosen for an unpaid internship with a publicity firm. I was so excited to get the offer! I had gone through a selection process where they judged our capacity to write media releases, and I was excited to get started on real ones. The internship was supposed to last for three months, but after the first month I found the opportunities waning, and the response of the managers under their workloads became less and less instructive nor interested in us being in the office… Oddly, I was given a glowing written reference, even though I felt I hadn’t been given a fair opportunity to apply myself.
  • Vicky H from Western Australia- I completed an internship at a domestic violence shelter. I conducted research and some filing, but the most interesting part of my time was helping at their shelters for women and children. Internships are such a great idea in an underfunded sector like the one I interned in; I got work experience and actually decided I want to be a social worker, and they received much-needed help. I do not think, however, in a more commercial environment, it is ethical for businesses to exploit interns for work they can and should pay for.
  • Anonymous from New South Wales – I had a teaching internship at an inner-city public school. I taught Year 5 students who had diverse social and learning needs. It was very challenging since the supervising teacher was also new to the school and didn’t know the students well but if I were to do it again, I would. I have learned so much and I grew both as an educator and as a person. That experience also helped me as I start my teaching career since I have been teaching at that school casually.

 

  • Matthew B from South Australia – I completed an internship in IT. My experience certainly provided a greater understanding and ‘hands-on’ experience than my university degree had provided. Developing a greater attitude towards the corporate world was certainly a skill that I had endured within during my timeframe and created myself ready for a full-time role. In addition, the importance of well-being and aiming for high working standards was embraced by my internship team in which I would further remain taking on board within the IT world.
  • Monique T from New South Wales – I was happy to do unpaid work a few days a week to gain great experience and really work out what I wanted to do and enjoyed in the industry I thought I’d like to enter into. I realised I was doing a lot of work, and working to deadlines that the person next to me had to do too but was getting paid. I was not loving it and totally felt exploited—I also didn’t feel like I was really learning a lot at all! This wasn’t work experience—this was free labour disguised as a glam-ified “internship”. I am very sceptical of “internships” now and make sure I really research into them and make sure they aren’t just exploiting me for free labour.
  • Abby V from South Australia – I was one of about thirty university-level interns—what they referred to as “academic interns.” Myself and my fellow academic interns were not there in the hopes of getting a job with the bank later, but rather we were there to learn and understand the inner functioning of a bank… In short, for four weeks I was treated and acted like a regular employee of the bank. I had to be there at 7:30 every morning, dressed professionally, and ready to have positive interactions with clients at all times, no matter how I was feeling personally. Over those four weeks, I developed friendships with my coworkers, got feedback from my superiors, dealt with frustrating clients, and was—for the first time—treated like a fully-grown and responsible adult.
  • Kynen W from West Autralia – I psyched myself up and prepared for a fast-paced, exciting media environment [in radio] full of celebrities and advertising money! Finally, the big break I was waiting for [but] for the entire three months, I spent 12 hours a day binding folders and organising spreadsheets. I met one (barely) famous person and heard the same three pop songs over and over and over again.
  • Teale R from West Australia – I recently undertook an internship one day a week over a semester with a local magazine. Although it was unpaid, I was able to receive course credits towards my degree which was a huge benefit. The internship was really educational and taught me so much about the processes behind publishing a magazine. Overall, the experience was fantastic and solidified to me that a career in publishing is one that I would find rewarding and genuinely love. I would recommend undertaking an internship to anyone considering it and also for them to check out if their university or TAFE offers course credits for work experience.
  • Casey T from Victoria – For me, it was definitely worthwhile! I love hands-on work and I believe you can’t learn from just watching; you need to involve yourself and try things for yourself. I would certainly do it again, I have already tried applying multiple times to go back again! Being exposed to the workforce in a hospital and medical clinic was not something you see in your everyday life, and was extremely rewarding and helped develop my learning and understandings.

 

Source:  StudentEdge