There's a lot of controversy surrounding internships right now, they appear to be the only way in hell to actually try and gain some experience in your desired field, and the slight glimmer of hope for a job at the end of it has got many typing as fast as their little fingers will go, sending application forms off left right and center.
Will they ever hear anything back? Probably not.
I'm at a weird stage in my life, not one I'm particularly proud of, not one I wish to be in. But I'm here out of lack of options. I'm 22, single, unemployed and living with my parents. Why? Because I thought it'd be a super ace idea to work in the music industry.
I've wanted to work in music since I was young and after discovering I'm absolutely shite at singing/playing an instrument I realised working behind the scenes was a much better option. I graduated in 2012 with a 2:1 degree in Television and Broadcasting but music is where my heart lies and where it will lie for a long time.
I produce and present my own radio show. Unpaid. I am on the editorial team for a music website and donate my words to other websites on occasion, all unpaid.
I've also just finished a month-long internship at a fantastic music website in the hipster village of Shoreditch. Unpaid. Okay slight lie, they DID pay my travel fares from zones 1-4. I cannot fault the people I worked with, the work I got to do or my time spent there, because it really was an insightful and enjoyable experience. But underneath all the " OH MY GOD That's sooooo cool!" remarks I got, I was living off leftovers for dinner and sleeping on my mates floor whilst I sipped water at gigs because I couldn't afford a pint. But hey, it looks great on my CV right?
And here I am, back at my desk in my bedroom staring blankly at job websites hoping to god something jumps out, or I receive an email saying "We'd LOVE to have you work with us, here have ALL the money we have because you're just so great." And when you have huge music companies stating you MUST have a Grade A in Maths GCSE as well as 5 years experience and a pet giraffe just to even qualify for this 3-month unpaid tea slave job, how am I exactly meant to feel inspired to apply?
The internship I did happened by chance, after a quick meeting one weekend and I was very lucky that happened. But now, now I don't even know where to begin looking for work. The reality, is that I'm going to have to get a Christmas Temp job in a store somewhere, to save money so I can actually afford to do another unpaid internship.
I know I am just one of thousands in a similar situation, but it's hardly surprising to find that so many young people are depressed due to the lack of faith and goodwill within the creative industries. I just feel like I'm in a vicious whirlpool of unpaid work and there is absolutely no shining light as to when I'll get paid to work in an industry I love.
If anything, I'm really good at making tea now.
