Are there benefits of Internships? by Noel Dowling
Gone are the days when the schoolboy player signs an apprentice contact to have a chance of fulfilling his dreams as a professional footballer with a top club across the water.
(Things are chucked at them too early. Life has been made too easy for them. Things are done for them too much. And they believe they just have to turn up and they are going to be a professional footballer. It just doesn't work like that in football and in life) - Kevin Phillips
That brings me to the ongoing challenge for many people finding work; there is a huge debate about the merits of working unpaid as an intern or just someone looking to get work experience. Currently in the media there is much debate about this, with one side highlighting that it is pure exploitation and the other side arguing that this is the only way to get work experience and it is better to be working than not working at all times.
There is some truth to both arguments but in my view there are some things you need to consider if you plan to work as an intern.
Value:
Firstly, ask what the value is to you? Value is not just a pay cheque it can be experience, building a network or access to an industry you would otherwise never get, so think about what you gain from any role that you undertake.
The role itself:
It is important that there is a role with clear objectives and structure. If you have no structure and find yourself making the tea, filing endlessly and with little support from management, I would not be recommend it as a role to continue with. So ask in advance what the objectives are and how regular you will meet with your manager.
Opportunity:
Is there an opportunity to be part of something? Many start-ups have no cash; they start with a dream or an idea that may take months to come to fruition or maybe years. So while I am not advocating you work for free forever, or would even be able to – many lucrative opportunities have come from people being there at the start-up phase.
Kevin Phillips is an English professional footballer who plays as a striker for Leicester City. Phillips celebrates his 41th birthday in July 2014. Phillips was the Premier League top scorer in the 1999–2000 seasons with 30 goals for Sunderland, a tally which won him the European Golden Boot award.
He took a pay cut from his day job working at Dixons to get back into football with Watford after he had initially dropped out of the system at the end of four years with Southampton’s academy where he had famously been responsible for cleaning the boots of a young Alan Shearer. Less well celebrated were his shifts tidying the stadium and cleaning the toilets.
Modern-day starlets are treated somewhat differently – to the detriment of the national game.
Phillips’ England’s International career was restricted to just eight matches thanks to competition from Shearer, Michael Owen, Andy Cole, Robbie Fowler, Teddy Sheringham and others. (Not a bad list ehh)
(Money has never been the motivation it was fear of failure for me said Phillips)
He even took another pay cut after Sunderland were relegated to move back to Southampton as he wanted to prove his worth to himself.
The most important point is to ignore the general view and focus on you. From an employer’s perspective it is always better to be working than not working, even if this is just voluntary work. If you do undertake an unpaid role ensure you gain a strong reference if a job does not come about at the end of it. Furthermore it is not your fault if the job market is poor, but it is up to you to react accordingly
My Place of Work:
We have a proven track record in helping college and course leavers gain valuable work experience. Our manager’s will offer advice, guidance and give the right candidate the experience of working in a professional environment. More often than not the intern is giving every opportunity to grow and develop into a full time staff member or will always come away more employable.
Finally please note that even in jobs that you do not like you do gain experience and if nothing else, you now know the type of job you don’t want to do and that in itself is a good learning experience.
A bit of hard work never hurt anyone as my Granddad use to say. It didn’t work out too badly for Kevin Phillips in the end.
