Pride and privilege: How we’re robbing the future of the creative industry
Never Not Creative founder Andy Wright has spotted a problem with the creative industry’s over-reliance on unpaid internships. Here, he lays out the issues that have contributed to where we are today.
I was recently asked to introduce a discussion on internships for an event in Melbourne. The question: is the approach to internships in the creative industry opportunity or exploitation?
I have a number of issues with the way that we use internships in the creative industry. Hands up, I’ve never had to do one myself. I’ve been one of the lucky ones. I’ve found jobs through people I know, been given opportunities that have paid me fairly, and then taken full advantage of leaps of faith that have come my way.
Since starting Never Not Creative, a community with the goal of addressing the issues facing the creative industry, I have been made fully aware of the exploitation / piss-taking which is the stereotypical treatment of internships in the creative industry.
I just love the name of this guys agency so much. Whenever I see it written down I get a little thrill (from a fellow agency owner).
Full marks Andy; well thought out and said.
Great article Andy and thanks for highlighting. Having taught public comms at UTS and tutored in professional internships I have seen exploitation and reengineering of agreements that diminish the intern learning and growth. You may also want to connect to PRIA’s education community committee and the Walkleys Foundation as they also have collaborations exploring internships and how to pay it forward.
https://www.fairwork.gov.au/pay/unpaid-work/work-experience-and-internships
In Australia, any agency who hires interns to work without pay is breaching workplace laws – unless it is directly tied to a TAFE or University for credits. If you have seen this recently, report the employer to the fair work ombudsman. https://www.fairwork.gov.au/about-us/news-and-media-releases/2016-media-releases/february-2016/20160216-aldred-penalty
Great article and mirroring sentiments. I’ve witnessed even execs have been hired at a low-level of pay and where they were duped out of Christmas annual leave. Being their senior colleague I raised this issue however even senior management couldn’t convince the owners of the business to reimburse their leave.
In another case, I wanted to hire interns to cultivate their skills and to help them build experience. My manager outright suggested that we don’t pay them. I disagreed. We didn’t hire any interns.
How can we treat our future leaders just like commodity? The hard work and time they put in should be properly reimbursed – to support the independence livelihood that they are starting to build. Behaving this way only creates further resentment and divide in ageism and classism.