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Writer's pictureDominic Parker

The intern conundrum

Updated: Nov 10, 2023


The recruitment pitch: Come and work for us for 12 months, we’ll expect you to work full-time hours with the full accountability for your performance and a place within your chosen department. The package you’ll receive for this role will be £0pa with no expenses covered, but you might have the possibility of getting a job at the end of your time with us, however it’s also possible that we’ll let you go and bring someone else in to do the same thing for another year afterwards (because we don’t want to pay anyone to do the job you’re).

If that package were proposed to someone in the building or retail trade then the response from the candidate would likely be short, sharp, and possibly a little blue. However, over the past few years’ free interns have become the unacceptable norm in a marketing office.

At what point does free labour become unreasonable?


There’s a big difference between bringing a junior in on a work experience placement and an internship. A work experience placement is a taster for a couple of weeks so that the candidate can learn a little more about the industry they’re keen to work in, they would use the time to learn a little about the industry, help where they can and come away with a greater insight into the world of work and their potential career path. As with most fresh-faced students, I took on a few work experience assignments fresh from University. The time spent doing this saw a complete rethink to my future career path from potential journalist to marketer.

An internship is still a relatively new concept in the UK, far more common across the pond and unfortunately, many businesses are taking advantage of prospective recruits. The company expects the same commitment from the individual as there would be from a full-time employee but with none of the rights. HR departments are bypassed as eager faces arrive at their desks desperate to impress but unaware of their value to the business.

More traditional entry positions like a Marketing Assistant seem to have vanished from the wanted ads and replaced with intern listings on University forums targeting students desperate to secure the first role in their chosen field fresh from graduating. I should be clear here that not all companies are guilty of skirting around the intern conundrum, many businesses embrace the role, supply a fair remuneration package, invest in development and view the role as a key investment to the future of their company structure. However, there are far too many who view the role differently and turn a blind eye to exploitation taking place.

I regret that within my employment history I’ve been forced to recruit unpaid interns before and I regret not standing up for my principals more at the time. Having gone through the process I found it difficult to apply the same expectations and structures on them as I would’ve done with a marketing junior elsewhere in a permanent role. Alas, I was very much a minority voice in this way of thinking but my moral compass couldn’t bring myself to think in the same way as other more senior marketers who were happy to milk them for everything they were worth and ignore fair hours and refused to offer contracts it leaves a sour taste behind.

If you are unable to afford a reasonable package for your interns then perhaps a deeper look is required for the company. Directors and department heads are happy on their salaries but the cheapest employees who will work doubly hard to impress are not it seems worth investing in for many.

The most junior of positions within a business should be nurtured and developed, mentoring is vital to the development of talent, you train to become a professional footballer or Olympic athlete, the same is true of marketing and coaching is essential to this, if you believe that your value within the workplace is £0 then what impression does that give for the employers’ faith in your abilities and willingness to develop and encourage your skills?

If time is invested in inexperienced employees with potential then they will show loyalty to the business, it’s very easy for senior management to forget how tough it was when they first started out on their career and that a little money in your bank account really makes a big difference.

Please employers treat your interns with the respect they deserve.

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