job hunting question
Is the internship are all free in UK? When I find job, they ask me do I want to find a pay job or work experience. I feel confuse andhow to make sure or assess free work can make me progress and do not just be used as free.
Hope this question can be answered.
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Replies7
- Hi Fei, there are laws in place for this! I urge you to review the Government's website: https://www.gov.uk/employment-rights-for-interns If you are a "worker", then you are entitled pay. If you're shadowing (not doing any work, but watching) then it may be for free. x
- Hello Fei,As you can read in previous comments in the UK it's illegal not paying for interns at least minimum wage. Some of them also may want to hire you as a freelancer instead but same things apply you should be paid the minimum wage.I would say however you can take an expectations IF you have absolutelly no work experience and the company very appeals to you and they are a smaller studio with a very few people. Even in this case I don't think it's the best option but then it might worth the experience for you to work for free for a month or so.Otherwise The best answer if they ask if you are looking for a pay job or work experience simply say that you are looking for a paid internship.
- I 100% agree with @Vikki Ross internships at companies should always be paid, it's actually illegal not to pay interns.Peer to peer collabs are more of a grey area! The discussions thread, that @Shivanee Tailor shared below, should be super useful when it come to deciding 'do you' or 'don't you' when it comes to collborations!You can check it out here: https://the-dots.com/asks/working-for-free-should-you-shouldn-t-you-11294
- Hi Fei, most UK advertising and design agencies will pay thier interns and lots offer a London living wage. I can imagine that the market out there is tough but if at all possible I would look for those opps. Interns should, in my opinion, be paid so that the opportunity is open to candidates from all backgrounds and not just those who can afford it. There is a list of all the agencies who subscribe to this on the NABS site. Also many have placement programmes and many who had paused these during the pandemic are starting them up again.
- I don’t think free internships are a thing anymore. If they are, only look for internships at agencies that have committed to paying a wage:https://www.creaturelondon.com/work/2019/10/23/the-real-living-wage-pledge
- Hey @Fei Shu, great question! Check out this discussion about working for free & read our mentors' top tips https://the-dots.com/asks/working-for-free-should-you-shouldn-t-you-11294
- Hi Fei,Cathy from The Dots here, thanks for your post. Here’s some of my top tips for getting the most out of The Dots:If you’re looking for work, I’d recommend following your favourite companies for job alerts:https://the-dots.com/follow-pagesTo come higher in search results and to increase your chances of being headhunted, add your work experience here:https://the-dots.com/users/fei-shu-1169861/editYou can also connect with recruiters and talent managers:https://the-dots.com/account/connectionsOh, and keep an eye out for opportunities here:https://the-dots.com/asks/search?filters=ask-type:People%20to%20hire.peopleI hope that helps!Cathy x
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