Working for free...

ozma83

So in my mission to find a job I have been contacting many companies as well as responding to job advertisements.

A company has emailed me back saying they were looking for a new intern - working for free, but with travel and food (?) reimbursed.

I have worked for free already for a very long time (almost 9 months) in the name of experience and because I really enjoyed the company I was interning for, obviously I have now exhausted all my savings and I am doing anything I can to save money right now - so therefore I am looking for a paid job.

However I decided to go and meet them to see whether interning for a short period with this new company would be of help in terms of adding to my experience.

So I go to the address they provided, and it's a house, NOT an office; when I went inside they asked me to sit on the couch of 'their' living room. The people who interviewed me were nice enough, but it all felt so run of the mills and also they didn't give me any information about the company, didn't tell me how many people work there and only mentioned they will be moving office but nothing else (about the 'employees' I've only seen a few other people sitting around a table who I am guessing are other interns?)

Now the company is legit and they do the work they say they do (they have a website and everything) but I have a feeling they just take on interns to avoid spending any money especially during busy periods - they didn't mention anything about the possibility of getting hired after the 3 months of internship.

Now my question is - is this worth doing in the name of 'more experience', will it really be that useful for me to find a new PAID job? Or is it another case of a company exploiting people who are desperate to get a good job?

Jarndyce

ozma83 wrote: »

Or is it another case of a company exploiting people who are desperate to get a good job?

Yes of course it is. Avoid it like the plague.

paddyrg

Yep, avoid. Unless you are *actively learning* new skills, it's just slavery.

I understand a week, fortnight, month of interning - anything longer is just taking the ...

persa

ozma83 wrote: »

So I go to the address they provided, and it's a house, NOT an office; when I went inside they asked me to sit on the couch of 'their' living room. [...] (they have a website and everything)

If this is a company, surely it's a very small one if it's being run out of someone's home? I bet it's a company no one here has ever heard of. I could knock a professional looking website up in a couple of hours, but it wouldn't mean I had running a business for a long time or that I was any good at it!

ozma83 wrote: »

I have a feeling they just take on interns to avoid spending any money especially during busy periods - they didn't mention anything about the possibility of getting hired after the 3 months of internship.

Now my question is - is this worth doing in the name of 'more experience', will it really be that useful for me to find a new PAID job? Or is it another case of a company exploiting people who are desperate to get a good job?

Internships can be useful, even if they don't directly lead to a job with the company running them. However, I feel working for free (as opposed to volunteering for a charity) is really only worth it if it's for a big name. Some companies have a great reputation in their marketplace, but are hard to get into - when recruiting in that marketplace, people with experience working for them are valued more than people who have worked for other companies. Obviously, a short term internship for one of those big name companies isn't worth as much as a long term paid job there, but it still goes some way in your favour.

In this case, it sounds like a very small outfit and any experience you gain with them won't trump the unpaid experience you have already racked up. Not sure it's the best use of your time, unless you really can't find anything else to do and would just be spending three months sitting at home otherwise.

ozma83

persa wrote: »

Some companies have a great reputation in their marketplace, but are hard to get into - when recruiting in that marketplace, people with experience working for them are valued more than people who have worked for other companies. Obviously, a short term internship for one of those big name companies isn't worth as much as a long term paid job there, but it still goes some way in your favour.

I completely agree with this, and when I started jobhunting again after my last internship I told myself I was only going to look for paid jobs and would only intern again for a very big and well known company. So I think I'm going to stick with that.

persa wrote: »

In this case, it sounds like a very small outfit and any experience you gain with them won't trump the unpaid experience you have already racked up. Not sure it's the best use of your time, unless you really can't find anything else to do and would just be spending three months sitting at home otherwise.

I'd spend them at home, probably, but using all my time to find other jobs - which I wouldn't be able to do if I was volunteering for this company.

The fact that they haven't given me any information about the company, didn't even think of asking me if I had questions, and just treated everything like normal as if inviting someone into your living room (albeit big and well furnished :rotfl:) for a job interview is the most normal thing in the world. I mean, didn't they think I could have thought "errr, why is there no office and everything looks so unofficial??"

My answer is that they want to exploit people's desperation to gain any sort of experience which could help them find a job, and it's surely not a good thing.

dandelionclock30

If your not learning anything and its not going to get your foot in the door then I wouldnt do it. I'd concentrate on looking for a proper job if you have experience and references.While your looking you could do some charity voluntary work in your field for a few hours per week to keep your c.v upto date.

persa

ozma83 wrote: »

I completely agree with this, and when I started jobhunting again after my last internship I told myself I was only going to look for paid jobs and would only intern again for a very big and well known company. So I think I'm going to stick with that.

[...]

The fact that they haven't given me any information about the company, didn't even think of asking me if I had questions, and just treated everything like normal as if inviting someone into your living room (albeit big and well furnished :rotfl:) for a job interview is the most normal thing in the world. I mean, didn't they think I could have thought "errr, why is there no office and everything looks so unofficial??"

I think this is the right decision for you. If you find you're not getting anywhere with your job applications after a little while, as dandelionclock30 says, you could pick up a few hours each week volunteering for a 'real charity.' This unpaid internship feels 'a little Gumtree' for want of a better expression.

Hope you get a decent paid job soon! Sounds like you've paid your dues!