The internship struggle

We spoke to a few budding interns who have got their summer jobs sorted


People say that in order to get a job you have to have a degree. That is a lie, a blatant lie. If you graduate and swan up to a company with just a degree you will be laughed at. It’s a harsh world out there.

Students may get a super long summer, but that’s because we need to cram as much work experience as we possible can into the months we have off. Basically, you have to spend some of your summer working for free, if not you’ll be forced to do it once you graduate. I like to think of it as a rite of passage.

There are several different options: you can have work experience (just two weeks, or you might have to do one day a week for a month), internships (that’s a fixed amount of time and tends to be unpaid), and finally placements (these tend to be for people who have sandwich courses, as they are for a year, and you get paid by most of them).

I spoke to some of the lucky people who have had internships, or are about to embark on one:

Nina, Fashion Buying and Marketing Student MMU. Last year she did two weeks at House of Fraser in London

Cheeky Neenz takes the big apple

“Basically we went on a trip to House of Fraser and I asked like loads of questions then at the end they told us to apply for the internships so I did. I think putting myself out there really helped me. I was a buying admin assistant on the Label Lab concession stand. I had a really fab time It was such a great experience. I got to live on my own and had the chance to meet new people. I had a ball. I got trained on the software too which has been really helpful.

“It was unpaid so I had to save up so much money as I was based in London but it was worth it.”

Nina has also just got confirmation of her placement at a New York based design company for six months.

Nayab, Criminology and Sociology Student MMU: work experience at a local Primary School

Teach me a lesson

“I got the work experience because I knew a supply teacher at the school, so she asked the head teacher if I could do it there. I got in contact with the head teacher and told him what I was studying and what I wanted to do. I had to bring in my DBS check and make sure everything was set.

“The school I was based at didn’t really have a good Ofsted report, so I didn’t know what to expect. I’m not going to lie I did get a bit bored in the classroom as there really wasn’t much to do, the children did not want much help. However they were super nice and I got to go on a school trip to the space museum which was fun.”

Olivia Noon, Fashion Buying and Merchandising UoM: placement for next year

Olivia, major beaut

“I managed to get an internship at Urban Outfitters. The application process consisted of repeated and relentless applications and multiple rejections. However I did remain determined and just kept applying. Urban Outfitters is my ideal internship as its buying so its perfect for my course.

“I’m really excited to see the inner working of the company and for all the clothing benefits.”

Me, Sociology and Criminology Student, MMU

Internship, here I come

My own experience of trying to get an internship is very similar to Olivia’s, lots of applying and rejection. As I don’t want work in a sector that links to my degree I found it so hard to find any experience. I had email alerts from job websites and I just had to send off my CV to everyone. I also researched local companies and places to see if they were offering anything. My perseverance paid off as I have two weeks in a PR firm, an internship at a magazine and I also write blogs for a shoe website.

If your looking at getting some experience then some of the best ways are too contact your employability department as they have internship programs and various other things like that. You can also look online on job sites such as Indeed or Target jobs as many companies advertise there. If there are certain places that you want to work then you can just contact them directly and ask them if they are offering work experience, there is no harming in putting yourself out there.

GOOD LUCK.