To see this story with its related links on the
guardian.co.uk site, go to
http://www.guardian.co.uk/stage/theatreblog/2010/feb/23/arts-unpaid-interns-exploitation
Arts internships: chance of a lifetime or cut-price labour?
Arts organisations rely on unpaid interns ? but are they valued future employees or a handy source of free manpower?
Lyn Gardner
Tuesday February 23 2010
guardian.co.uk
http://www.guardian.co.uk/stage/theatreblog/2010/feb/23/arts-unpaid-interns-exploitation
A young acquaintance of mine recently got her first paid job in theatre. She left university two and a half years ago and, since then, has worked part-time in a bar, while also undertaking a series of unpaid or expenses-only work experience placements and internships. Six, to be exact. Now approaching her mid-twenties, she has just got her first salaried employment in the arts. She counts herself lucky, even though it is only a part-time job. She knows people who have been working unpaid in theatres and companies even longer.
Unpaid work has become the accepted route into the creative professions. The Arts Council's jobs website [
http://www.artsjobs.org.uk/] is awash with such unpaid opportunities, and there are theatres and companies who have become over-reliant on this free graduate labour and couldn't run without it. Effectively it has become institutionalised.
Of course, nobody embarks on a career in theatre expecting to get rich, and ? as we've said before ? the greatest subsidiser of the arts is not the government, but the artists and other arts professionals and volunteers who are prepared to sacrifice income for the chance to do something they love and believe in. Many theatres couldn't open their doors without the volunteers who act as ushers; most festivals rely on armies of eager young people. When they are run well, such initiatives give genuine benefits to both theatre and volunteers.
But when does opportunity become exploitation? A recent report called Emerging Workers [
http://www.artsgroup.org.uk/2010/01/emerging-workers-report-launch/], produced by the Arts Group, a body representing arts students and graduates, is not mincing its words. It has called the large number of unpaid jobs in the creative sector "exploitation" and is calling for legislation to regulate the use of unpaid internships by arts organisations, suggesting that all placements over a month should be paid the national minimum wage.
This comes at a time when universities and colleges are producing ever-larger numbers of arts graduates, often from courses that often fail to equip them with the skills to find work, particularly in a recession-hit market. The colleges are happy to take the fees, but they wash their hands of the consequences. I think we should be asking why, according to the report, 40% of graduates entering the cultural sector do so through working unpaid ? not least because it has massive implications in terms of access. It immediately discounts all those who can't afford to work unpaid, and particularly disadvantages those whose family home doesn't happen to be near London, where many of these unpaid opportunities are.
Internships can be an invaluable way for those wanting to work in theatre to get a toe-hold in the profession, particularly when so many creative jobs are not advertised ? an issue raised at this year's Devoted and Disgruntled [
http://devotedanddisgruntled.ning.com/] debate. I know of theatres and arts organisations who are brilliant: putting real time and effort into those they take on to do placements, offering invaluable advice and helping to give them the experience they will need to progress to paid employment in the arts. Often the relationship and mentoring continues long after the intern has moved on.
But too often interns are not just unpaid but under-valued and over-exploited: frequently doing all the dud jobs; sometimes working the same hours as those in salaried employment; on occasion even replacing someone whose job has been cut. Those working in the arts would look askance when this goes on in other professions ? and it does, of course, not least in journalism ? but turn a blind eye when it happens on our own doorstep.
With yesterday's launch of the Tory arts manifesto [
http://www.guardian.co.uk/culture/2010/feb/22/jeremy-hunt-arts-funding], there was plenty of discussion about big-picture funding ? but, as these and other stories show, what's happening on the ground is every bit as important.
If you have any questions about this email, please contact the
guardian.co.uk user help desk:
userhelp@guardian.co.uk.
guardian.co.uk Copyright (c) Guardian News and Media Limited. 2010
Registered in England and Wales No. 908396
Registered office: Number 1 Scott Place, Manchester M3 3GG
Please consider the environment before printing this email.
------------------------------------------------------------------
Visit
guardian.co.uk - the UK's most popular newspaper website
http://guardian.co.uk http://observer.co.uk
To save up to 33% when you subscribe to the Guardian and the Observer visit
http://www.guardian.co.uk/subscriber
The Guardian Public Services Awards 2009, in partnership with
Hays Specialist Recruitment, recognise and reward outstanding
performance from public, private and voluntary sector teams.
To find out more and to nominate a deserving team or individual, visit
http://guardian.co.uk/publicservicesawards. Entries close 17th July.
---------------------------------------------------------------------
This e-mail and all attachments are confidential and may also
be privileged. If you are not the named recipient, please notify
the sender and delete the e-mail and all attachments immediately.
Do not disclose the contents to another person. You may not use
the information for any purpose, or store, or copy, it in any way.
Guardian News & Media Limited is not liable for any computer
viruses or other material transmitted with or as part of this
e-mail. You should employ virus checking software.
Guardian News & Media Limited
A member of Guardian Media Group PLC
Registered Office
Number 1 Scott Place, Manchester M3 3GG
Registered in England Number 908396
