The Revival of The Unpaid Internship: I’d Even Wash The Floors

By Julia Plevin '09

In a grand gesture of defiance, I quit an unpaid internship last summer. I was interning at the Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology. The idea of this internship was so exciting because I am interested in fashion history, but the reality of it was disappointing. I spent my day in a closet by myself vacuuming fur coats from the 1900s. I wanted to scream, “Do you know who I am? I am talented and capable. I’m a Dartmouth student!” I did not scream, but I did politely say that this internship was not what I expected and shut the door on my way out.

I was so naïve and full of false hope last summer. I expected that I would graduate and get a job that paid real money. Now that reality has sunk in, everything is different. I might even consider another unpaid job….

A satirical blog post on gawker.com says, “don’t despair, media-types: you could still land this magazine editorial job. You’ll never guess how much it pays”. The job, which required 2-3 years of writing experience and 25-30 hours per week was, in fact, unpaid. The scary thing is I saw this ad and was unfazed about the lack of pay. It sounded like a cool opportunity to me, an aspiring media-type.

Here was the job posting:

Freelance Features Editor Position (unpaid)
Job/Internship type: Full-time
Company/Publication Name: Monroe Magazine
Location: New York, NY

Description: Monroe Magazine, a new fashion, music and entertainment based magazine, is seeking a Features editor with at least 2-3 years of writing experience. This person must be able to commit at least 4 days a week - 25-30 hours a week - and must have a reliable computer to work with and a fast response time for all follow ups, e-mails and phone calls.

Responsibilities Include:
-Generate article ideas with editorial interns and staff.
-Oversee and manage all editorial interns, freelance editorial staff and commissioned writers.
-Edit, revising and proofreading articles and stories.
-Researching new and upcoming short story fiction and nonfiction writers.

Posted 4/28/09 Contact: To be considered, please submit a cover letter, resume, 3-4 writing samples and story idea proposals. Also include a list of your top 3 magazines and why you like them, and your preferred topics of writing interest. Email jobs@monroemag.com and put "Features Editor" in the subject line.

The best part of this blog post was the comments. One person replied that this was the new business model that newspapers should use – to let aspiring writers work for free. Another person said, “Soon there will be paying media jobs. You will have to pay to work.” These comments hint at the sad state of the media industry and make me wonder if I will ever get a job that pays. Perhaps I will become the Princess of Perennially Unpaid Internships.

The truth is that unpaid internships are great if they help you get a foot in the door at a company or help you gain much-needed experience for a specific industry. In other words, unpaid internships are fine if they eventually lead to a paid position. I could handle waitressing and working for free for a few months after college. In fact, I would happily wash floors for free at a media company I am interested in if it would help me to eventually get a journalism job. It would be nice to be able to have a real life and have some spending money to enjoy myself but I understand times are tough.

I’m no longer naïve and harboring dreams for an apartment in the city and a disposable income, at least not right away. Now I would settle for a small stipend and bringing a bagged lunch from home.