Internships and Volunteering

SaraMC123

In third year and can't decide what to do to make use of summer. Any recommendations on good internships or volunteering programs? Most people say they are useless so i'd like to find a good one

Ravelleman

Don't do an unpaid internship as not only are they exploitative, they also undermine the national minimum wage.

pinkspiders

What do you study? You could try and do an internship abroad. It's both a great experience and good for your CV. You won't come back with any money though. I spent the Summer working in Asia and it was the best thing ever. I ended up with enough money to travel during holidays, not to mention getting to avoid the Irish summer...

DeDoc

SaraMC123 wrote: »

In third year and can't decide what to do to make use of summer. Any recommendations on good internships or volunteering programs? Most people say they are useless so i'd like to find a good one

What are you studying? And what other skills and expertise do you have? There are often quite a lot of things available to people with the right skills.

Ravelleman wrote: »

Don't do an unpaid internship as not only are they exploitative, they also undermine the national minimum wage.

I think that misses the point a little. Your goal for an internship should be about what you can learn and how it will benefit you. It isn't just about doing work for someone else. There may well be unscrupulous people out there who seek to exploit that and effectively get free labour, but if you aks the right questions up front you should be able to avoid that.

missdisco

unpaid internships are a male cow's excretions. Oh, they'll dangle the carrot in front of you, but they'll never hire you for money, and whne you're done, another kid will come along thinking it might work for them.

DeDoc

missdisco wrote: »

unpaid internships are a male cow's excretions. Oh, they'll dangle the carrot in front of you, but they'll never hire you for money, and whne you're done, another kid will come along thinking it might work for them.

I think you're being unnecessarily cynical and/or over-generalising. I've no doubt that there unscrupulous individuals or companies out there who just want free labour. However, you need to to realise that in the current climate there isn't much money around and it isn't easy for most enterprises to pay people (any people).

I can tell you categorically though that many companies do hire based on internships - some of them exclusively. It is a VERY effective method of 'interviewing' people for the role - if used properly. Similarly it is a great opportunity for the internee to learn about the job and gain useful experience - again, if used properly.

I'd suggest a bit of homework before writing them off - talk to any prospective 'employer' (i.e. those offering the internships) and get detail on what you'll be doing. Ask/Organise to talk to people who've previously interned there. Then make up your mind.

fishtastico

I'd speak to your lecturers. I managed to get a paid lab internship in the States one year

missdisco

DeDoc wrote: »

I think you're being unnecessarily cynical and/or over-generalising. I've no doubt that there unscrupulous individuals or companies out there who just want free labour. However, you need to to realise that in the current climate there isn't much money around and it isn't easy for most enterprises to pay people (any people).

I can tell you categorically though that many companies do hire based on internships - some of them exclusively. It is a VERY effective method of 'interviewing' people for the role - if used properly. Similarly it is a great opportunity for the internee to learn about the job and gain useful experience - again, if used properly.

I'd suggest a bit of homework before writing them off - talk to any prospective 'employer' (i.e. those offering the internships) and get detail on what you'll be doing. Ask/Organise to talk to people who've previously interned there. Then make up your mind.

Well, sure it's nice if you can afford to work for free, but it's not easy on the other side either. Are you supposed to be shut out of opportunities because you can't afford to work for free?

Hollzy

If you like animals, you should go abroad with Operation Wallacea.
http://www.opwall.com/

Ravelleman

If I work for free for three months I expect to be given three months of paid holidays on top of my regular holidays if I get the job.

Any kind of work performed for a company, even while being evaluated should be rewarded with at least the minimum wage. It exists for a reason. If not, they are demonstrating how much they value the work you will be doing and are, quite possibly, breaking the law.

The fact that some people can and will work for free means that others a quite simply excluded from this unfair recruitment process. A little solidarity would go a long way but this is Ireland so it will never, ever happen.

DeDoc

Ravelleman wrote: »

If I work for free for three months I expect to be given three months of paid holidays on top of my regular holidays if I get the job.

Any kind of work performed for a company, even while being evaluated should be rewarded with at least the minimum wage. It exists for a reason. If not, they are demonstrating how much they value the work you will be doing and are, quite possibly, breaking the law.

The fact that some people can and will work for free means that others a quite simply excluded from this unfair recruitment process. A little solidarity would go a long way but this is Ireland so it will never, ever happen.

I think you're missing my point here. OP was asking about doing something for this summer before going back to college - it isn't like starting a job and having to work for free before being confirmed in post.
Not all companies have the money to employ someone. If you're interested in upping your experience and knowledge, some of those companies might be prepared to help you out. In the majority of cases, if you're doing any meaningful (for you) work, three months is too short a timescale for the company to benefit financially from. What they do get in return for their time/mentoring etc is a chance to get to evaluate someone who could be a valuable hire in the future. Companies paying 3rd year interns (unless they have them doing grunt work) are generally going to be running such programs as a loss leader for the same reason.

I'd love to see all interns get paid, but if you're a student and you can afford to work for free (and I recognise that many cannot, so it is exclusive in that sense), then it is still worth considering doing an intern for the benefits it can bring you. That is not to suggest jumping into any such position with open arms - hence I suggest doing some research on what you'll be doing first.

But just because it isn't paid, doesn't mean you're being exploited or that it has to be worthless.

missdisco

there should be no aspect of employment that is 'exclusive' to people of a certain income.

3 months is plenty of time in the employment world, it's just the same as hiring a temp.