They spent more on the Xmas party then they pay me for two months work

LegacyUser

Allot more.

I am paid around é2.50 an hour as I am an unpaid intern, so in fairness, they are contributing when it is not required, but on the other hand, I do mostly work that I am qualified for already, with little or no structured training provided, and the company thinks I am good enough that they bill customers around é80 an hour for work that I have solely done. I work full time.

I have stuck it out for a few months, and done my best at been proactive, which has earned me some kudos, experience and valuable contacts no doubt, but i'm planning on leaving the internship before it officially ends as this has left a sour taste, although in all other regards the company has treated me well. If I went through with the internship all the way to the end, the best I could hope for is a full time entry level position (around 20k salary) and that another intern would not instead be brought in to replace me.

So the question is, if I leave, will this reflect badly on me? Is it likely i'll still be able to use them as a reference and is this just the reality of internships in Ireland at the moment?

I have been searching for employment, but for a recent graduate, it's a tough slog.

Eoin

If something comes up, then by all means go for it. Not sure I'd leave without something lined up though.

They spent more on the Xmas party then they pay me for two months work

That's pretty irrelevant though.

artanevilla

The Christmas party is for everyone though and not just you.

LegacyUser

Hi Op again,

True enough about the tittle, bit sensationalist and begrudging. Of course, the internship is my choice and I may well have a chip on my shoulder in regards to feeling I should be paid, so seeing more money been thrown around on drink in one hour then I earned in two months was galling (although on the other hand, I can admit, generous of them to pay for it!)

Mrs OBumble

And they probably spent more on heating the office for the last two months than they spent on the party, too.

You would have preferred for your colleagues (and yourself) to have had to pay for your own Christmas drinks?

Seriously OP, build a bridge and get over it.

Instead of whining here, spend the time updating your LinkedIn profile and targeting other companies that you can approach for properly paying work.

Yes, it's unfair. Sometimes life is unfair.

LegacyUser

In fairness, I was inquiring whether it would reflect badly if I left the internship early (been there a few months) and hurt my chances of getting said paid job which i'm searching for?

I'd rate my chances of getting a paid position in this company as 70/30, about a quarter of the company are interns, but I have differentiated myself by creating value on top of the work assigned to me, which has created tangible benefits on the bottom line, so if an entry level position exists, I fancy my chances. But one may well not exist, none currently do as interns fulfill the entry level jobs.

I admit sour grapes on my part mentioning the xmas party and pay, my mistake. I just feel very strongly about it as i'm clearly earning the company money, they are getting the benefit of my prior experiences and qualifications, they want me to transfer said knowledge and document it, I have displaced a paid employees position and if I leave now, it may reflect badly on me despite all of this. I have not got the training they said I would, nor any kind of mentor ship and i'm broke.

(Of course, I acknowledge, there is other benefits to an internship, such as networking and its better on the C.V. then nothing, more experience is always better..) Which circles back to my original question, can I expect more of the same in other internships in Ireland?

Eoin

I think it'd be shortsighted to leave the internship in a strop with nothing else lined up.

2Mad2BeMad

Mrs OBumble wrote: »

And they probably spent more on heating the office for the last two months than they spent on the party, too.

You would have preferred for your colleagues (and yourself) to have had to pay for your own Christmas drinks?

Seriously OP, build a bridge and get over it.

Instead of whining here, spend the time updating your LinkedIn profile and targeting other companies that you can approach for properly paying work.

Yes, it's unfair. Sometimes life is unfair.

Irelands unfair

Student2014

2Mad2BeMad wrote: »

Irelands unfair

True but at the same time it`s not the worst. Try Syria, North Korea, Iraq, Cuba, Somalia...etc

Ray13

Yes it might reflect badly, why do you want to leave an internship job (apart from financial reasons) where you have a great chance of a full paid wage in the near future? Its a sign of generosity that the company threw a Christmas party! It has been a dying tradition in recent times but look at it from employers viewpoint, its a necessary morale booster and they are showing appreciation! They don't really want to squander money. Otherwise they would not be in business. See your point also, but don't walk because of this, make the best of a great opportunity to build a great career, from your other comments they sound like decent employers

Oprahs_Vagina

OP I'd just stick it out at this stage, finish and look for an actual employer who isn't a greedy prick from now on.

I don't where this corporate jargon "internship" came from, but it should be bloody illegal. Replacing the word 'job' with 'internship' as an excuse to hire at below min wage or gain a six month contract worth of free labour with no pay ? Greedy and miserable.
'Work experience' is another great one too. Like it takes anything more than two weeks to operate in a call centre or tech support role ?

ArthurG

opintern wrote: »

I have been searching for employment, but for a recent graduate, it's a tough slog.

I think you have your answer there OP. Things are tough. You might get a job at the end of the internship, so why risk it if things are tough outside?

If you are as valuable as you believe yourself to be, they'll be dying to keep you, or another employer will undoubtedly seek your recent graduate expertise to improve their bottom line too.

Gmol

Hi OP

2 really important pieces of Advice,
1. You are making contacts within the industry and may get a job from it 20K is better than 0
2. It is easier to get a job when you have a job and a lot less stressful

Bandana boy

Two months of a Graduates salary on the Xmas party

That seems like Feck all to be fair , depending on the size of your team I would expect it to be far higher than that and be very aware that the two things are not in any way related

the_syco

First off, suck it up and stay put. Finish the internship, and when you apply for a new job, have down on your CV that you worked there for whatever amount of months. In the IT sector, 6 months is the bare minimum "work experience", anything below it doesn't really count. If it's a good company, a good reference also helps.

So stay, and use the experience and reference to get a better job afterwards.

Finally, once you have 6 months experience built up, start looking for jobs, but stay where you are; pointless leaving your current placement unless you have somewhere lined up.

the_syco

opintern wrote: »

I'd rate my chances of getting a paid position in this company as 70/30, about a quarter of the company are interns, but I have differentiated myself by creating value on top of the work assigned to me, which has created tangible benefits on the bottom line, so if an entry level position exists, I fancy my chances. But one may well not exist, none currently do as interns fulfill the entry level jobs.

On this; see if you can build on your experience, and see if there are any certs directly related to the work you do, that can help you do your job better? If your doing a great job, and the exam for said cert doesn't cost that much, the company may pay for it after a bit of brown nosing. It benefits them as you'll be able to do you job better, it'll benefit you as you'll have it on your CV. Please note that you may have to work a bit longer in the company if they pay for the exam.

LegacyUser

Hi Op again, thanks all for the input, the outside perspective is needed, even if I don't particularly like the answer, to be truthful. (I can be a moody feck and belligerent at times!) :-)

I do have another work experience lined up if I do leave and a reference from one of the managers in this internship, I pretty much went straight from my masters into this internship. It's not exactly the industry i'm looking to get into, and truth be told, I have done summer internships during college and before attending college I worked full time in a related field, so I have the experience I feel (but of course, its not what I think, its what the HR+Managers think when they read my C.V.!)

The reason i'm getting twitchy about whether a role exists and not getting paid, is because I have already displaced a paid employee, train staff and manage a minor part of the business, off the back of my prior experiences and education. But i'm seriously scraping by financially (in debt) and have another few months before i'll know anything, and it could well happen that a intern replaces me at the end. I'm already training and documenting what I do by the companies request.

I have been proactively learning in my spare time and taking a hands on role with anything I can get my hands on in the business, whilst looking for employment. I won't lie, wrongly or rightly, it has left a bad taste in my mouth.

If I move to another placement, there will be no job at the end, but it would be more flexible and pay a bit more, whilst also learning some more IT (not my field, but i'm learning).

the_syco

opintern wrote: »

not my field

What is your field, and can you get an internship/jobsbridge in your field?

Mrs OBumble

Something to keep in mind OP:

Just because you're on an internship for X months doesn't mean you have to stay for X months.

I advise anyone on an internship, and even in a temporary contract, to keep looking for a better job, and if you get one don't feel a bit guilty about taking it even if the old employer says "but you promised ...".

An employer won't think for 2 mins about getting rid of a temp or an intern if it suits them. You shouldn't either.