Working for Free

I'm not sure if it's down to the recession or just the fact that so many people are willing to work for nothing in order to break into journalism but I've noticed so many posts and ads for jobs recently that contain those worrying words - 'intern' or 'unpaid'.

I know there's always been a culture of doing a bit of work experience or submitting a few free articles in order to get bylines and/or experience but it really seems to have reached the point of ridicule lately. Whilst a recent graduate or someone with no credits should definitely be prepared for a bit of 'voluntary work' on publications, it's undoubtedly going to have a knock-on effect for people who've carved out a career and are actually trying to make a living working as copywriters and journalists.

I'm by no means putting myself up there as a seasoned hack; I'm pretty small fry in comparison to the big guns on the dailies and large circulation glossies. However, I don't see why the career that someone's been building up for years should be belittled by assuming that they'll be prepared to work for absolutely no renumeration. Not just that, but they should be thankful for getting the opportunity to slog their guts out over an article, or to trudge across town in rush hour and work ten-hour days for three months with just a travel card and a couple of luncheon vouchers to show for their troubles.

When I left uni, I did a few weeks' of work experience at a publishing company and that did lead to my first editorial job so I can hardly moan about the use of the system - it worked for me. BUT, and it's a big but - I had absolutely no experience at the time and it was a great (and possibly one of the only) way to get your foot in the door. It just feels like many companies are now exploiting this common route into publishing by using unpaid staff for longer contracts and more responsible jobs. In short, they're trying to pull in career writers and editors to work for bugger all.