“If you don’t have a job you don’t get experience. If you don’t have the experience you don’t get the job.” (sourced from Sydney Morning Herald, Michael Koziol)
Today, with the ever-changing job market and the excessive need for experience from employers, finding a job fresh out of university is hard – which is an understatement. In order for students to get ahead of the job market game, they need experience and experience comes from internships – paid or not paid. Too many students are interning for free and too many students are being taken advantage of in the workplace.
60 percent of people under the age of 30 have completed at least one unpaid internship in Australia.
“They said there was a chance to work permanently with them, but this is what most employers say!”(sourced from ABC News, Ann Arnold)
The common possibility of a permanent position within a company is why most students stick out a 3- 8-month unpaid internship, however, more than often the internship results in no permanent role.
If students cannot afford to work for free, they cannot look for unpaid internships and often miss out on gaining experience and the next step in their career. “Unpaid only works for those who can afford to work for free or who have their parents supporting them. And that creates more a homogeneous landscape of interns,” Sarah Baird, Executive director of Interns Australia says. (sourced from ABC News, Ann Arnold)
Therefore, the question that is on every student’s mind is…. How to find a secure and paid internship?
We have developed some tips for students who are seeking paid internships and wanting to gain work experience that does not require financial sacrifice.
Talk to your University!
UNSW runs courses that provide industry learning through internship opportunities! Simply send an email, go online or visit your faculty for advice on how to put your foot in the door of paid internships.
UNSW has many partnerships and networking connections that could help you secure a paid internship!
Search and Compare!
There are so many internship options available but you need to do your research in order to calculate your best decision based on your financial stability! Can you afford an unpaid internship? Do you need a paid internship? How much will travel cost? Are there other similarly internships available that are paid?
Do your research!
Use an Internship Placement Organisation!
These organisations can help you score a paid internship! They can guarantee a secure, safe and professional internship as they have relations with heaps of companies across Australia! However, there is a fee that is involved, although they can help you find and secure a paid internship!
Written By: Alysha Newton
Sources:
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-06-26/unpaid-internships-millennials-share-their-stories/8651020
Informed Interns 
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