Greatful Moaning

Last week I attended an event put on by SYP. 'How to make the most of your internships'.  One thing that continuously comes up when people discuss internships is that, in this industry, only a small percentage of graduates are able to gain the relevant work experience by working for free. There are a couple of reasons for this:

Location and £££ MONEY £££

Most publishing houses are in London, there are a few others dotted around but the fact remains if your parents live in London or a commutable distance away, you have the means to intern. This is one reason that if you happen to be a student, it definitely pays to take internships while you have the accommodation. it is one of the biggest regrets I have about my 3 years at Uni. 

I wouldn't accept an internship if they didn't contribute to your expenses. At least that way while you are living with mum and dad or sofa surfing, you can almost keep your spending at a steady zero. But if you can't afford the travel and you have rent to pay, it is really tough to intern. possible. but so hard.

Unfortunately there isn't really much that publishing houses can really do to widen the percentage of people able to do internships. I've tried to brainstorm, but I cant see how to solve it.

I moan a lot about my situation, I want a job. I want the right job, and I have to face new rejection every single day. My commute takes ages, I don't get a wage, I'm miles away from my friends, boyfriend, and I can't afford the time or the money to come to London on the weekends. 

BUT I am extremely grateful for the support I've had from my friends and from my family in particular, who have all encouraged me to keep at the grind. I know how lucky I am and I am so grateful and I wanted to say THANK YOU for making my internships possible. Thinking about how much harder it would be if I didn't have that support, has made me realise how lucky I am.

Despite the hard work, my career has started really positively.