All About Internships and Work Experience Placements

[gius]

hi , you can ask DevonDevore. he is in NYC too, at Elite Models

[dior_couture1245]

Originally Posted by gius

it's just odd for some of the interns who go to fashion design studios and they write they do things like shipping, answering calls, etc. i don't mind those, but if that's the only thing i get to do, it seems a waste. i already have experience in that kind of work at my usual job
i guess you can never be sure what they will use you for.
but maybe you can kind of hint at it in your request for the internship and have it as a focus on your resume
if grunt work, i want to be placed on the production side..

I don't know if I'd say it's a waste, though. Sure it seems pointless at times, but you have to start somewhere. But you can't really expect much, anyway. You won't be hanging out with the celebrities that your boss does, you won't be going to the parties that your boss goes to, you won't be choosing the textiles like your boss does, you won't be making the clothes like your boss does, and you certainly won't be doing any designing the clothes, like your boss does. So what does that leave? The grunt work. The packing, the shipping, the calling, the sorting, the organizing, the delivering...

Depending on where you work though, there are possibilities of moving up the ranks or landing a paid position, but interns are basically at the bottom of the ladder.

What you do get out of it is connections and references, and those are extremely important tools. Plus, just having it on your resume is enough to make it worth it (I know that sounds very self serving, and it makes it sound like I don't care about actual hands on experience with the creative design process, I'm just being realistic about the situation, since hands on experience with the creative process is something that interns don't really get to participate in that often, that's all).

[Cicciolina]

Originally Posted by gius

it's just odd for some of the interns who go to fashion design studios and they write they do things like shipping, answering calls, etc. i don't mind those, but if that's the only thing i get to do, it seems a waste. i already have experience in that kind of work at my usual job
i guess you can never be sure what they will use you for.
but maybe you can kind of hint at it in your request for the internship and have it as a focus on your resume
if grunt work, i want to be placed on the production side..

i want to try moving to a different city for an internship
it will be a big step.. i've never travelled alone..
it might even be a new country, where i don't know anyone

I think I addressed this issue in a few posts a page or two earlier - yes there is grunt work, and yes, it's irritating and unfair, but hey, it's got to be done and doing it shows that you're willing to put your money where your mouth is and buckle down and help out in the 'unglamourous' side of fashion. I think it's a bit harsh to call it a 'waste', as that tends to diminish many of the positives that interns receive. Remember, for a company to have interns - although yes they're often very cheap (or more likely in fashion - free!) they still need time to train up the interns to learn their system and procedures, plus, the company is accountable for the interns' mistakes.

I have been fortunate to have internships which have always been very helpful and exposed me to much more than answering phones - however I have done my fair share of answering phones and whatnot on top of all of that. There's not much to enjoy about it - but it's experience, and it showed that I was dedicated so I was given more responsibilities, and when it ended I walked off with a glowing reference and great contacts. It shows that you work hard, and you understand that working in fashion isn't about swanning around being glamourous and doing no work.

As for places that get interns to only do grunt work and nothing of substance: there are 'dodgy' places for sure which this happens in which is really terrible (so potential interns - PLEASE research where you're applying, especially if you haven't heard of it before). But there are incredibly prestigious places which have a herd of interns to run around and do little errands. This is something I have been a part of, but it is a great name on my resume (as well as good contacts, reference letter as mentioned, etc) and in the end, it opened many, many doors for me. It still showed that I was willing to do it for 3 months straight and sacrifice my holidays for it!

I think our work experience has also differed - if you apply for production/design internships, naturally you would be exposed to that side of cutting, sketches, designing, etc on top of ordinary admin grunt work. But if it's editorial, PR, marketing etc - there will be lots of phone calls, and hopefully dispersed with the occasional photoshoot, actual writing and events.

There was a funny story that Joe Zee mentioned in an interview with Mediabistro:

I was at W, and I had an intern. On her first day -- she hadn't done anything yet -- she walked up to me and said, "I just want to ask -- if you have a photo shoot with Gwyneth Paltrow, I'd like to come." Half of me was like, "I kind of like that tenacity," and the other half of me was like, "Why don't you do what we need to do here first? I love that you're putting in your order for which actress you'd like to meet. I can't believe you're doing this on day one!"

Unfortunately with the generations older than generation Y (and yes, I'm generation Y) see us as greedy, ambitious, but not willing to put any work in, so to prove that you're willing to means quite a bit in the end.

Ok, rambly post over!

[Cicciolina]

Great post dior_couture1245. Much more articulated and concise than mine Just gave you karma for it.

[gius]

the longer you are there, could you give me an example of a connection you make...
and what are references... are they letters.. because like if you are applying for a job in the future and you want to use a reference letter, it's only at that time that you would have the reference letter written rather than before... so the letter's made, tailored to the job you are applying for

muxu got to do toiles at christopher kane
it's part of the tests to see if the garments fit or if the designs work
learned quite a lot about construction.

designing, choosing the fabrics, definitely that's all for a person at a higher position. i totally understand that part

[gius]

if you read my post carefully you will see that's not at all what i am saying
i am not saying grunt work is bad and that i'm after something 'glamourous'

what i'm after is the production side
grunt work or not
sewing or making tests could be considered grunt work couldn't it.. and it's totally acceptable. it's something i can learn from and take with me. it has substance
i just mean something like only running errands. and i know there are good things that come out from simple things like that, like meeting people on the way or what you eavesdrop at work, i have already done this kind of work!! what i'm after is something to improve my own skills

I think our work experience has also differed - if you apply for production/design internships, naturally you would be exposed to that side of cutting, sketches, designing, etc on top of ordinary admin grunt work.

i was only asking if there was a way to make sure you get what you're after
(and i don't mean the glamour.
i am not that kind of person!)



-

Originally Posted by Cicciolina

I think I addressed this issue in a few posts a page or two earlier - yes there is grunt work, and yes, it's irritating and unfair, but hey, it's got to be done and doing it shows that you're willing to put your money where your mouth is and buckle down and help out in the 'unglamourous' side of fashion. I think it's a bit harsh to call it a 'waste', as that tends to diminish many of the positives that interns receive. Remember, for a company to have interns - although yes they're often very cheap (or more likely in fashion - free!) they still need time to train up the interns to learn their system and procedures, plus, the company is accountable for the interns' mistakes.

I have been fortunate to have internships which have always been very helpful and exposed me to much more than answering phones - however I have done my fair share of answering phones and whatnot on top of all of that. There's not much to enjoy about it - but it's experience, and it showed that I was dedicated so I was given more responsibilities, and when it ended I walked off with a glowing reference and great contacts. It shows that you work hard, and you understand that working in fashion isn't about swanning around being glamourous and doing no work.

As for places that get interns to only do grunt work and nothing of substance: there are 'dodgy' places for sure which this happens in which is really terrible (so potential interns - PLEASE research where you're applying, especially if you haven't heard of it before). But there are incredibly prestigious places which have a herd of interns to run around and do little errands. This is something I have been a part of, but it is a great name on my resume (as well as good contacts, reference letter as mentioned, etc) and in the end, it opened many, many doors for me. It still showed that I was willing to do it for 3 months straight and sacrifice my holidays for it!

I think our work experience has also differed - if you apply for production/design internships, naturally you would be exposed to that side of cutting, sketches, designing, etc on top of ordinary admin grunt work. But if it's editorial, PR, marketing etc - there will be lots of phone calls, and hopefully dispersed with the occasional photoshoot, actual writing and events.

There was a funny story that Joe Zee mentioned in an interview with Mediabistro:


Unfortunately with the generations older than generation Y (and yes, I'm generation Y) see us as greedy, ambitious, but not willing to put any work in, so to prove that you're willing to means quite a bit in the end.

Ok, rambly post over!

[Cicciolina]

Without going into much personal detail - I keep in contact with some of the people I have interned with, and they've provided me a standard reference letter that I can attach to emails when I apply for other jobs/internships (as I'm still studying).

Additionally, I can contact them anytime as references, or advice, or just to say hi, and many of them have mentioned that after graduation, if I'm ever in the city (I did some internships overseas) I'm free to contact them and they can help me out with the whole daunting process of job seeking! I have also been contacted by them for one off freelance opportunities.

Also if you're there for a long time you get treated almost as a staff members - good examples are like some of the Teen Vogue interns which have been there for a long time, and you always see them posting blogs on the intern website, they get very involved, getting to got o shows, help out (and participate in!) with shoots, etc.

[gius]

thanks cicciolina, glad to hear an example. i guess with 3 months of an internship you would grow to be a little close to your co-workers there.. and contacting them for references, advice, would be a lot easier to do than if you were only there for a month or so.

[nyc_art_style]

at a magazine what's the difference between fashion, design, and editorial internships?

[Cicciolina]

Fashion - you'll be in the closet, keeping track of returns, picking up items from PR firms/design houses, working with the fashion editors (as in the stylists), possibly helping out with shoots, etc.

Design - I'm assuming it means the design of the magazine, so how it's laid out, the graphics, etc. It could also mean helping out with their online page if they have one.

Editorial - Features/fashion features/writing/etc - so a lot of research, you may be able to write some pieces like for online or in the magazine, etc.

Hope this helps!

[nyc_art_style]

yes it does, thank you cicciolina.

[Andrea.RL]

Hey,
Here's the situation: I'm in last year of high school near paris, and I've applied to 3 schools, some pre college art schools to learn the basics. The thing is I'm not taken at one of them, and I'm trying to get a plan B up.

Since I've only applied to those three, if ever I don't get any of them, I don't have a school next year, so I'll have to work, which isn't a problem for me.
The only thing is that I want to stay in the art, and more precisly fashion industry. I was thinking about finding an internship for a year, and try to get paid a bit so I can buy a train pass for the year, and take sewing lessons on the side, so once I do go to fashion school I'll be prepared.

Anyways, I'm know yet if I've been accepted in a school or not, but I was wondering if anyone knew where I could find an internship (magazine, designer house,...) if I don't?

[BetteT]

Merged with the ongoing thread about internships.

I don't know about Paris, but usually an internship is not paid and must be arranged through your school for credit. So, an internship is not something outside of school ... it's part of it. And an intership usually lasts only a few months ... a term or a semester.

It sounds like you want a real job with pay? That is something else altogether .... but without the school behind you, it would be tricky to get much besides a retail job, I would think.

But ... since I don't really know how it works in Paris ... maybe someone else can shed some light on internships in France and if it's different that what I think.

[Andrea.RL]

Oh no but it's that in france they have what they call "stagiaires" and I thought that internship was about the same thing. I did one in 9th grade, and it wasn't paid, but I think that at some point some places that stagiaires for real jobs. It's just the statuts...

Thanks though for answering

[BetteT]

Thanks ... I've never heard that term. It does sound very much like an internship or "work experience" ... which is done just to get your foot in the door, to learn something about the business, to hopefully make some helpful contacts for when you are ready for a real job and to have something to put on your resume /CV .... but rarely is it paid.

So ... this thread is about "stagiares" too .... but not real paid jobs.