Internship auctions

[diorable]

I recently found out about internship auctions, such as this one with Harper's Bazaar:
https://auction01.charitybuzz.com/s..._id=103028&lotsindex=25&show=25&order=default
How do you feel about bidding your way into an internship? Personally, I've heard about these type of auctions in schools nearby NYC where a high school student wins a one-week internship with some magazine, but I almost think that's okay because it's one week and it's for a high school student who will probably be shadowing the assistants and feeding their curiosity.

But then I recently read an article about a college student (or was it grad?) whose father paid 30 grand in an ebay auction for a GQ auction for him...

How do you feel about this? I feel like it is a very ingenious way to raise money for a cause but very unfair at the same time...

 

[pinksatin]

Personally how do I feel? I never heard of it before but regardless of how I feel I think it will happen anyway. I don't like it for a few reasons.

One being I don't have an extra $30 gees to p*ss away. Most internships are unpaid and I'd like to do one in NYC so that alone will be spending a lot of money I don't really have just for living expenses while interning.

Another is that it doesn't sound like it has an application process. How do you know the student is most qualified and most interested in that internship? If other people beat me for a spot at an internship that I want, I'd much rather know that they expressed more enthusiasm or were better qualified than it was because their parents gave more money.

I do think its unfair and honestly not the greatest way to raise money. I mean imagine if regular employment was given in an auction manner? That wouldn't make any sense would it? Contest-style selections are ok IMO if they give everyone a level playing field and you have to do some work to come up with an idea and execute it but what did these kids have to do? Just have money or know someone who does.

 

[Diorlover]

I think its sick, it shows just how talentless some people are that they need to buy there way into a job.

 

[tinsley]

That's really sad!

 

[brianna]

like pinksatin said, i'd rather not get an internship because there was someone more qualified than myself; not because their parents paid more money for it.

 

[James1057]

geeeez sad to the max!!! id rather get a intership by being the way i am and my skills rather then buying my way into one!! sick!

 

[BetteT]

My opinion is that it's probably not taking a real intership away from anybody.

Harpers is probably just donating someone's (probably several people in different departments) time to let the "intern" tail them while they work. Because it's paid for, that individual could be is lazy, not show up or is might be frequently late, and there's not much they could do about it. So I'm guessing that they won't place any real responsibility on that person's shoulders. If they show up ... they can follow someone around for the day. If they don't show up ... nobody cares.

I think that they will still offer the same number of internships that they normally do and put them through the real paces of interning.

But ... for the person who wins the bid, this could be a great opportunity to get behind the scenes and learn some valuable stuff, if they work it right.

 

[Cicciolina]

I find it very odd - it's not as though it's exceedingly difficult to get a good internship if you really want it. I suppose some people don't realise how they can look for their own internships. And US$30,000 for an internship at GQ?!? That's just absurd. I find the whole internship auction weird for obvious reasons.

 

[Jenner8675309]

Not a fan of this at all.

I paid for 2 degrees and worked my *** off for my opportunites and hard work got me where I want to me (almost, but I'm still young )

My grad school was 30k a year, so to pay that much for any internship I think is recockulous.

Now, if its for a good cause and not a "real" internship and this doesnt become a trend or the norm, I'll tolerate it. But it has potential to really devalue the meaning of internship.

 

[educo]

why Would I Pay To Work For Free???

 

[Jenner8675309]

^ Technically you pay the school for the credits when you intern. So as if working for free isn't bad enough, you're paying your school to let you. Depending on the school is could be up to 3k a credit

 

[BetteT]

^ Technically you pay the school for the credits when you intern. So as if working for free isn't bad enough, you're paying your school to let you. Depending on the school is could be up to 3k a credit

Good point! You are correct that by attending school, you are, in all reality, paying for an internship as part of your curriculum.

However, this is not about a traditional internship through a school. It's about buying an "intership" at a charity auction. Anyone with the highest bid can do this ... that's the point of the last comment, I think.

 

[jf813]

That is the stupidest thing you could do. I've interned at Harper's and I didn't need to win an auction. It's desperate. I'm sorry.

 

[missrouse]

Wow, I've never heard of such thing. And, personally I think it's completely horrible and no one should even consider paying for anything of the sort. Most internships in the fashion industry are unpaid and the interns are slaved. No one should pay for that sort of thing. It's an experience that's priceless.

 

[BetteT]

What a lot of you don't seem to understand ... it's probably not a real internship. It's a charity auction item. The magazine or whatever donates the "internship" to the charity and the person who wins the bid pays money directly to the charity in exchange for the experience. It's a great way to donate to any charity ... so it's actually a good thing.

It's that same as winning the bid for a hot air balloon excursion with a picnic included, a top gun dog fight in WW2 fighters or a pampered day at a spa ... things like that. It's an experience that they buy and they write part of it off as a donation to that charity. It's just something fun that they normally would not get a chance to do. It's done all the time ... with all differnet types of things. I've even heard of being able to spend a day with a celebrity or newsperson.

 

[happyguy]

What a lot of you don't seem to understand ... it's probably not a real internship. It's a charity auction item. The magazine or whatever donates the "internship" to the charity and the person who wins the bid pays money directly to the charity in exchange for the experience. It's a great way to donate to any charity ... so it's actually a good thing.

It's that same as winning the bid for a hot air balloon excursion with a picnic included, a top gun dog fight in WW2 fighters or a pampered day at a spa ... things like that. It's an experience that they buy and they write part of it off as a donation to that charity. It's just something fun that they normally would not get a chance to do. It's done all the time ... with all differnet types of things. I've even heard of being able to spend a day with a celebrity or newsperson.

this makes more sense. i think it's a great only because it's going to charity. if they were keeping it for themselves, then that's different. the way i see it, their doing their part in their own way for charity.

not everyone likes ppl tagging them all the time. this way, the money goes to charity, the person who does the charity as well as the company get something out of it. it's just like doing any other charity. just that this time, the person who pays the most get's to spend some time there.

 

[fashionistasista]

My opinion is that it's probably not taking a real intership away from anybody.

Harpers is probably just donating someone's (probably several people in different departments) time to let the "intern" tail them while they work. Because it's paid for, that individual could be is lazy, not show up or is might be frequently late, and there's not much they could do about it. So I'm guessing that they won't place any real responsibility on that person's shoulders. If they show up ... they can follow someone around for the day. If they don't show up ... nobody cares.

I think that they will still offer the same number of internships that they normally do and put them through the real paces of interning.

But ... for the person who wins the bid, this could be a great opportunity to get behind the scenes and learn some valuable stuff, if they work it right.

hmm good point - in Australia we have had a few examples of this - i think when Teen Vogue first went to print the editorial coordinator position was advertised as a competition as in 'win a position at Teen Vogue'.. im not sure how this went down but i hope that this competition had an element of talent required, not just chance... but i wouldnt be surprised however as it went down the tubes before 4 issues hit the shelves!

also, cosmo did this recently as well. you could 'win' the opportunity to get a fashion spread in cosmo. It wasnt a normal fashion spread it had advertising bars all around it and im pretty sure they were given the clothes to use (obviously by sponsers and advertisers) as all the clothes brands that were used were owned by one big corporation.