All About Internships and Work Experience Placements

[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.

 

[gius]

oh stagiaires (was missing the 'i')
it means like apprentice

you wrote you want to learn how to sew.
maybe you would like to go work for a tailor/couturier?

over here, some of the tailors accept stagiaires
and there is no pay
but think of it this way---you get 'free' sewing lessons!
it's really quite nice of them since it takes a lot of time to train. one company here trains for 2 months, and you can become a licensee of the company afterwards if you decide to.

i am thinking of doing this myself

 

[Andrea.RL]

lol. Sorry sometimes I forget to hit some letters.

well I was thinking about taking sewing lessons on the side.
I thought of a "job" like being an assistant in a magazine, just seeing how everything goes and stuff... I hope I get a school all of this is too complicated!

 

[lindscha]

Hey guys!
I am currently in high school and I have an obsessive interest in fashion. I am trying to find an internship except I have little experience. How in the world can I break into the fashion industry and are people actually willing to hire a 16 year old for an internship???? HELP!

 

[purrmeowsqueek]

Studio internships/work experience in London

I am 17 (soon to be 18) and currently at the end of my second year of Sixth Form College.
I will have A levels in Art, Fashion and English Language and will be starting an Art Foundation Year at Central St Martin's in September.
I hope to go onto the fashion pathway and possibly the BA and I'm looking for some work experience in a professional studio environment to put on my CV as well as to broaden my skills and connections.

My one problem is, I don't know how or where to find contact info for designers!
I was thinking of working with one of the smaller designers in London, possibly a recent graduate, somebody like Giles Deacon, Christopher Kane, Louise Goldin, Mary Katranzou etc.

If anybody has any helpful information/links that could be useful, I would leave to hear about it!

 

[Cicciolina]

Welcome purrmeowsqueek and lindscha

I know this is a long thread, but it's really helpful. When I first was interested in the fashion industry (oh so many years ago ) I had no idea where to look. I read the beginning of this thread to the end and it answered all my questions, and the same with many other members here

Also don't underestimate the search function of this forum, as well as Google!

Good luck!

 

[Ievut]

I live in Lithuania, I am 16. LCF Fashion Management requires for work experience placement, but it's not legal to work until you are 18 in Lithuania. What do I do? Maybe there are different requirements for eastern europe?

 

[BetteT]

Are you sure that "work experience" is considered "work" in your country?

There might be an exception to the law for this sort of thing. I know that in the US ... it's considered education, not employment, if it's not paid and arranged for credit in school.

 

[Ievut]

My school doesn't arrange things like that...

 

[BetteT]

Well ... I did not mean that you school has to actaully "arrange" the work experience. I meant that if you are getting credit for it at school for a class ... your government might say that you are exempt from the age restriction, because they consider it education. The term "work experience" usually maeans learning in the environment of a business for the purpose of your school work .. a learning experience ... it doesn't mean taking a real job.

 

[krystlemeth]

Alexander McQueen, was set up by my college. The chose students who had strong body of work and could identify with the style/ethic of McQueen for interview. It was amazing we worked on all the show pieces for sooo long, late into the early morning. But showing in Paris was the highlight.

Giles was the same. If you are interested I can give you moblie number of someone there. I also worked for Preen, which was cool.

hi i have an interview at McQueen and Giles on the 28th of may 09 next week!!! and im so nervous...what kind of things do they ask and do at the mcqueen interview thanks if you could let me know i will be sooooo grateful

 

[Ievut]

Bette T, can you give me some examples? And do the work experience placements need to be in fashion industry or just in bussines in general?

 

[BetteT]

Your school must have a work experience or internship course that you take for credit ... and they will give you all their requirements of finding the right "work experience" placement. You would be responsible for finding the comany that will take you for the semester or summer. Only your school can tell you which "work experience" is acceptable for school credit and what is not ... and it would depend on what you are studying.

Probably, if you are taking marketing or merchandising, I would think that working in any wholesale or retail business ... or even in a publicists office might be OK for credit. And if you are studing fashion design, then any design house, fashion magazine, or possibly fashion retail would work for you. But probably not at a bank or a hospital. See what I mean? I think that they will say that is must relate to your feild of study somehow.

 

[Ievut]

Thanks BetteT!

 

[sophieliciousxba]

well guys, i am 17 and i live in greece. i have one year of school left
do you know what can i possibly do to just gain 'work experience'?
i really needed that, and i want to ask you where you ask and how do you do it as well as if vogue hellas or elle takes interns.
please guys i really need your help.

 

[BetteT]

Read my last post, above ... it explains on how it's done, in conjunction with your schooling.

And just call the magazines ... their human resources / hiring department and just ask if they have an internship program and if so, what do you need to do to apply.

 

[sophieliciousxba]

thank you very much!

 

[Miss-V]

hey guys, i have my first day at a internship coming up, however they havent given me a specific time in the morning to turn up. and i emailed and i have no reply. what should i do?msg back asap please

 

[Deborah]

I would go for normal office times? 9ish?

 

[gius]

what about telephone?
or check the building doors--sometimes the hours of operation are on there.