All About Internships and Work Experience Placements

Could anyone give me some advice to pass on to my friend. She's been working in retail since leaving college but would like to get her foot in the door in the industry via an internship or work experience. She's not studying for a degree at university so I guess she feels that hinders her chances. Should she just get her C.V out there and see what the response back is??
 
Getting work experience is sooo hard work! Im trying at the moment as Im a photography student and tried all the top magazines like Vogue as well as a few smaller ones to get work in a creative fashion based department...I want to try and contact some willing London based Fashion photographers who dont have bloomin agencies you have to go through..Any ideas?
 
hey i was wondering when i should start looking for and applying for summer internships? i'm thinking new york or maybe boston, preferably in fashion marketing or something similar. i was browsing freefashioninternships.com and they don't seem to have many [if any] summer opportunities up.

what other places would be good resources for finding internships?

i'm currently a junior in college (majoring in french and minoring in communications) and i'm living in paris for the academic year, so i'll be here until early june. after graduation i'm thinking of applying to FIT and Parsons for their fashion marketing AAS programs.

thanks in advance for any possible advice!
 
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Could anyone give me some advice to pass on to my friend. She's been working in retail since leaving college but would like to get her foot in the door in the industry via an internship or work experience. She's not studying for a degree at university so I guess she feels that hinders her chances. Should she just get her C.V out there and see what the response back is??

That kinda happened to my friend.
My old flatmate works at the Burberry HQ and asked me if I wanted to intern there, but Im teaching so wasnt really interested -but I referred her to my friend who worked in Topshop.
He got the internship and is a PR assistant at Louis Vuitton now, and retail is but a memory ^_^

So I think you should just get out there -people get positions by chance and you might get lucky. You might not need a degree, just fairydust, happy thoughts and sharp elbows.

Good luck!
 
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That kinda happened to my friend.
My old flatmate works at the Burberry HQ and asked me if I wanted to intern there, but Im teaching so wasnt really interested -but I referred her to my friend who worked in Topshop.
He got the internship and is a PR assistant at Louis Vuitton now, and retail is but a memory ^_^

So I think you should just get out there -people get positions by chance and you might get lucky. You might not need a degree, just fairydust, happy thoughts and sharp elbows.

Good luck!

Thanks. I'm a student so I've no in depth knowledge of working in the industry to pass on. I will forward this on to her. Karma. :flower:
 
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Where can I go thats fashion related for work experience in the UK? I'm fourteen years of age and I am determined to find somewhere I can go to work for a week that involves fashion.

It's always good to aim big, but sadly the reality is at 14 its unlikely you will get far. Depending on what aspect of the industry you are interested I can only really talk magazines/newspapers but the best bet would be to either get work with a small boutique, or a local newspaper. By the time you reach 16 and college level more doors will start to open, try lesser regarded media/shops/design firms, for example I worked with the Daily Mail at 16, now if I hadn't done that I'm pretty sure I wouldn't have got experience at the the The Times now. Always think big but get there in small steps! Good Luck!
 
I'm 15~ almost 16 in May and thinking about trying to find somewhere fashion or photography related to intern at. The city is accessible to me if possible...I want it to be somewhere with a good reputation so it will appeal to my parents...and I'd probably be able to go every Saturday or like every Sunday. Do you think a program like this even exists and where do you guys think I should start?
 
It might be difficult on weekends only ... since interning would be the same as having a job at that company ... you would have to work when they work. Interning with a photographer would be your best chance for weekend work ... but not likely a fashion house or fashion magazine. I can't offer you any suggestions beyond that ... but be careful ... many "photographers" are not legit. If you were to intern for a photographer, they probably don't have a formal internship program (they just work with a small crew) ... you would just have to hit them at the right time, when they need some help on weekends.
 
Ah, that's kinda what I feared. I'll probs have better luck in the summer then, right?

I just need to figure out something productive to do with my weekends, to be honest...
 
I've seen a lot of people asking about interning in their teens, and I just thought I should mention that when I interned at UK Glamour back in June/July there was a girl who was 17, and they require you to be 18 or over due to insurance probably in case anything happens and they can't take responsibility for younger people.
Anyway she got the internship through her auntie having contacts there or something so I guess nooone enquired about her age so much as she was also only there for a week, but they did find out on her fourth day and she was told she wouldn't be able to finish her week there.
She was a great little worker bless her but I guess they can't take any risks if they're not covered, and it would also be sensible due to the level of maturity and responsibilty youre more likely to get with people who have been through school and probably at least had a part-time job/possibly moved out to study at university.
I agree with what everyone else is saying about trying to get part-time work with a small local boutique who wont have such strict employment regulations and use your contacts! If you have friends or family who work at the local paper or local stores etc, then youre more likely to get some experience even if it is just a week. It shows your determination at least :smile:
Sorry for the long rant haha and good luck! x
 
I just sent off my cover letter and resume to a fashion house in New York to intern in their marketing/PR department. How long do they take to reply and what responsibilities would I get if I get accepted?
 
has anyone here interned at one of the big fashion houses (Chanel, Gucci, etc.)? I'm interviewing with a bunch of them for spring internships and I have some questions.

how often, if at all, do these internships lead to full time jobs? what are the interviews like?
 
Is the best way to find out about designer showroom or designer PR internships found by contacting the HR?

Also, does anyone know about Nylon Magazine internships? I've never seen any posted on Ed2010 but based on their masthead, I KNOW they have a handful.
 
hi everyone! i have some questions for those of you who are working/have worked in the fashion publications business. i'm feeling like i have very few career options right now and would appreciate any advice or leads, any help is welcome!

i'm a 25 year old ex-fashion designer with 2 years of fashion design/research experience. i lost my job last spring and have since done some reflecting. i decided that fashion DESIGN isn't my passion and that i would love to pursue--or at least learn loads about--the world of fashion publications. i don't know much about the various roles in a magazine but i think that i would be good at styling, picking up trends and maybe writing small pieces here and there (forgive me if i'm wrong, but i believe that would be the role of the fashion editor?).

my problem is that 1) i am a canadian citizen, which makes working in the states very difficult--lots of paperwork etc and 2) i am too old/experienced to apply for most internships at fashion magazines--they always specify that applicant "must be currently enrolled in college and be able to receive school credit". this is something i don't understand because i have an excellent work ethic and eye for style/colour, and i know that i would work harder than a college student and bring more experience to the table.

i feel like all the opportunities lie in the states (NYC especially) but that the doors aren't open to me, yet i can't just stay here in stale vancouver where there is absolutely nothing for me. should i go back to school in order to qualify myself as an applicant for an internship? if so, what courses should i take that would be beneficial to me if i want to pursue a career in fashion publications? i've read that it's much better to have a background in something OTHER than fashion design if i want to work for a magazine.

sorry for the longwinded explanations, but i do hope someone will be able to shed some much-needed light on my dark career tunnel. thanks so much in advance!
 
Internships are usually relegated to the college student ... since it's unpaid in most cases ... so at least they have a valid reason to show up everyday ... their grades. Without that, many interns would just walk after a while, because of all the hard work they must do for zip. I'm guessing that is why. Not that this helps you any .....


This is totally off topic (internships) ... but I wanted to say that with your design background and especially your research skills ... I would think you might be able to get an entry level job (paid) at some publication ... either in Vancouver or better yet, TO. It might not be totally a fashion mag, but experience is experience and it could lead to learning more about publishing, at least and it would build your resume for a real fashion magazine later. Shoot for a lifestyle mag, if you can't hook up with a fashion mag. At least they will occassionally have fashion features or interior design feature which might help you later to find work at a fashion mag.

To work in NY, as a Canadian, requires that you bring lots of experience to the table ... as a prerequisite to get a work visa in the US anyway. It's sort of like you need to be special and not easily replaced by any US citizen ... you need to have a "name? and a reputation. So, you must first get the experience, then get the job in NY where they can attest that they can't find any Americans with the same experience ... then you can get a work permit so you can take the job.


If you want to get some other ideas about breaking into publishing, other than just interning ... there are numerous threads here about working at magazines. I did a search for you and here are some that should interest you:

What Education is Needed to get into Magazines / Publishing?
Careers / Jobs / Positions in Magazine Publishing
How to Get Work at a Fashion Magazine & Get to the Top
Fashion journalism
 
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Have fashion house employees gone back to work in the US (New York) or are they still on holiday?
 
I was wondering if anyone has ever used (or recommends for or against) internship 'programs' by companies such as University of Dreams ? I ask, because I'm from Australia and am interested in doing an internship in either the US or UK, but think it will be overwhelming and difficult to organize accom, support, and not to mention the internship itself etc.

I would just stick to Australia, but it doesn't seem there are many opportunities here - I'm interested in doing one in either casting (either fashion or film), modelling agency, or at a magazine.

The UoD program offers a guarenteed placement (or money back), housing, meal plan, college credit (with Menlo College), transportation to/from work, weekend social events, guest speakers, etc.

I would still have to go through the whole getting a US Visa, (unless I chose the UK, as I have already have a European passport). But the more I think about it, the better these programs seem.

But I guess I'd like to also know what the actual chances are of casting directors, agencies, magazines of even considering international students?

Has anyone successfully (program or not) interned overseas?
 
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^ I have interned overseas, but not with a programme. I just sent my resume and cover letter via email.
 
Hi everyone, it's my first post in this thread. well like many people here, my dream is to work in the fashion industry (preferably as a designer, but other things work too). I'm a college sophomore in the West Coast. My school doesn't offer "fashion design" as a major, but have other options in art such as Industrial Design, Visual Communication Design, etc. Right now I am majoring in Asian studies and would like to combine my major with something else that would help me get a job in the fashion industry. Do you have any suggestions?
Second, I want to do some internships for fashion designers. Should I first intern for local designers since right now I don't have any experiences at all?
and my last question is you know on some designers' websites (ex. Jason Wu), they have emails for questions about internships. How likely are they going to respond? Do they email back at all?
 
I sent my resume on the 4th Jan and still no reply from DVF. Will they at least reply to me that my application hasn't been successful? I'm so worried :(
 

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