All About Internships and Work Experience Placements

[fashionistasista]

hmm ok gia, thats a good point.. but in sydney.. we dont really have those people so you cant really bump into those types of people here.... maybe if you're really lucky

 

[gia0202]

yeah---australia is different. what are the major magazines there? if you like fashion, do u pretty uch move to the states or europe?

 

[Cicciolina]

Australia's definitely different, but I do have to say I work part time in luxury retail here in Aust (it's an international brand) and it impressed the two internship interviewers I had because I've been there for two years and I'm willing to actually get out there and be involved in fashion somewhat. Though in context, I am still full time in university so working in luxury retail is the closest I can get (I get only 1-2 full days off from uni, so I work one night and weekends), and with that sort of availability I can't work for a designer, though I have interned a couple of times whilst at uni.

I know a girl who interned at a fashion magazine here in Sydney for about 2 and a half almost 3 years unpaid! The magazine is about on the same par as Glamour/Lucky/Marie Claire overseas. It helped that her family didn't mind supporting her and she worked in retail part time. It was only about a few months ago she was finally made fashion assistant.

 

[Cicciolina]

And I agree that it's definitely who you know.

But one thing that I feel about the Australian fashion 'industry' is that because it's so small it's incredibly cliquey. I have met so many people in it who are completely incompetent who still maintain their title and prestige because they move in the right circles/have the right look (ergh scenester people) rather than having any substance to back it up. Though I may be biased, as I haven't had any real exposure to the fashion industry overseas and I'm sure something like that is just as prevalent here, but it just seems to me that the Australian fashion industry is really quite lacklustre and full of itself. Anyway, I digress!

 

[fashionistasista]

^ HA! it sounds like we know the same people! although it cant be ignored that there are also terribly nice, talented and dedicated people here also.

How goes things Cicciolina? ive seen you post things on this thread alot, and kind of the same timeframe as me! ive seen some of your amazing experience - you interned at Follow right? - that is droolworthy! I was so dissapointed when it stopped being published.. it was so inventive with its design, by australian standards, some times a hit and sometimes misses but i loved that it put itself out there and had a go.

are you working in mags at the moment? interning?

F

 

[Cicciolina]

I'm still studying full time at uni (Finance and English) so just interning right now! Yep did Follow last right, actually I left only a few weeks before they closed

There are definitely some good, hard working people but soooooo many poseurs. I interned at a fashion PR firm and helped at some of the events and there were so many Z-listers and general nobodies who thought they were just the greatest and their whims and desires were actually fulfilled by everyone else around them. I just found it so strange, maybe it happens everywhere but I just think because Australia is so small and insular it may be more exaggerated here...

It's no wonder that anyone who's actually good at what they do and genuine and non-poser-y go overseas.

 

[Carrme]

Me and 2 friends are traveling through SAWP.ca in May to go to FRance (Paris)!! our agent tells us to go to London because its hard to find a student job for only 4 monthsin Paris but London is sooo expensive!
not sure what to do... we want paris

 

[style_star]

OhJane I don't think I'm an expert in it at all, these are all just from my own experience and what I think of it so hopefully they'll help you somewhat

I think it's easier to get a fashion internship at a magazine rather than a writing internship at a fashion magazine, if that makes sense, so that makes it easier for you at least. Find the contact details of the magazine, specifically for actual people rather than the general email. I've found it most useful emailing the fashion assistants (like the fashion editor's assistant, fashion director's assistant, etc) rather than the actual fashion editor/director/etc themselves because they'll most likely just ignore you. Fashion internships at fashion magazines will just involve (usually) receiving and sending out (returning) items (you have to keep track of what goes in and out, make sure nothing is lost, etc) and sometimes helping out on shoots (basically standing around making sure everything has what they need, ironing, getting the looks ready, doing errands, etc). Doing a fashion internship at a fashion magazine to me has always been for those who are more interested in the styling aspect rather than the writing. Hope this helps

Wouldn't doing a fashion internship at a fashion magazine still be beneficial if you want to write or edit for a fashion magazine? You may learn less about the actual job you will be doing, but you still become more knowledgable about the entire process and earn brownie points by securing experience in a fashion magazine in the first place.

Am I wrong?

I would love to work as a fashion journalist, but the information surrounding the subject is so confusing and multifaceted. Are the chances of scoring a relevant magazine internship during or after college really as slim as they appear, assuming the individual is working on or has already obtained a general degree, such as English?
Just how difficult is it to get a fashion internship with no prior experience??

 

[Cicciolina]

Wouldn't doing a fashion internship at a fashion magazine still be beneficial if you want to write or edit for a fashion magazine? You may learn less about the actual job you will be doing, but you still become more knowledgable about the entire process and earn brownie points by securing experience in a fashion magazine in the first place.

Yes it is beneficial to some extent but I think a lot of people have a misconception about fashion internships and believe they will be doing some fashion writing when all you do there is look after the fashion closet, make sure the clothes have been received and recorded and that you send it back out to the right PR and fashion companies at the right time, pack it all, etc etc. And probably help with some shoots if you're lucky or sit in when they're preparing for other editorials. This is why for many fashion internships in the description they clearly state "This is a FASHION internship, no writing is involved". Writing for a fashion magazine it's probably better to look into an internship that actually lets you write or at least research, like features or editorial but they're often very competitive. Don't get me wrong you will learn but in a more circumstantial way rather than actually getting some clips down.

I would love to work as a fashion journalist, but the information surrounding the subject is so confusing and multifaceted. Are the chances of scoring a relevant magazine internship during or after college really as slim as they appear, assuming the individual is working on or has already obtained a general degree, such as English?
Just how difficult is it to get a fashion internship with no prior experience??

It is not overtly difficult but it depends where you're applying. Many places want you to have some experience but this can range from interning at a fashion PR place, smaller magazines, etc, not necessarily another big name fashion magazine. I think with an English degree or other general degrees like Art History are accepted but from what I've seen getting a fashion journlism internship is firstly not only hard to find but also competitive as they look for past writing experience, clips, etc. A general degree like English is fine, I don't actually think someone with a Journalism or Communications degree will have the upper hand in that respect but I'm sure someone will disagree with me on this one. I'm sure to everything I've said though there's going to be exceptions but this has just been what I've gathered from researching and talking to people and well, doing internships!

 

[fashionistasista]

Wouldn't doing a fashion internship at a fashion magazine still be beneficial if you want to write or edit for a fashion magazine? You may learn less about the actual job you will be doing, but you still become more knowledgable about the entire process and earn brownie points by securing experience in a fashion magazine in the first place.

Am I wrong?

I would love to work as a fashion journalist, but the information surrounding the subject is so confusing and multifaceted. Are the chances of scoring a relevant magazine internship during or after college really as slim as they appear, assuming the individual is working on or has already obtained a general degree, such as English?
Just how difficult is it to get a fashion internship with no prior experience??

its all relative, and if you want to do it go ahead! i give you my best luck! its a fun ride, at least before you get anywhere. in terms of 'how hard it is to get a fashion journalism position' get all your favourite magazines, look in the masthead and count all the people (including contributers) who wrote copy (words) for the magazine, then compare that to the number of english, journalism, fashion majors, and all the well connected industry people or sons and daughters of industry people and see how much competition there is! it is depressing but such an interesting job... im also finding it hard now that i am having a fun ride with this job, to finance it all on a junior-type freelance writers earnings... but such as life!

 

[perisacooper]

Yes it is beneficial to some extent but I think a lot of people have a misconception about fashion internships and believe they will be doing some fashion writing when all you do there is look after the fashion closet, make sure the clothes have been received and recorded and that you send it back out to the right PR and fashion companies at the right time, pack it all, etc etc. And probably help with some shoots if you're lucky or sit in when they're preparing for other editorials. This is why for many fashion internships in the description they clearly state "This is a FASHION internship, no writing is involved". Writing for a fashion magazine it's probably better to look into an internship that actually lets you write or at least research, like features or editorial but they're often very competitive. Don't get me wrong you will learn but in a more circumstantial way rather than actually getting some clips down.

I don't know if that is the general consensus among most magazines worldwide, but I am currently interning for a magazine and so far I have done short write-ups, assisted in photo shoots( Mostly product shots, but i did sit in for some editorial shots as well and helped with the dressing up.)and the expected returning. It has been a great experience so far.

 

[style_star]

Thanks for all of the information guys!! I really appreciate the posts.

I don't come from a wealthy family so I really have to think about all of this before I get out there, and it's so frustrating. I know that I could probably do the job, but it seems that talent and ambition and whatnot can only get you so far. I guess what they say about connections really is true.

I don't know if this is OT, but don't magazine workers such as editors and directors do writing for the magazine as well? I checked in Teen Vogue and a number of their directors, editors, and assistants had writing pieces in sectors of the issue.

And lastly (or not), and this is for sure off-topic, but, do we have a thread on art directors? I searched and found fashion director, but it only had about 5 posts. I know from experience that often times the search doesn't find everything in relevance so maybe I missed it?

 

[BetteT]

To get you to thre right thread to ask these questions about various careers:

Here's a thread about Art Directors .
Here's a thread about Fashion Directors in magazines.
Here's a thread about Fashion Editors.
Here's a thread (a tiny one) about Magazine Stylists and Fashion Editors ... the difference. (BTW ... often the editor is the stylist ... it's not cast in stone.)
Here's a thread about Market Editors.

I used the advanced search and asked for thread titles only ... and asked for results in threads (not posts, or there would be too many) .... just so you know for future reference.

 

[Cicciolina]

I don't know if that is the general consensus among most magazines worldwide, but I am currently interning for a magazine and so far I have done short write-ups, assisted in photo shoots( Mostly product shots, but i did sit in for some editorial shots as well and helped with the dressing up.)and the expected returning. It has been a great experience so far.

It would depend on each magazine but I probably should have been a bit more clear earlier on I think a lot of people (me included, well initially) think that going into a fashion internship at a magazine (especially a larger one) that you'll be involved in fashion journalism and writing, but most of the time it's a lot more about styling and keeping the closet tidy - which don't get me wrong is useful and all adds up but not much writing. I've interned at larger magazines where that's all I've done (closet and helping out on fashion editorial shoots - running around getting meals, extra singlets, packing clothes, etc) and even at a smaller one I did only a little bit of research.

Fashion assistants from what I've seen do a bit of everything. From admin to general organisation, a bit of writing, helping out on shoots, etc but it depends; and from there they progress onto maybe the director/manager of the department (features, accessories, fashion, fashion news, etc). Some editors do writing, others don't, it depends I think.

But yes journalism is notoriously low pay, fashion or not. There's a good thread on Fashion Journalism and the member prosperk makes a lot of good posts though they may be a bit abrasive to some, they're very true (at least in my opinion).

 

[Deleted member 49693]

Thanx BetteT, those links are really helpful.

 

[BonjourRad]

I'm a recent graduate and have a degree in Arts Management. Could that get me an internship in fashion photography or fashion styling?

I was looking at Jed Root Inc., anybody know anything about their internship program?
Or any similar organizations?

 

[laughingdisorder]

Just out of curiosity, out of the people who've had intern experience...how many of you have been offered to be kept on by the companies you interned for?

I'm fairly interested in interning or gaining work experience in a modelling agency either as a booker/booker assistant/PR or anything along the lines of that since i'd quite like to go into a job related to fashion advertising or fashion photography, anyone who have had some experience have any advice would be much appreciated

 

[kris0108]

Ohh I am glad I found this thread. Basically I am just looking for some ideas for an internship. I go to school until 11 every day, and live about 2 hours from nyc. I don't mind commuting, and obviously i prefer a paid internship. i am currently majoring in fashion merchandising and hope to be a buyer someday or a stylist. any ideas or advice?

 

[OhJane]

How often throughout the year do magazines like Marie Claire and Elle (in the UK) take on interns, does anyone know?

 

[gia0202]

buyers and stylists have very differnet jobs. one is creative. one isn't. you should really think about that before u look into interning. saks has a great buyer internship. it pays too.

as for stylists--- try craigslist. also look into getting experience via a magazine or showroom. w magazine is still looking for accessories interns