Fashion internships represent your entry ticket into the fashion industry. In fact, getting a full-time job straight out of college is almost impossible in fashion as all the jobs require a minimum previous experience that you can acquire through internships. And usually you’ll intern for 6 months/1 year before landing your first full-time job. While the advantage of internships is that you can get a job even if you don’t have experience yet or if you are still studying, there is also a serious problem related to them: there are still many unpaid fashion internships, or those who just cover some expenses (such as food and transport). Which means that for a period of 6 months/1 year on average, you have to make ends meet with nothing or a few hundreds per month.
Considering that most of the fashion companies are located in the fashion capitals such as London, New York, Milan and Paris, living with a few hundreds per month or nothing is impossible if you don’t have the support of your family.
Unpaid internships are still a matter of controversy and scandal, especially when it comes to established fashion companies that can for sure afford to pay interns. It’s discriminatory for those who cannot afford to work for free but still dream to be in the fashion industry.
The main reason why unpaid internships are still a thing though is the fact that being a very competitive industry, there is demand from people who don’t have any financial issue to afford a unpaid internships and from those who despeately want to get their foot in the industry and know they have no choice but doing one or more unpaid internships.
I’m not sure there will ever be the day when fashion companies won’t receive any applications for an unpaid internship, that’s why this is something that needs to be changed from the fashion system to avoid this discrimination issue.
While we will wait for a final solution when unpaid internships won’t be a thing anymore, these are some tips to survive one.
Here’s how to survive an unpaid fashion internship:
1. Find a Part-Time fashion internship
Instead of applying for full-time fashion internships, find part-time ones where you’ll work there 2-3 days per week and find another part-time job even if it’s not relevant to the fashion industry just to support yourself.
2. Launch your side hustle/Freelance/work on the weekend
This is what most of the unpaid interns do: they juggle two jobs (fashion employees if you are reading this, aren’t you feeling guilty and bad that after a long day at work and after an entire week interns can’t relax but have to work twice just because you don’t pay them?) Open an Etsy store to sell your own creations, sign up to some freelance websites to write articles, do some graphic design or social media jobs, work in the evenings or during the weekend to earn some money while you do your unpaid internship.
3. Save money
If you can plan months in advance your fashion internship, you have the chance to save some money to cover at least the first 3 months of your unpaid internship without having to worry about finding a second job. You’ll probably want to intern during the summer after your graduation, well start saving money now.
4. Plan all your expenses
No to unnecessary expenses while you are an unpaid intern and plan all your expenses from food to clothing. You just have to cover all the necessary costs: food, rent, bills, transport. Save where you can: prepare your coffee and lunch at home, plan all your meals before going to the grocery store. I’m sure your wardrobe is already full of clothes. You don’t need to change your clothes everyday just because you work in fashion and you don’t need to wear designer clothes even if anyone else in the office is doing so. They hired you for your skills not for your wardrobe, so your H&M and Zara clothes you already own will be more than enough and if you have to buy something new for the office, invest in classic pieces: a white t-shirt, jeans, black trousers, a blazer, loafers…
5. If you can, intern when you are still in school
When you are still in school it’s mentally easier to handle an unpaid internship because in your school years you are not expected to get a salary yet. So if you can intern even part-time when you are still in school, you won’t only manage easier your unpaid internship financially but you’ll be able to apply for a full-time job (with a proper salary) as soon as you graduate because you already have acquired the required work experience while you were in school.
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