By MIA FREEDMAN
UPDATED: July 9th 2013
Earlier this year, the Fair Work Ombudsman, Nicholas Wilson, announced that he will be seeking a harsher crackdown on internships and unpaid work experience in Australia.
I have no problem with this.
The idea of exploiting vulnerable people – for example, telling someone they need to do an indefinite unpaid ‘trial’ lasting months before they can be considered for a job or coercing someone to work for free by promising them future employment – is troubling and unethical.
Equally troubling, however, is the idea that all internships or work experience placements are exploitative.
That’s plainly absurd.
Of course I’m going to say that. It’s well known that I started my career doing work experience at Cleo in 1992. Lisa Wilkinson was my first boss and I was incredibly grateful for the opportunity.
I initially assisted the features editor for two weeks and at the end of that fixed period, I begged Lisa to allow me to continue to come in one day per week so I could continue to gain experience on one of Australia’s top magazines. Today, this would be called an internship.
As a journalism student in my first year of university, this opportunity was extraordinary and I relished every moment of every day. I did a variety of interesting and menial tasks, from filing and fetching coffee, running errands for the fashion department, answering the phones when the receptionist was at lunch and doing research for the writers. I got to see up close how a magazine worked. From the inside. Invaluable.