35 Comments

Thank you so much for investigating placements, CR. I've spend the last 3 months as an unpaid intern and would love to hear the results of this.
Grace N
2011-08-31 12:37:29

We're not an ad agency or design studio but do offer lots of interns a great opportunity (if we do say so ourselves!) Can we add in our tuppence worth?
Vue Represents
2011-08-31 12:44:21

@Vue Represents
Sure, add away
 PatrickBurgoyne
2011-08-31 12:52:20

1. Company name
Pedalo limited

2. Do you take placement students?
Occasionally

3. How many each year and at what times?
About once or twice a year when they arise

4. In the past year, which colleges have placement students come from?
Local Schools, Kingston Uni

5. How long do placements last?
Very variable depending on each case 1 day to 1 month

6. Do you pay placement students? How much?
No, afraid not although the process often leads to employment

7. How are they organised?
(Is there a formal programme or is it ad hoc?
Ad Hoc but we would like to improve on this
Are they assigned specific tasks?
No it's ad Hoc
Are they assigned a mentor?
Yes, that would be me
Is there a review process at the end of their stay?)
Yes, well there usually is.

8. Describe what a placement student would typically be asked to do.
It depends on their skill level but we would like to get them designing websites and print graphics although we might start them off gently with stuff to assess their skill level and aptitude like scanning and picture research.

9. What information should be included when applying for a placement with you?
Skill level information:
Software skills
Drawing skill indicated somehow
General Interests and enthusiams
Any qualifications so far
Any experience that indicates your ability to work, concentrate and inter-act with a team.

10. Who is in charge of placements? Please include contact email.
I am, but If you published my name I would have to kill you so please don't.
Simon Fell
2011-08-31 12:53:30

1. Rizon Ltd
2.Yes
3. 2-4 over the course of the year and all year around
4.Central St Martins
5.2-3 months but can be longer
6. Yes pay placement students, depending on experience and how they pick up what we do (which is niche) £700-1000 per month
7. They work within our studio, assigned to specific projects but get an overview of all aspects of the studio. They are mentored by our creative director and senior designer. We have regular reviews and a final review at the end of their time with us.
8.In the past year we have given them various projects from trend research through to brand creation ideas for a new entertainment IP. Typically they work alongside the design team on live projects.
9.Folio's and a 'designed' CV, we get some great folio's but the CV is an after thought. Include both personal and project work so we get a feel for the skill set and styles and please please submit a CV that looks good and reads well!! :)
10.dave @rizon-creative.com
Dave Collins
2011-08-31 13:05:35

unpaid intern = MUG!

Have some self respect for the skills you can offer studios... no matter how good the studio think they are, their complicit in slavery if they aren't paying you!
Tom
2011-08-31 13:11:47

I don't know if there is an equivalent in the rest of the UK, but I did two plcements arranged by GoWales (http://www.gowales.co.uk/). The second one resulted in full-time employment.

The employer has to pay you min wage and they have to prove you have been doing work relevant to your degree. The employer also receives £90 (i think) a week towards your wages. It prevents enthusiastic student and graduates being taken advantage of.

@Tom - I'm with you mate!
Sam
2011-08-31 13:50:01

I'm looking forward to this, would like to know any magazine places that pay their interns, as I haven't found any yet. Thanks Creative Review
Nick
2011-08-31 13:54:32

If the online guide had a resource which allows people to give feedback on how their placement went with a particular company this would be useful.

Students/grads could say what they felt they learnt, whether they felt welcomed or exploited, whether they were helped out by the company after their placement (given some contacts or had a feedback session at the end), etc, etc. Obviously this would be able to be made anonymous.

I did a few placements after Uni, some which were bad some which were good and it would be good if companies were held accountable for how they treat students/grads.
OUBDB
2011-08-31 14:09:02

@ OUBDB
I understand your point and feedback would be useful but effectively it would mean allowing people to anonymously accuse companies of mistreating them without us being able to check those claims' veracity. Which doesn't sound very fair to the companies concerned and would open us up to all kinds of legal complaints.
 PatrickBurgoyne
2011-08-31 14:18:47

1. Vue Represents
2. Yes
3. Monthly throughout the year for 2 to 3 days a week
4. Falmouth, Bournemouth, Nottingham, Brighton, Gloucester, Manchester
5. 1 month
6. We pay for travel with zones 1 to 6 and lunches
7. We provide them with a pack explaining the industry, various roles, do's and don'ts, an ad test/project to complete whilst with us etc etc plus ad hoc jobs that arise. We're a small office of 3 so they're 'mentored' by everyone. We review the ad test/project with them before they leave.
8. Depends on the individual and always overseen by us but as a guide - write a blog post, book meetings, attend meetings, ad research, database management, folio management
9. NOT a folio, our internship is mostly office based. CV with skills they think might be useful to us and what they will gain from interning with us
10. Fay Curtis - production@vue-us.com

A lot of our interns end up working in the industry as we're very generous with our contacts list and putting them in touch with other suppliers
Vue Represents
2011-08-31 15:27:51

@PatrickBurgoyne



Will you check the veracity of the statements of the studios, claiming to offer wonderful opportunities to students in return for working to nothing or next to it? Some placements are highly exploitative and a total waste of time for youngsters.
Rob
2011-08-31 16:02:00

@ Rob

Investigating those concerns will be part of this. As I mentioned in the copy there will be additional posts about the issues arising out of the present system. For now, we are just trying to gather information about what studios offer (or say they do at any rate)
 PatrickBurgoyne
2011-08-31 16:09:43

@ Tom

How about having some respect for those who are willing to increase their employability in an industry that it is notoriously difficult to find employment in, especially during difficult economic circumstances? I do feel that my skills are of financial value to a company, but whilst I'm a student and have a student loan, it is wise to make the most of the long summer I have. Unpaid interns aren't mugs, but dedicated to design as well as their careers. If I had this opportunity, and chose to avoid it and be a full time waitress for the summer instead, you wouldn't have called me, or any other unpaid intern a mug.

I have written an evaluation of my experience today on a blog, and as you will see I have loved it. http://www.foliofruit.blogspot.com
Grace N
2011-08-31 20:20:45

1. Flipside Group

2. Yes

3. Actively looking now

4. I have contacted a number of Universities yet they haven't sent me anyone!

5. 3 months

6. Yes - £200 per week

7. They will get live briefs and will be assigned a mentor with regular meetings with an Account Director and myself, the Creative Director.

8. Exactly what a designer/art director does here.

9. CV, examples of work

10. Mark Blaylock - Group Creative Director
Mark Blaylock
2011-09-01 12:03:36

@PatrickBurgoyne



number 6 is a very important question, and in my experience most do not pay 'enough'

here is an interesting article worth a read from a young graduate regarding this matter:
http://bit.ly/nPYJG7
johnjohn
2011-09-01 12:50:03

I have a comment to make to those (who are probably comfotable in their paid job) who think that getting money for an internship is a given. Or even asking for it. Many agencies in this industry do the right thing and pay their interns/placements and thank god for that. Try breaking into the art industry (magazine/gallery/auction house). I was interviewed for a 6-month, full time internship at a gallery at the start of this year, with no promise of a job at the end of it and of course it was UNPAID. I didn't even get it and I'm glad I didn't. Its outrageous and infuriating, as I am an MA, but graduates today know that if they turn it down, someone else will come along and do it, without the cash, and gain the experience from it (as some 'mug' surely is now....). The root of this problem is very deep and as a result many people miss out on opportunities as they rightly cannot support themselves. I hope the government will address this in the near future... But to those agencies that DO give money to their interns - well done and keep it up, it is commendable. To those graduates gaining experience without earning cash - you are to be commended for your stoicism. This is beyond your control. It is senior people taking advantage and let's hope it stops soon.
Rosie Milton
2011-09-01 15:22:41

1. Interbrand

2. Yes

3. Permanently 2 to 3 throughout the year. One goes - a new one comes...

4. Central St Martins, Trent, Bath, among other UK colleges, a few from France and Switzerland

5. 2 to 3 months

6. Yes, we do pay.

7. Each placement gets a god father/mother. These are also our people that go out to colleges and present what we do, and organize the placements. They are integrated into our work teams, and they get a specific assignment that they need to do during the stay at Interbrand. At the end of the term they need to present their findings/project.? At the end of their stay, they will receive feedback and compare notes from what they said initially at the onset of their work experience, with what they learned and experienced after the 2 or 3 months are over. They also have to present their portfolio during their work placement.

8. Based on their skill level, full immersion into what we do on a daily basis. Contribute and create! No stone will be untouched.

9. Name, address, short CV/bio and what time period the placement should be best happening.

10. HR: michael.love@interbrand.com
Gion-Men Kruegel-Hanna
2011-09-01 15:25:09

I find it very irritating and naive reading how some design agencies are being slated for not paying out to placement students...

I am now a middle weight graphic designer and I know that I wouldn't have my current job without my valuable work experience on my CV. This experience is what makes you stand out from thousands of others looking for a job.

When I started my placement I know that my work was not at a good enough standard to be charged out at to a client. And now having experience with placement students in my current role, I know that I was not the only one. When you come out of university, you have no idea how much you still have to learn.

So does it seem fair to expect payment when you are receiving full time professional guidance (that they would normally charge a client for) to tutor and shape you into an employable graphic designer?
Where has this arrogance come from?

Some agencies do pay placement students, including my current company, which I think is great. But this is a bonus and should not be expected.
Faye
2011-09-01 17:23:00

Have to disagree with Faye somewhat, I think a student doing a placement is there to learn, and thus getting £100 to cover travel is fair. To be a graduate on a placement is different. This person is a qualified designer, and as such deserves payment.

Fair enough some of the high-end studios who hire the absolute best designers will not take the vast majority of graduates, but those that they do take on should get minimum wage. If an agency doesn't think a designer is worth paying, then they shouldn't take them on. Fair is fair.

For the record I've been fortunate to work in a few payed placements and always rejected the ones that offer experience instead of cash. It's gonna be a lean few years regardless, but if you're enthusiastic, you get through it.
johnjohn
2011-09-01 23:36:56

@Faye, I understand your point of view that professional tutoring is the payment placements get. But me being a student who has recently graduated with massive financial debt and very little other financial backing and with the wealth of opportunities in London and other English big cities, surely agencies need to understand that there are people in a similar position and just the general cost of living and accommodation on an unpaid placement is unconceivable.
Ric
2011-09-02 09:35:33

Would love to hear more about this too, as I'm in the midst of an internship now, unpaid, but I feel I'm really learning a lot and have got lots of opportunity to handle projects that can go into my portfolio. However, I know this is not the case for all, and that some companies really do treat interns as free labour, and like what johjnjohn said, getting a minimum wage would be a gesture of sincerity and respect towards the intern too!
shuhan
2011-09-02 10:17:46

1. Holmes & Marchant

2. Yes

3. 13 per year: 1 every month + 1 extra starting Aug/ Sept

4. Falmouth, Norwich, Leeds, Gloucestershire, Bucks New Uni, Shillington College, Moholy-Nagy Uni Budapest, Somerset College,

5. Each month we offer a 4 week placement & once a year there is a 3 month graduate placement

6. Yes – We pay the national minimum wage so the actual amount is age dependent. If students are coming from abroad especially to be with us then we will pay for their return flights & accommodation but not a salary.


7. The placements are overseen by the two people who interviewed them, two designers including one who went through the process themselves and stayed on, so knows how the experience works. We do have specific projects we give designed for the placement, but generally we use their skills wherever it's most useful for us on live projects. The placements are given feedback after each fortnight.

8. As with any placement, we use students and graduates to help us with some more menial tasks such as image sourcing, but we definitely don't want them to go away having taken nothing from the experience. Good placements frequently see their work being shown to our major clients.

9. A PDF portfolio of their work specifically showing any examples of packaging work & a covering note. No more than 4/5 examples of work. Long portfolios than run on forever with paragraphs of writing on each page are a complete turn-off, as are rambling cover letters that try to demonstrate a candidate's innate understanding of the psychology of design. A good candidate will have confidence in a few select examples, and be succinct in what they say.

10. Contact hr@holmesandmarchant.com
Ben
2011-09-02 12:06:44

When I was a student, unpaid internships were invaluable as experience, getting paid was just a bonus, which made sense because you are still on the steep end of a learning curve.

However, as a graduate you are trained and equipped with the necessary skillset and therefore any work, be it a one-day placement or a six month trial period, should be paid for.

@Faye, it's not arrogance. Design graduates, however early in their career, have debts/costs to manage just like graduates from every other industry, and should be paid for any work they do. Professional tutoring from a good agency willing to give you a try is the perk of an internship; it is, after all, a job.
Pannett
2011-09-02 14:58:14

1. Believe in ®

2. Yes.

3. A handful of selected graduates

4. University College Falmouth, Sheffield Hallam, Somerset College of Art & Technology

5. 2 weeks and upwards

6. We pay a set daily amount of expenses to cover lunch and travel

7. Placements are organised to fit into the daily working of our studio. We aim to offer a rounded experience of life here. Responsibilites and tasks are assigned based on requirement and skill

8. Be exceptionally talented and ambitious! Join our team working on live projects — idea generation, artwork creation, brainstorming etc. Help out with day to day studio admin. Make a great brew. Probably most importantly, to ask questions and enjoy the experience

9. CV. Best examples of your work. Something you 'Believe in'.

10. Blair Thomson — Email: lovetowork@believein.co.uk Subject: Graduate Placement
Tish England
2011-09-02 15:47:19

@Grace N

There's a difference between a student placement and a graduate placement.
I was referring to graduate placements. If you're doing a placement as part of your studies then no, you probably shouldn't expect to be paid and you should give it your all and make people remember you.

The problem comes when you graduate from university with that fancy BA and you start working for nothing because it's called a 'placement' and you think 'well I did it for free when I was a student, why not do it for free now'. The difference is you have qualifications and it's now your full time job.

I did a work placement at a garage when I was 16 because I wanted to be a car designer and I thought it'd help me gain experience of how cars work. Had I then gone to university and graduated as a car designer I wouldn't then walk in to a garage and work for free.
Tom
2011-09-02 17:25:45

1. Company name
SB Studio
2. Do you take placement students?
Yes
3. How many each year and at what times?
All year
4. In the past year, which colleges have placement students come from?
LJMU, Leeds Uni, Manchester Uni, Preston
5. How long do placements last?
- approx 1month per placement
6. Do you pay placement students? How much?
Travel + Lunch exceptional interns receive bonuses
7. How are they organised? (Is there a formal programme or is it ad hoc? Are they assigned specific tasks? Are they assigned a mentor? Is there a review process at the end of their stay?)
All work on live projects from day one, along with shadowing in client meetings. They work under the designers as a resource whilst being trained in software etc.
8. Describe what a placement student would typically be asked to do.
Support the team of designers, small errands -
9. What information should be included when applying for a placement with you?
samples of work, education, location, software exp, ambition - emails over 5mb will be trashed as will cocky emails.
10. Who is in charge of placements? Please include contact email. (If you are worried about being bombarded with CVs, please leave this blank for now and we will contact you again before publication)
http://Www.sb-studio.co.uk
B HOLROYD
2011-09-03 17:39:06

@ Tom
Fair dos. It's a shame that there aren't enough jobs to go round, so graduates have to do unpaid work.
Grace N
2011-09-04 20:02:08

Have to disagree with Faye somewhat, I think a student doing a placement is there to learn, and thus getting £100 to cover travel is fair. To be a graduate on a placement is different. This person is a qualified designer, and as such deserves payment.

Fair enough some of the high-end studios who hire the absolute best designers will not take the vast majority of graduates, but those that they do take on should get minimum wage. If an agency doesn't think a designer is worth paying, then they shouldn't take them on. Fair is fair.

For the record I've been fortunate to work in a few payed placements and always rejected the ones that offer experience instead of cash. It's gonna be a lean few years regardless, but if you're enthusiastic, you get through it.
johnjohn
2011-09-04 22:16:02

If a graduate on placement is taken on with a specific project in mind - budgeted in and billed out to the client, even at just at cost with no profit factored in, then where's the problem?
tom
2011-09-05 10:34:08

I dont understand why such a large proportion of the design/art industry think its OK to not pay placements. In any other industry this would be completely ridiculed! On my third unpaid placement I saw a project from start to finish and presented to the client, which made the agency money - none of which was given to me. I understand that the main purpose of a placement is to gain experience, but personally I'd rather not have the experience of working for an agency who earn more than enough to pay out a minimum wage or at least travel/food expenses but choose not to.

Its fine for those with wealthy backgrounds whose parents can support them but there is a huge amount of talent out there missing out on opportunities because they cannot afford to move to London for a month with no income and be expected to survive off nothing whilst trying their hardest to show an agency what they can do....all the time with the dread of not being employed at the end of it!! rant over/
Sophie
2011-09-05 11:45:45

15 months ago I set out about 50 CV for a paid placements and got know were, know one wanted to pay me. So 10 months ago I set out a mail shot saying I'll work for nothing for 3 days a weeks, I had nothing to lose I knew that I was good enough but just need to chance. 7 months ago a company took me up on my offer and give me a chance, it was only to be for 2 weeks and I'm still here 7 months later. They started paying me 2 weeks into the intern. Sometimes you have give something to get something.
Leah Batchleor
2011-09-05 16:26:14

1. Company name

Moving Brands

2. Do you take placement students?

Yes gladly!

3. How many each year and at what times?

It varies depending on requirements, it can be anything from 1 to 8 across the year, but we tend to have more in just after the New Blood exhibition.

4. In the past year, which colleges have placement students come from?

There is a variation, but we have students from Glasgow School of Art, Eastbourne College, Nottingham Trent Uni, Loughborough Uni, Kingston Uni, Northumbria Uni. We like a mixed bag.

5. How long do placements last?

6 weeks on average

6. Do you pay placement students? How much?

All students and grads receive the national minimum wage.

7. How are they organised? (Is there a formal programme or is it ad hoc? Are they assigned specific tasks? Are they assigned a mentor? Is there a review process at the end of their stay?)

We make sure that they are assigned to a project as a resourced part of the team and this can range from the assess-stage research to hands-on animation design. We find this is the best way of them not only getting the most out of the placement but also helps them to feel integrated into MB. Obviously, we might ask them to help out on ad-hoc duties long the way, but only small tasks that are part of the project process.

Some of them work on 2 or 3 different projects and they really enjoy the variety of that. We don't assign a specific mentor, but they can always call upon the resource manager to chat to if they have any concerns. The resource manager has a catch-up with them about half-way through the placement to make sure everything is running smoothly and they are also given feedback from the team that they are working with. If we can, we look to extending the placement or offering them a contract for a junior role.

8. Describe what a placement student would typically be asked to do.

It varies from project to project, but we encourage them to contribute to brainstorms, to thinking about our creative approach and adding value where they can, through to producing design, technical or strategic elements of a live project. They have to work in the same way that juniors in the team would, albeit with a little more guidance! Some of them are very good and deliver well beyond expectations.

9. What information should be included when applying for a placement with you?

We like to see what they can do, so a live portfolio/site is expected. Even a blog or twitter feed would suffice if they aren't a designer per se. Some students like to show examples of contributions they've made to magazines etc or anything that proves they have story-telling and branding passion and experience.

Knowing where they live and their ability to stay in London for the duration of the placement is crucial too.

10. Who is in charge of placements? Please include contact email. (If you are worried about being bombarded with CVs, please leave this blank for now and we will contact you again before publication)

Louise Leaver - Resource Manager. Email address: louise.leaver@gmail.com
Moving Brands
2011-09-07 18:35:20

The Chartered Society of Designers is offering six month internships with job requirements that read more like full time roles and require a degree minimum.

Pay for six months hard work = travel allowance inside London!

http://www.csd.org.uk/index.aspx?id=218
JW
2011-09-12 17:37:42

1. Company name: Tigerprint

2. Do you take placement students? Yes

3. How many each year and at what times? Between 30 - 40 placement's per year

4. In the past year, which colleges have placement students come from? A few of our links include Leeds College of Art & Design, Northumbria University, Swansea Metropolitan University, Plymouth College, Glasgow School of Art, North Wales School of Art & Design. We collaborate with several Colleges & Universities through College Projects and the winners of the projects tend to come in on placement too.
Additional Comment: We also offer Graduates placement's. The Tigerprint team spot a lot of talent at local & national Graduate Degree shows, including New Blood and New Designers (which Tigerprint has sponsored for over 10 years)

5. How long do placements last? Mostly 1 - 2 weeks depending on the brief & studio space

6. Do you pay placement students? How much? Unfortunately we don't pay placement's unless their placement is part of a competition prize. However, we do provide accommodation & let them stay in the Tigerprint Cottage free of charge. We aim for placement's work to be used in our ranges, if a placement's work is used in the range we will pay a production fee.
Additional Comment: Tigerprint run an annual competition in collaboration with New Designers offering prize money and a paid placement, open to students & recent graduates. We also run a monthly on-line competition with prize money and a possible placement option (dependant on brief & studio space).

7. How are they organised? (Is there a formal programme or is it ad hoc? Are they assigned specific tasks? Are they assigned a mentor? Is there a review process at the end of their stay?) Most of the placement's are booked into the Studio by a Design Manager(s) with a specific brief in mind. As they are here for 1-2 weeks we like to get them stuck into a project from the off. The don't have a mentor as such but they are introduced to key members of the studio for help & the Design Managers will review their progress throughout the week(s). The Design Manager will also arrange a portfolio session for the placement to showcase their work to other Design Managers & Studio Managers, with a view to brief them another project or to take them on as a freelancer. Finally the Design Manager who booked the placement will review the placement's work and ask them for feedback at the end of the week.

8. Describe what a placement student would typically be asked to do. Usually a brief is set based on the students skill base and work in their portfolio, this can vary from greeting cards through to Christmas decorations. The work set will be regularly monitored by the Design Manager looking after the student / graduate, giving advice / suggestions where needed. It is the DM's role to get the best out of the placement and make the 2 weeks a worthwhile venuture for both parties, i.e. no tea making! A review will take place at the end of the placement to discuss the placement and any opportunities from there on, be it freelance work, commission work or an invitation to work back in the studio.

9. What information should be included when applying for a placement with you? Tigerprint receive loads of placement requests from eager students & graduates. We ask that in their application they include examples of their work, we don't need a full portfolio but a handful of great examples is brilliant - show us your best / favourite pieces of work, a CV - including what computer programmes you can use and finally,be enthusiastic & genuine. Also, do your homework & find out who & what Tigerprint do.

10. Who is in charge of placements? Please include contact email. (If you are worried about being bombarded with CVs, please leave this blank for now and we will contact you again before publication) - leave blank

See what we are all about at http://tigerprint.typepad.com/ , http://www.tigerprint.uk.com/ & http://giftedcompetition.tigerprint.uk.com/
Laura Towers
2011-09-20 14:14:15

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