Things to leave in 2018: Unpaid Internships
Despite all the progress that has been made in the sector over recent years, the expectation for young people to undertake free labour is continuing, creating a harmful precedent about the way we treat and nurture talent. Rising reflects on the social mobility issue that is unpaid internships/labour in the arts, and challenge all to do better for 2019.
It’s no secret that Bristol is a great city to be a creative in. It’s a cultural hub, with a thriving creative sector. The city’s festivals, street art, music scene, cinemas and theatres make our city the country’s 8th most visited city in the UK and according to the 2017 Bristol Quality of Life Survey, 50% of Bristolians participate in cultural activities at least once a month. Not only is Bristol a core city for consuming culture, it is leading the industry’s cultural production as it is estimated that there are 17,000 jobs in the creative and digital industries in the city. Impressive.
When we think of the cultural and creative sector, we often envision the arts as being diverse and accessible, but a 2018 arts-led study, ‘PANIC!’, reveals that this is not the case – proving that it is increasingly difficult for young people and ethnic minority groups to get employment in the creative industries. The report, which draws from several academic papers, highlights the scale of social inequalities within the creative industries and how these work to put certain groups at a disadvantage – to the detriment of young people (of colour) in particular. The report took an intersectional approach to the findings – using the data to reveal the barriers marginalised groups face coming into the industry – situating social class as a large determining factor for an individual’s success in the arts.
Several recent reports have shown that social inequalities in the arts are reinforced by the prevalence of the unpaid labour through the guise of internships and portfolio work. For example, new research commissioned by the Sutton Trust – a charity which seeks to improve social mobility in the UK – has revealed that 86% of art internships are unpaid. The report surveyed more than 2,600 graduates between the ages of 21- 29 and found that more than a quarter reported having undertaken an unpaid internship. Unfortunately, unpaid labour is not uncommon in the arts – in fact, it’s quite the contrary – an overwhelming amount of creatives report having done an unpaid internship – and many have completed three or more with little to no reward. It seems that graduates are being caught in a cycle of unpaid internships that offer no significant benefit to their career and are a drain on their, often limited, resources. 43% of unpaid interns in the UK rely on free accommodation to survive and others depend on their families to fund them. Although the report pays particular attention to university graduates, for young creatives who didn’t go to university, this can be an even gloomier picture.
The expectation for entry-level creatives to work for free creates a barrier for young people who do not have relatives, multiple jobs or student loans which they can rely on to get by. These barriers can make it difficult for those from working class backgrounds to gain the vocational experience needed to get into the industry. Those who can afford to work for free are therefore more likely to get opportunities that can lead to further career progression – reproducing social inequalities.
Bristol is often described as a city of contrasts, hosting some of the most affluent areas in the country alongside some of the least deprived. According to Bristol City Council, Bristol has 42 areas including Hartcliffe, Withywood, Lawrence Hill and Filwood, that qualify as being part of 10 % of England’s most deprived areas. For young people who live in these areas, the lack of financial support makes it difficult to accept unpaid roles that could give them the experience to progress professionally. It important for us all do what we can to level the playing field and ensure the arts is truly inclusive and accessible. If we are to do this successfully, we need to interrogate the barriers to access – including this culture unpaid/nominally paid labour in our industry.
Part of the work that Rising strives to do is to demystify the creative industries and widen the pathways to ensure that everyone can engage and feel a sense of ownership over the art and culture that comes out of this city. We are youth-led so we ask young people about the barriers that they are facing, and then create projects, initiatives and campaigns to break down some of those barriers. We work collaboratively, with young people and with partners, to advocate for the time and opinions of young people, to platform their work and ideas, and to up-skill the next generation of creative talent to ensure that they are equipped to create meaningful, successful and provocative work.
We work together to create a shared vision of how we want the world to look and then we use our platforms to campaign towards to achieving that aim. Reports such as these paint a sobering picture about the barriers that disadvantaged groups face coming into the industry. We believe all young artists should be paid for the work they do, and have done a lot to advocate for this (Read more about it here). We also believe that this culture of unpaid labour being a rite of passage into the industry needs to be re-addressed. For this new year, let’s do better and pay young people for the time and value they add to your business and artistic practice.
Thanks,
Euella and The Rising Team