Originally posted by John Lambert:
My possibly future sister-in-law was an intern with a newspaper over the summer. She got paid, and left to work full time at a much smaller newspaper because she felt underworked at the first newspaper.
If she wanted to do more, she just had to ask. I'm sure they would have loved to have someone who wanted to work more. When I interned at office once, paid very well, I filed in a month what usual their interns* took a whole summer to accomplish. They were so thrilled they not only gave me an award :rolleyes: /literally a plaque!/ but also much more interesting work to do.
*Having met some of the other summer interns at that office, I could see how they never accomplished these menial tasks. They showed up late, they took two hour lunches, tons of coffee / cigarette breaks to get together and socialize, and basically used the time to goof off. I may not have been a popular intern, but I was so well liked by the firm, I was offered another job the next summer and my choice of assignments. I grew up with the work ethic that while you're at work, you work. That's why they pay you.
On the other hand, one of my sisters had an offer from a New York Fashion Law firm for an unpaid, 9-month internship. At that point she had a JD and was about to get her LLM, so she turned down the offer as not worth taking. She now has one case and works in a clothing store to make ends meet, 18 months later. So maybe she should have taken the unpaid internship. On the other hand it was not clear that what they would have her do would at all utilize her skill as a lawyer, or even required someone who had been to law school at all.
Oh, I'm sure they would have used her free legal services to their benefit.
My guess is Hollywood Production companies are the worst. There are lots and lots of films that make way less money than it costs to make them, lots of films that die in production, and such.
You're probably right. And so many suckers out there who want to get into the business.
