A DRAFT MANIFESTO
for arts internships

The employer will respect the intern and his or her time

The internship will be empowering and will raise the intern’s confidence

The intern’s contributions and views will be valued by the employer

An intern will learn on the job by doing real work with guidance from staff who are paid to do that role

The employer will ask the intern what they want to get from the position and will agree a schedule of work that addresses this

The employer will be honest about what the job involves so the intern is clear about what to expect before they start work

There will be a clear distinction between the role of the intern and the roles of voluntary workers – namely, an intern is gaining experience to progress in that field whereas a voluntary worker is donating their time for free to support the organisation

The employer will limit internships to two days per week so that interns can either support themselves with paid work or are eligible to claim Jobseeker’s Allowance

Internships will be for a limited period which is stated before the intern starts work

There will be a maximum length of six months for internships before an employer is obliged to pay them

The employer will pay travel and lunch expenses and there will be a standard system for claiming these expenses

The employer will be proactive in seeking the intern’s expenses claims

The employer will support the intern’s art practice, for example if an intern is invigilating the employer will allow them to read or use the internet during their shift


Some queries
- Duration of internships is important, but how should time restrictions be used so that they protect the intern but don’t limit the job?

- What could the side effects of these guidelines be?

- Should interns always be paid if an organisation is making a profit? Should the pay be commensurate to the organisation’s profit, even if this amount is so small it is just symbolic?

- Should interns have a space to publish a rating after completing an internship which would inform other interns?

- Should there be a limit to the number of internships one person can do?


Created by Rob Gallagher, Valeria Iacovelli, Elsa Tierney, Darshana Vora and Raymond Wong.

1 comment:

  1. Hello guys, I think..

    - with prior discussion with the employer, interns should have the freedom to switch to a different responsibility when they feel like they've learnt enough in a certain discipline. the employer should then raise the possibility of extending the duration of the internship.

    - symbolic pay should definitely be considered, since it encourages a sense of inclusion on part of the intern

    - maybe the rating system can be ran in association with Arts Jobs and use some sort of registration system to make sure it doesn't get abused

    Cheers and look forward to see some of you on Saturday.

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