Have you notice how relatively easy is for a recent graduate to get an internship in The Netherlands, in comparison to how hard is to find a JOB (yes in capital letters, just to emphasize the distinction)? At least that is the impression that I have after months of drifting thought the finding-a-job process. I don’t restrict my job searching to job listing websites and recruitment agencies, I also visit companies’ websites because is very common that they have their own vacancy page where you can find job posts that are not anywhere else advertized. And while I often come across with: ‘we have no vacancies at this moment’ it’s very common to see that internships for different areas within the organizations are being offered.
I finished an internship in December and I was determined to find a JOB after that. However, months have passed and apart from temporary projects I haven’t been able to find a well-paid stable position in the field of my interest. A couple of weeks ago I was offered an internship in an institute of contemporary art that I had already been trying to reach, aiming for a JOB, with little success. Despite the fact that this is an internationally recognized art institution and that it’s always good to have more work experience I had my doubts about wanting to go through another internship again. I knew the fee offered would be low (if any at all) and to due to the difficult situation that Dutch art institutions are going through (due to the government founding cuts) it’s not very realistic to expect to be hired right after or during the internship program.
But I decided to go to the interview. It went pretty fine and the interviewer immediately made clear that she wanted to have me as her intern (“you appear to be an intelligent girl, you have the experience and I wouldn’t have to go through the hassle of guiding a novice”).
“Are you interested?”
“Well, I would like to know what is the fee offered to the interns and if apart from that you cover travel expenses”
“The fee we pay is so small is symbolic, but we do pay all travel expenses”
And yes, the money the offer is symbolic indeed. Is less than half of the money I was paid in my previous internship (that was in an art institution of similar size and characteristics) and even less money that what I am being paid in another art institution for volunteering one day a week.
“Well I have to think about it. As you said, I have experience, I cannot work for free”
At this moment the interview started to run less smoothly. I explained that I was pretty aware that employers are not obliged to pay internships but that in this case I had different expectations, also based in my own experience.
So she gave me time to think about it…
And I’m doing it, two days a week for tree months, I hope I was a good decision!