Intern Diaries: Week 2

The tasks for my second week as an intern were similar from the first week. The whole internship has involved a lot of social media. I'm happy I get such a big role when it comes to this and I am completely trusted to update all the social networking websites with whatever I want! I even set the brand up with a Lookbook account. 

Here's how my week went:

Day 1 - The first day of the week saw us photographing all the shoes we didn't get the chance to shoot at the weekend. We also made a fun little video of us dancing around in the shoes. There was some seriously funky footwork going on! Only a few of the shoes were my size so I don't think I can quite call myself a foot model just yet.

Day 2 - I had to upload pictures of all the sale items to our Facebook and Pinterest pages. This was a pretty tedious task but I guess it's the interns job to do all the nitty gritty stuff. I was also given the task of creating a few mood boards for the new collection whilst looking after the shop. We finally received the shots from the photo shoot at the weekend, so another tedious job was lined up - uploading all the items to ASOS Marketplace. Hurrah!

Day 3 - As well as becoming a foot model this week, I also gave hand bag and scarf modelling a try. All these pictures were also uploaded to ASOS Marketplace. More social media work was done, and it was today I set up the Lookbook account! I also started using their Chictopia account again which had been lying dormant for quite some time. 

Day 4 - My final day! Myself and some of the other interns spent the day in the shop whilst working on the brand's social media. We even got cake because it was on of the interns' birthdays over the weekend! It was a nice final day to have despite the weather welding my bottom to my seat! 

I really enjoyed my time and I feel like I learnt so much in such a short space of time. Of course I'd love to intern at bigger companies, but it's true that you get a real hands on experience on smaller brands because the team is so much smaller! Everyone was so friendly and I intend on going back for another two weeks later on in the holidays, but I need to time to relax and catch up on my college work first!

Please leave any questions, I'd love to hear from you!!

Intern Diaries: The Photo-shoot

Don't get your hopes up thinking that this was some high end, glamorous photo shoot. It wasn't. All the prep was done in the tiny office, the shots were done just outside our building using only a camera, and we had about sixty different outfits with three different make-up looks on two different models to shoot in the space of about six hours. Talk about hectic!

My job was primarily just to carry the masses of clothes around with me to allow for super fast changing, with a few opinions on the styling and direction of the shoot thrown in. I found myself peering over the photographers shoulder to get a peep of the photos - and they looked fab! It's amazing what a bit of make-up, some natural light and a decent camera can do! They're gonna be the coolest shots on ASOS Marketplace - watch out!

It was great to be able to get so involved with the photo shoot, even though the brand is only small, and the team even tinier. I'd love to be able to experience a full on glam editorial for Vogue, but that's setting my hopes a little to high, don't ya think? Regardless, the whole day was so much fun and the lovely weather made it even better!

The shoot just consisted of product shots for ASOS Marketplace, so it was quite technical in that we had to show off the clothes accurately, with views from all angles, and we had to apply the no flash and no editing rules that ASOS enforce. We gathered quite a crowd! The professionals on the shoot such as the make-up artist and male model were confused as to why people found this interesting but it isn't something you see everyday! At least I haven't seen a shoot take place before. If I was one of them I'd be stopping and staring too! Heck, I'd put my jacket on the ground and sit and watch!!

It was a loooong day. I arrived at 10am, and didn't leave till 8pm. We weren't expecting it to take so long but it was well worth it. The shots look great, it was a fun day and I can now say I've assisted on a photoshoot. Win win all round!

Intern Diaries: Week 1

So I managed to land myself an internship (which are pretty damn hard to find up here in Manchester) with a small start up brand based in the city centre. I was really happy when I found out I'd got it, because I had no experience what so ever, and they always say the first internship is the hardest to get, probably for that reason. 

I'm only there for two weeks, but hopefully I can go back later on in the holidays for another two weeks (as I'm pretty sure my best friend and my boyfriend are on holiday at the same time which is going to be mega torture for me, I need to keep myself occupied). 

So here's what I did in the first week:

Day one: A nervous me walked in to the studio, but was pleasantly surprised to find that everyone there was very nice and friendly, and I wasn't given too big a task on my first day. Myself and the other interns (who had already been there for a a week or two before me) were given plain t-shirts to customise and let our creative juices flow. It was a nice relaxed first day.

Day two: We started off the day by sketching some designs for the new collection, and then we were sent out to snap some street style shots (wow, talk about alliteration!) which we were very unsuccessful with because it was really early and no one was about. :( I had to do little errands throughout the day like nipping to the bank, and putting stickers on a huge pile of lookbooks. Then I was given the task to create a print for the upcoming collection which I was really excited about, although the speed of the computer that I was working on made the experience rather frustrating, and the fact I was using macs which I've hardly used before. I was also sent to work in the shop they have in Affleck's for a couple of hours.

Day three: I spent the first half of the day working on the different social media websites the brand has which included making a Pinterest board, and a sort of 'steal her style' celebrity look sheet using pieces from the brand, which I then uploaded to their Facebook page. When I came back after my lunch break, a photo shoot for ASOS Marketplace was being organised which I helped with, then we all spent the rest of the day styling for the shoot which was so much fun!! I can't wait to actually attend the shoot and assist with everything! :D

Day four: Today was a very tiring day. I write this having just woken up from a nap. The morning was spent locating all the items that we needed for the shoot which was a huge task considering the amount of clothes that are crammed in to such a tiny office space. After this I was sent to work in the shop, where I spent my day on the laptop checking the social media sites, and I also got to create my 'pick of the week' from the items in store, as well as an outfit post on ASOS Fashion Finder and I also did some more designs for the upcoming collection. 

I think working for a small brand is really great because you get much more of a hands-on experience. I wasn't expecting to be given so much responsibility. I was half expecting to be stuck in a little corner with a list as long as my arm of mundane little tasks to do, but so far I feel like I've really contributed to the brand and learnt a lot. The hours are quite long, but I only work 4 days a week, and the experience is definitely worth it!

I hope you've enjoyed reading about the first week on my internship, and that this post wasn't too lengthy. I will have another post up by Monday talking about my experience on the photo shoot, and then another post up next Friday covering my second week as an intern! So please check back if you'd like to hear more!! :)

Please leave any questions or comments, I'd love to hear from you! xx

Controversial Issue: Unpaid Internships

For those of my readers who are looking in to a career in the fashion industry, or any industry for that matter, you will probably know that experience is key. You know that door people harp on about, the one you're aiming to get your foot through? The key is simply experience. But obviously experience isn't that easy to get. Otherwise every man and his (purse) dog would be diving head first through that door in to the stylish dream office, with the latest seasons clothes scattered about the place and male models wandering around half naked (or at least this is how I imagine it to be). 

If you can't get a job without having any experience, but you can't gain experience until you've had a job, then you're put in a bit of an awkward position. Everyone has to start somewhere. And this is the beauty of interning.

Many people say that internships are pretty scarce these days, but I think if you know where to look*, and particularly if you live in London, then it shouldn't be too much of an issue. But what about for those of us who don't live in London? Well, they're pretty tricky to find. And what about those of us who aren't even graduates yet? Even trickier. This is why I consider myself very lucky. I'm still at sixth form, and living in Manchester, but have managed to bag myself an internship for two weeks over the summer at a small brand, working on branding, advertising and imagery (as far as I'm aware). I'll keep you updated on this at the time. 

Now on to the controversial bit. As many of you will know, companies don't tend to pay their interns. At first, you may consider this as fair, as the intern has next to no previous experience, and really the company is doing them a favour. But with the more internships you take on, the more you will learn and the more responsibility you will be given, almost to the point where you're practically doing the job of someone who works there (or so I've heard). So where do we draw the line? Should interns be paid?

Many students coming out of uni can not afford to work for free, being up to their ears in debt and what not. But here's how I (and many others) see it; if the government starts forcing companies to pay their interns, they'll be less likely to offer them, meaning we have to sacrifice the already scarce opportunities to gain some first hand experience. As a result, industries will be even harder to break in to. Of course, there is always the option of a compromise. Whilst I was at the Company Fashion Forum, the speakers explained how it is against the law for a company to have an intern for more than a month without paying them. Now, I don't know how true this is, as from what I've seen from looking at other girls blogs, this 'law' isn't acknowledged everywhere. But maybe this would be a good in between ground? 

This whole topic was sparked slightly by my general studies exam today where I managed to slip this in as a bit of an argument for one of the questions. Sorry for the very 'word-y' post. 

*I highly recommend checking out fashionworkie.com and @ukfashionintern on Twitter. Also, job sites such as gumtree.com can be really good too.

What is your view on unpaid internships? Do you have any work experience opportunities that you have blogged about and would like to share? Leave a comment below, thanks.