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I had visited Tate Modern many times. On entering the turbine hall I always got excited at the art I was about to discover. So when I found out that they were recruiting volunteers, I couldn’t wait to apply! At the time I was working in an office Monday to Friday in Reading, but I really wanted to get a job in the art world. I thought that this opportunity would help me achieve my goal or at least quench my thirst for art and culture which my office job was lacking.

I was invited to attend an interview with two Volunteer Program Assistants. They were looking for volunteers to fill the role of Visitor Hosts. The job description was to “enhance the visitor’s experience of the gallery” which included: providing directions, information, promoting activities and obtaining feedback from the visitors. Volunteers were expected to work three shifts a month, each shift lasting only two hours for a minimum of six months. The interviewers informed me that they had received hundreds of applications for the roles.

I was successful and attended an induction day with the other new recruits. We spent half a day going through what was expected of us, our role, Tate’s programs, emergency procedure and Tate’s principles. We were told that we should take ownership of the place, and treat it as if it were our gallery. On another day, volunteers were taken on a tour of the gallery by a curator who talked us through the collections on display.

When meeting my fellow volunteers I was surprised at the different mix of people. You had art students, retired people, housewives, professionals in high flying jobs, and the unemployed. Their reasons for volunteering also varied from meeting like-minded people, to gaining free access to galleries across London, to locals wanting to feel part of the community.

As a Visitor Host, I spent the majority of my time just standing in the gallery, with an aluminous orange sash, bag and badge on me posing the question to the visitor “Can I help you?” Unsurprisingly the most common question I answered was “Where is the nearest toilet?” I always had a sinking feeling that some know-it-all would come up to me and start an art debate about “What is art?” or somewhat and I would be exposed as a fraud, someone who did not really know what much about art at all.

I worked there for just under a year (June 2009-May 2010). Tate paid expenses up to £14.80 a day, which was very generous as we only worked two hours a day. A great benefit of volunteering was that you gained access to all the exhibitions across the Tate sites which would normally cost between £10-12. You also gained access to major galleries across London. I was lucky enough to see the J.W.Waterhouse: The Modern Pre-Raphaelite exhibition at the Royal Academy, the Walking in My Mind at the Haywood Gallery, all for flashing my Tate pass as I went inside.

I always felt that we were treated as valued members of staff. We got invited to private viewings of new exhibitions, curator’s talks about the pieces, and even a Christmas party with a talk from Nicholas Serota thanking us for our hard work.

It is through working at Tate I discovered the course BA (Hons) History of Art and Museums Studies at Liverpool John Moores University, which is in partnership with Tate Liverpool. I have just completed my first year and I am very grateful that my volunteer experience gave me the courage to apply to University and the confidence that this was the career path for me.

Private Vs Public Galleries

There is one question that seems to raise a lot of fears among students and that is Private vs Public galleries. Here we go back again to the question of why are you doing an internship. If it is to get a job at the place you are interning, then a private (small) gallery might be the better place because the people you are directly working for and with will have a say in hiring you. In a private gallery you have to be prepared to do things like making tea and coffee but it’s also likely, due to the limited number of staff they have, that you’ll be entrusted with more and more responsibilities as they get to know you. This will be great for building your CV.

In a public gallery your role will have been clearly defined by HR and even if you are eager you will not be entrusted to do more than what it says in the internship description. As far as jobs are concerned – you should not expect to get a job in the same department or in the organization as a whole. On the plus side, having a big name on your CV will mean a lot even if you apply for jobs outside the arts sector.

If you are fearful about making the transition from private to public sphere, I want to put your minds at ease. As the public (arts) sector becomes increasingly commercial, any experience gained within the private sector will only be a plus. On the other hand, experience gained in the public sector can mean a lot in the context of a new/small commercial gallery as far as contacts and know-how are concerned.

Where to start

The best place to start is making sure you have an excellent CV (brief, effective, easy to read and up-to-the point) and cover letter. Although this is an obvious point, it is crucial that you have done this. I recently had a look at a covering letter I had written a while back. No sooner had I started reading than my cheeks started burning. While I was clearly enthusiastic and well-informed about the gallery I was applying to, I had shown a complete disregard for the traditional cover letter layout. Fresh out of university, what I had written resembled more an essay than a letter and, needless to say, my enthusiasm and relevant knowledge were not sufficient to tip the scales in my favour. A useful thing to do is ask a colleague or a friend to send you a copy of the covering letter and CV that got them in. Similarly, your university is likely to have a Careers Service where you will find a number of good brochures and leaflets instead of buying books which will essentially teach you the same. A great online source of information is  www.prospects.ac.uk, as well as University of Leicester Museums Jobs Desk – http://www.le.ac.uk/ms/jobs/job_titles_jobid.htm. The latter is normally updated every Friday and lists a variety of position within the arts. However, not all positions which are currently available are listed there so:

1. Check each gallery/company’s own website – some galleries have ongoing internship opportunities and they don’t bother listing them externally. A case in point is Lisson Gallery and Black Dog Publishing

2. Sign up with a temping agency – You would be surprised that some galleries enlist the help of recruitment agencies to find an Intern. I know I certainly was when after I had signed up with a temping agency (looking for paid work) I got a call offering me an internship at the Serpentine Gallery (a position which was not advertised on their website)

3. Ask your tutor – Smaller galleries especially are very likely to send emails to university tutors. This is how I got my first internship.

4. Email and ask them anyway – Smaller museums especially sometimes don’t list internship/volunteering opportunities but most likely than not they will need some extra help

5. Find out what is going on in your university – Do they have a paintings/drawings/artifact collection? Are they planning a show of students’ work? Are they looking for someone to write art reviews in the student newspaper? Ask to get involved.

6. Look up local charities – regardless of whether a charity deals with helping domestic violence victims, refugees or helping disabled people they are very likely to have an arts programme and be eager to find help

7. Create your own project – Is there something that you are good at/curious about that you can turn into your own project? For example, when I was in the height of looking for a job I organized a Careers event at my university – paradoxical, I know, but I learned a lot in the process.

8. Ask your colleagues and friends– Maybe some of your colleagues are involved or have heard of someone else being involved with a great project? You would be surprised how small the arts world is. Your colleagues are your best source of advice and you should refer to the ones among them you trust frequently.

9. Spread the word – Social networking gives you a great opportunity to announce something quickly to a large number of people. Why not announce you are looking for an internship?

10. Finally I need to warn you about an unfortunate by-product of looking for an internship: disappointment and discouragement. You will inevitably find places that are looking for something more than you can offer. (I recently came across an internship ad at one of London’s most famous galleries that listed French and Japanese among their selection criteria.) The best thing is to find activities which boost your confidence – meeting friends who praise and encourage you, reviewing your past achievements and doing things you are already good at. Having tunnel vision might help sometimes but when it comes to job/internship hunting it’s best to remain aware of the bigger picture.

With tuition fees and uncertainty in Higher Education on the rise, there is an even greater emphasis on improving students’ employment prospects. Some degrees – like Law or Finance – have always been orientated towards the future job market. Others – like History of Art – continue to be largely divorced from the reality of the uncertain arts job market. As any art history student knows internships are supposed to be the tried and tested way of getting a job.  Is that the case today or have internships become obsolete as this youtube video suggests?

Instead of relying on the many myths about internships, I want to share the practical knowledge I gained in the process of doing three internships. Where to look for internships, how to get them, what to expect and beware of as well as some broader observations will all help you decide whether an internship is the best way to get you the job you want.

Consider this…

Most internships in the arts in England are unpaid (many don’t even cover basic expenses) while the time commitment they require is anywhere between 1-5 days a week for a period of 3-6 months. I know that for most people an internship is a means to an end – be it getting work experience to build up your CV or getting a job. So, I will first look at what you can get out of your internship and how it can be useful for you before I look at the practical matter of where to look for internships.

Internship Vs Other forms of unpaid labour

Let me start by separating a few other forms of unpaid labour. There is volunteering, work placements and internships. Traditionally, work placements are aimed at people aged 16-19 and gives them some exposure to work life. Volunteering is something you can do at any point in your life and can commit as little or as much of your time as you want. An internship on the other hand is a mixed ‘breed’. Internships in the arts are usually aimed at recent graduates or PhD students, can be carried out over a long period of time – up to a year. For most internships you already need to have some work experience and knowledge in a subject.

Getting a job at the end of your internship

An internship – from what previous generations of graduates have told me – used to be a great way to get your foot in the door. The formula was ‘make yourself indispensible and at the end of it, they will offer you a job’. I am sorry to report that this is no longer true in the majority of cases. Currently, there are far too many candidates competing for a limited number of places. I once applied (and got) an internship for which 90 other candidates had applied. Some institutions have been quick to realize this fact and have increased the number of internships they offer. That sadly does not mean an increased number of ways to get your foot in the door: it just means that these bodies have increased their capacity to use unpaid labor. Whether or not you get a job at the end of an internship depends more than anything else on the type of organization (who has a say in hiring people), its structure (what entry level positions – if any – there are) and its recruitment policy.

This is not to say you shouldn’t be a diligent and hard-working intern (although I doubt anyone who has gone through the arduous process of getting an internship will allow themselves to kick back and relax). I am also not suggesting you should forget about internships. On the contrary. Internships can be a great way to get experience and – even more importantly – learn a lot about how a gallery/museum operates. And lastly, one of the most invaluable things an internship can offer you is the opportunity to work with, observe and learn from people who have accomplished a lot and can be your role models. Unlike a mentor, a role model can be anyone in your surroundings – even if they are not aware of it. I think this is what makes an internship different, and better, than any other work experience. During meetings with senior-level staff an intern can observe and learn a lot about communication styles, ways you can influence and motivate employees. I think this is extremely important when you bear in mind your longer-term career goals. Such meetings and interactions can help you decide where you want to go with your career. Although they might not have an immediate result, being in close proximity to successful people, is the most lasting benefit of doing an internship.

Time Commitment

If it doesn’t help you get your foot in the door then why should I do an internship at all? I hope you are asking yourself this question – this can save you a lot of time, money and frustration. Knowing the time commitment most internships demand, I cannot urge anyone to do an internship.

As an intern you would be expected to commit to anything between 1 to 5 days a week for a period of 3 to 6 months! (Lisson Gallery, for example, expect an intern to work 5 days a week for a period of 6 months).

And yes, you guessed it, you won’t be paid unless you are interning at Christie’s which is the only organization (in London) which offers paid internships.

end of part 1