Stay or Go?

HappyBalance · 08-09-2012 6:31pm #1

Hi.

I am a recent graduate working in accounting (paid) but have recently been offered an unpaid internship (with the possibility of a job in 3 months). The internship is with an advertising agency and is something I would like to do.

What do you think I should do?

If they end up not offering me a job I could be left unemployed for god knows how long.

Please help.

Dangerous Man · 08-09-2012 6:32pm

Stay in accounting. Don't follow your dreams, you'll only end up heart-broken.

Owen_S · 08-09-2012 6:32pm

How would the experience benefit your future job prospects?

Edit: Forgot this is AH, Atari Internship.

Kylo Ren · 08-09-2012 6:32pm

I think you should buy some hookers.

hairyprincess · 08-09-2012 6:33pm

Become gigolo. Great money in gigoling.

Or so I've heard

HappyBalance · 08-09-2012 6:34pm

Owen_S wrote: »

How would the experience benefit your future job prospects?

Edit: Forgot this is AH, Atari Internship.

Well it will be positive but I would struggle not getting paid for 3 months.

littlelulu · 08-09-2012 6:39pm

I wouldn't leave if the job at the end of the 3 months wasn't guaranteed. Its far too risky.

KKkitty · 08-09-2012 6:41pm

It's a tough one OP. If you do take the internship could family or close people help you out financially til you do get paid? What if it's nothing like you thought it would be and your old job has been filled?

Sir Digby Chicken Caesar · 08-09-2012 6:43pm

if you're a recent graduate you're likely pretty young. go for it, if it works out you might be happier.. if it doesn't you didn't exactly throw away a 10 year career or anything

HappyBalance · 08-09-2012 6:44pm

KKkitty wrote: »

It's a tough one OP. If you do take the internship could family or close people help you out financially til you do get paid? What if it's nothing like you thought it would be and your old job has been filled?

Thats the point. Living at home so should be relatively ok to 'survive' but if i do take the internship and ending up not liking it, I will have no job. That is the chance I will be taking I suppose but the thing is also if I dont get offered a job, I could be on the dole for months.

Should I just go for it?

laugh · 08-09-2012 6:46pm

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gDW_Hj2K0wo

Jester252 · 08-09-2012 6:48pm

Stay with the money

Mr Benevolent · 08-09-2012 6:49pm

HappyBalance wrote: »

Thats the point. Living at home so should be relatively ok to 'survive' but if i do take the internship and ending up not liking it, I will have no job. That is the chance I will be taking I suppose but the thing is also if I dont get offered a job, I could be on the dole for months.

Should I just go for it?

You're moving from an evil job to an infinitely more evil and darker job, If you have tarnished your soul that much already, go for it.

Killer Wench · 08-09-2012 6:51pm

Stay with the paid position. Look at non-profit organizations and see if you can volunteer your marketing services.

KKkitty · 08-09-2012 7:07pm

HappyBalance wrote: »

KKkitty wrote: »

It's a tough one OP. If you do take the internship could family or close people help you out financially til you do get paid? What if it's nothing like you thought it would be and your old job has been filled?

Thats the point. Living at home so should be relatively ok to 'survive' but if i do take the internship and ending up not liking it, I will have no job. That is the chance I will be taking I suppose but the thing is also if I dont get offered a job, I could be on the dole for months.

Should I just go for it?

Realistically I'd stay in the paying job if I were you. There's way to much uncertainty with the internship tbh.

HappyBalance · 08-09-2012 7:28pm

Would I be stupid to leave a paid job for unpaid?

Killer Wench · 08-09-2012 7:36pm

HappyBalance wrote: »

Would I be stupid to leave a paid job for unpaid?

Yes.

Especially in Ireland's present economy, within the greater European economy, within the greater global economy.

There is no guarantee that after 3 months they will hire you. There is no guarantee that you will love working with this organization. They may not even prepare you for what you are looking for. You may learn something about bureaucracy, team dynamics, and what-not but 3 months isn't long enough to launch a career in advertising. Essentially, it sounds like they are looking to take advantage of you for 3 months - you'll work yourself to death thinking that at 3 months, they'll hire you on, but they'll just say that they don't have the funding for a full time position.

Again, keep the paying job. Looking for part-time volunteer opportunities to expand your advertising portfolio. There are bound to be organizations that would love someone to advertise their services or create donation campaigns.

HappyBalance · 08-09-2012 7:43pm

Killer Wench wrote: »

Yes.

Especially in Ireland's present economy, within the greater European economy, within the greater global economy.

There is no guarantee that after 3 months they will hire you. There is no guarantee that you will love working with this organization. They may not even prepare you for what you are looking for. You may learn something about bureaucracy, team dynamics, and what-not but 3 months isn't long enough to launch a career in advertising. Essentially, it sounds like they are looking to take advantage of you for 3 months - you'll work yourself to death thinking that at 3 months, they'll hire you on, but they'll just say that they don't have the funding for a full time position.

Again, keep the paying job. Looking for part-time volunteer opportunities to expand your advertising portfolio. There are bound to be organizations that would love someone to advertise their services or create donation campaigns.

I prob should say that I went for an interview there for a paid position, they said they were impressed by me but due to my lack of experience they gave the job sbdy else. The nxt day they offered me this internship

Killer Wench · 08-09-2012 7:46pm

HappyBalance wrote: »

I prob should say that I went for an interview there for a paid position, they said they were impressed by me but due to my lack of experience they gave the job sbdy else. The nxt day they offered me this internship

It would still be a mistake to go.

mackeire · 08-09-2012 7:47pm

Tell your current job that you need 3 months paid holidays? problem solved!

Smeggy · 08-09-2012 7:52pm

Speaking as someone who works in accountancy my advice is to take the internship, accountancy is soooo boring that there's always jobs in it!! If you don't you'll always be wondering what if....

starlit · 09-09-2012 11:15am

OP, I think its better that you gain a bit more experience but saying that is even better if you like a job you are in whether it paid or not. It be a bit of experience?

Try the unpaid job even if not getting a full time job out of it be guaranteed. Nothing is guaranteed not even the paid job you are in. So take a chance and see what happens? Try out the unpaid job on a trial basis if it doesn't work out after a month see if the paid job you are in take you back on that basis? You won't know know unless you try, and you might get your dream job not with that company but in the area you wish to work in!?

Accounting is a stable enough profession but advertising it depends really. Its good to have a mixture of the two on your belt if one area you want to pursue do so you won't know if it really your dream job unless you try it, 'try it before you buy' kind of thing and test it out. Its the only way to know if you want to go down that road or go back to accounting.

There are a lot of jobs in accounting and its one of those areas you can go back into easily enough if the advertising job didn't go well for you though going up the career ladder in accounting can vary either you stay in and not progress or progress with experience and qualifications, depends what path you want to follow and if you done your acca exams along with having done something a little bit more specific either in accounting or advertising. The two are good combinations if you ever were to set up your own company/business!?

I say try the internship you won't know what the outcome be if you don't go for it. You be thinking what if? You are young so only recent graduate. Its when you are young you get the chance to dabble between areas until you find your niche career. Its not unusual for people to change careers. Though having a focused direction in a career will set you apart in your CV as well as qualities, experience, qualifications,what makes you stand out, competencies and so on. If there any gaps in your CV have something to fill that gap in may it be the internship, voluntary work, online course, springboard course or what ever to keep your skills fresh, updated and up-skilling on a regular basis!

Best of luck!

starlit · 09-09-2012 11:17am

What area of advertising you hoping to pursue? PR? Events? Social Media? Digital Marketing/internet marketing? I highly recommend doing some kind of course online/distance or night course or a part time springboard course in an area you want to pursue and might make you in a better position to find a paid job in it even if you did the internship?

Royal Legend · 09-09-2012 11:28am

Life experience has taught me a couple of things, one, the grass is never greener on the other side, and two, you are always better off gaining as much experience and sticking with one company as long as you can, preferably more than two years. (especially when you are starting out)
Last of all, it might take a few years, but if you work hard enough, the job of your dreams will arrive on your terms and not on theirs and you will laugh at the idea that you ever even contemplated giving up one job to go and work for 3 months for free with no guarantee of a full time job at the end of it.

starlit · 09-09-2012 11:29am

I've had a couple months experience but still has not helped me get my foot in the door and anyone has advised me if at all possible stay in the job at least a year to two years and then move on or else emigrate/work holiday. I couldn't control the fact my bit of experience couldn't be extended due to external factors. So had to luck else where, ended up going back to college but have yet to find a job since. Trying to do other things to fill in the gap in my CV. Though just trying to get beyond interview stage is proving difficult.

RossyG · 09-09-2012 11:31am

Stay. If they can get people to work for free for three months then why would they give you a job? They could just exploit another young person instead.

Royal Legend · 09-09-2012 5:31pm

Royal Legend wrote: »

Life experience has taught me a couple of things, one, the grass is never greener on the other side, and two, you are always better off gaining as much experience and sticking with one company as long as you can, preferably more than two years. (especially when you are starting out)
Last of all, it might take a few years, but if you work hard enough, the job of your dreams will arrive on your terms and not on theirs and you will laugh at the idea that you ever even contemplated giving up one job to go and work for 3 months for free with no guarantee of a full time job at the end of it.

Going against what I already posted, you are still starting out, so taking a risk now while you are young as against later in life is not such a big deal either, as you have plenty of time to get over any mistake you might make.

Go with your gut feeling, if its really what you want to do, go for it.

Ouchette · 09-09-2012 5:58pm

Tell the advertising agency you'd have loved to take the internship, but can't unless it's paid. If they can't stretch to paying you minimum wage for 3 months, they're either broke, arseholes or didn't like you that much anyway.

Agent Smith · 10-09-2012 4:48am

Needs the clash to help you decide....

DonkeyStyle \o/ · 10-09-2012 5:51am

So, you're considering giving up a paid job for the vague possibility of another paid job, if you agree to work for 3 months for no pay? These people are marketing geniuses.
I think it's an interview test, OP. Tell them their value proposition is weak and you'll help them fix it if they give you a contract.

10-09-2012 6:06am

One of the first expenses a company cuts ina recession is advertising.. They don't cut their accountancy expenses because they can't.
That's why you're getting paid for accounting and won't be getting paid for marketing. Follow your marketing dream when there's more certainty imo.

JustAThought · 10-09-2012 7:23am

Two things worry me about your original post .

You say you went for an interview with an agency ; when you did it the paid job was " given to someone else" ; bur they asked you to work for free on a " new " internship instead.

It sounds to me like they were doing the standard agency lies ; pretending a job existed to get you in ( standard operating procedure in many Irish agencies) & then asking you to work for free ( look at the internship/jobbeidge mega thread ) & the report internship abusers thread.

I'm sorry OP but you have been victim to a cheat. The agency mightget a comission for getting you to give up your job & work for free ( that's how they make their money) and the ad agency/job will get someone to work for free. Even assuming it wasn't a big cheat & the original job existed & it smells very fishy within that timeframe : they interviewed, while still interviewing the job was gone/offered in writing /accepted/full reference checks done in writing /& all sent back & passed through management who would also need to co-sign contracts & the HR department who also have tosign-off ... D'ya think?

Sounds Like the standard sales job to get better people ( for the company that us) to work for free. And no doubt that for their budget targets & your usefulness to THEM they will have done a good sales job in selling it to you. Of course; that's what they want & they will present it in as attractive a light to make you now start thinking that GIvING UP a PAYING job, IN A RECESSION, and working short ter
For them for free during their busy period, us a good long term plan for you.

Having worked on the other dude if the management table for years I would STRONGLY argue NOT to.

Don't fall into this trap.

There are tens if thousands of unpaid " internships/work for free schemes out there.

There are NOT many jobs: in fact 400,000 people at the moment are looking for one. Do you really. Want to be in that pot in 3 months looking for a job; or competing ( again) against them for the " job" that might become available.

Keep your job; hold in tight with both hands to it .

-you will NOT be eligible for govt. Funding for Govt. Internship. Schemes if Yiu have given up a job to go onto one ; did you company say this was a Govt. Funded scheme?
-you will NOT be eligible for dole or social welfare payments after the 3 months as you will have given up a job.

Companies will tske someone on with free work experience : but the majority to be honest; unpopular thou this might be- will give preference to someone who has had a " real"; paid job . You can rewrite your CV to emphasise the better parts of your job ( assumIng it's anyway relevant) -which I do assume in this!!

Maybe you can clarify; ( shelf-stacking/waitressing)

Stay or Go?

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