Internships in research: Who really benefits?

Recently we decided to interview some graduates for a couple of new positions at Discovery. What a revealing experience it was.

Grad after grad provided a snapshot of their experiences, and it became clear that, desperate for a job, they had all undertaken at least one internship since finishing university.

What part is the market research industry playing in this situation, I wondered. We have strict rules that apply to how we deal with respondents, clients and employees but there seems to be no guidance applying to interns.

In reality the range of activities that interns undertake varies enormously. Many agencies are offering genuine work experience opportunities with highly supervised activities. Based on what we’ve heard from graduates (and bearing in mind that they’re bound to be playing up the experience they got as much as possible), other organisations seem to be looking harder for value for money from these arrangements, allowing them to undertake video editing, voxpops, fieldwork, data checking, analysis and assisting in development of client presentations with little training or input. Exciting and valuable for the interns, but perhaps more than a little worrying for clients and the industry.

The subject of internships can be a sensitive one, partly because the term is not well defined. The key area of confusion is that some interns are paid, while others are not. Those who are paid may get the minimum wage or more, but many just get expenses. The placements that are not paid are, by definition, only open to those who can afford (or more to the point whose parents can afford) the privilege. They are also restricted to those who live in the right area. What happens to the poor, bright northerner with no contacts in the capital?

Of course, market research is not alone in this regard and other industries are also under heavy pressure to take interns. There are cases in highly sought-after industries, such as PR, where organisations keep young grads working for weeks, paying expenses only. This is tantamount to the provision of cheap – or free – labour while the eager young things hope and pray for a permanent role. As for the organisations, why should they worry? There is a queue of these willing and bright young things waiting to take the place of anyone who moves on.

Is it really fair in 2012 to expect someone to work for three months without pay? This scenario is reminiscent of the 1950s and 60s, with the breaks going to those who can afford it, resulting in the perpetuation of the class system. I’m a northerner from a working-class background and if this system had prevailed when I left university I wouldn’t be in research now.

It’s not the fault of the grads. For many, internships are a way in. They hope against hope that, if the company likes them, they might employ them. And from the company’s point of view, they can try before they buy.

I applaud the MRS for taking some action to increase transparency regarding internships. From March companies will be able to flag that they have graduate placements on the MRS website. But the MRS has not given guidance regarding payment.

At Discovery we have decided to take the moral high ground: we never employ individuals without paying them a reasonable rate – significantly more than minimum wage. Part of the work experience process is not only being proud of what you’ve achieved but also getting a return for your endeavours. It does leave a bit of a question though: is this a process that research providers are using to reduce overheads and win projects without the client knowing the true cost in terms of quality?