Blame the Intern: On (Not) Breaking into the Creative Economy

Vanderbilt sociology professor Frenette debuts with a clear-eyed examination of how internships can be problematic introductions to professional life. Intended to be practical educational experiences, internships, especially those in creative industries such as music, film, publishing, and fashion, are often ambiguous labor arrangements that benefit employers while offering little training and limited paths to paid work, Frenette contends. Drawing on interviews with interns, record label employees, and college administrators, along with his own experience as an unpaid intern at two music industry firms in New York City, Frenette shows how colleges have normalized internships without ensuring consistent oversight or outcomes and employers are rarely incentivized to mentor interns, leaving them confused and disappointed. Throughout, he shares stories of interns like Rita, who balanced a full class load, multiple part-time jobs, and 20 to 35 hours of unpaid internship duties a week at a music magazine in Manhattan, and career services employees at universities who feel pressured to connect students with internships to maintain schools’ reputations. Though largely focused on the music business, Frenette’s measured, well-researched analysis applies to other creative professional fields. It’s a persuasive critique of a system that promises opportunity, but delivers ambiguity. (Apr.)