January... Done!

We made it through January, the most depressing month of the year! And Post-Christmas, the team here at CH&A is officially looking forward to summer! This month has brought less snow and more talk of holidays. The office has been very quiet whilst Natalie has been off living the high life in New York, where she shopped till she dropped and drank far too many cocktails – if there is such a thing – leaving the rest of us an envious shade of green. Chris is now desperate to go snowboarding again and Rachel is planning a trip to South Africa. Roll on pay day(s)!

In the PR world this week, the ongoing topic of internships has reared its head yet again. It has emerged that one London agency currently has 20 interns working there, all unpaid and undoubtedly overworked. It has created a bit of a debate in the CH&A office – are internships a good idea?

With so much fierce competition for jobs in the PR industry, many are left with no choice but to intern, to gain that valuable experience and get their foot firmly on the career ladder. From the employer’s perspective, investing time in interns who have very little or no experience can be a time consuming and costly affair, especially if the intern has no real longer term plans to stay within the company once the internship is complete. But should Graduates be leaving university expecting to work for free?

Internships offer those starting out the chance to get a foot in the door and a real insight into the industry. It is a great opportunity to get invaluable experience, build up CVs and learn from people in the industry through on-the-job training. Many agencies offer a real chance of employment afterwards too. For the agencies, the option of employing an intern is an appealing one as interns can provide agencies with a new, fresh perspective and eagerness to learn, for very little (if any) cost. But the harsh reality is interns can work for months unpaid with the glimmer of hope at the end of the tunnel being offered a full time, paid position. Which rarely happens. Far too often they are viewed as the office dogsbodies; photocopying, making coffee and answering phones without the opportunity to get involved in what they applied to do in the first place. All to get that agency name on their CV.

The additional problem of affording to do an internship is also an issue. Only the wealthier can afford to intern and be supported – especially in the city. Those struggling after leaving university already have very little cash, let alone enough to fund travel, food and accommodation on no wages for extended periods of time. It is a distinct possibility that in the future the PR industry may become closed off to those who do not come from wealthy families if the current system does not change.

Intern employers have to be fair and flexible. Many agencies including CH&A feel that interns are a valuable part of the team and, once trained, are first in line when a junior position becomes available. Our own intern, Kayleigh, worked with us during her placement period of her degree. Her expenses were covered and she was always well-fed (even better than when at university, we are told!) We look forward to welcoming Kayleigh as a full-time, paid member of our team on completion of her degree later this year.

As always, this month has been a busy one with our clients. We are happy to announce we are now working with Freee, a fabulous new clothing line, straight from Italy. Their tee shirts and hoodies are a mix of urban-chic meets surfer, and the range will be modelled by the Ospreys rugby team later this month. Needless to say, the ladies of the office are very much looking forward to the photo shoot!

We are also organising a press trip for some lovely journalists to head out to Budapest, to visit the head office of our client, a Hungarian dental implant specialist. The journalists can see for themselves the excellent quality and superb facilities the clinic has to offer, in amongst some sightseeing of the city. More details to follow.

We are also very excited that a new designer will be joining our team. Interviews are taking place this week and by next month’s blog, we hope to be able to introduce you to our newest member.

And last but not least, a big happy birthday to Chris who becomes officially old next week! Don’t worry Chris, no grey hairs are showing just yet!

The CH&A Team x