The busiest month of the year is looming, you’ve three admin projects outstanding and one of your staff has just handed in their notice... You’ll now be working late for weeks! There must be another way?

Unlike the US where it is commonplace, few event companies in the UK have ever thought about taking on interns yet they are missing out on a flexible, energetic, and creative work force that wouldn’t hurt their budgets. There are many people searching for event industry work experience or work placements who could provide you with this low cost, low risk solution. Some are looking for just a few hours a week, and others for a nine month full time role, but you can be assured that they are all keen and interested in the industry.

Together with the boom in the UK event industry has come the search for work experience by many students and career-changers. This new blood coming into the event industry is keen to gain experience and the supply is presently swamping the demand.

Often thought of being just cheap labour, the benefits of hiring an intern or student are more than you’d think.

Benefits of hiring an intern

The most obvious benefit is the cost, as you won’t need to pay an intern the same salary as you would a qualified full time employee. Though it is negotiable, and you shouldn’t treat the hiring of an intern as slave labour, you will still make substantial savings. A couple of days work on an upcoming event may cost you just their lunch, travel expenses and a reference, where as a full time intern for 30-40 weeks deserves a reasonable percentage of your normal administrative support staff’s salary. Apart from cost, the flexibility of an intern is hugely beneficial. You decide the hours that they are required, and at which points during the year that you need them.

How do you find an intern?

Some of the Universities offering event based courses have placement offices that will connect you directly with a list of potential interns each year, though there may not be a suitable university close to you, the students are normally required to complete a placement of 30-48 weeks, and it’s normally over the same period each year. The other option is to advertise your vacancy in a local paper, trade magazine or event job website which will allow you to recruit quickly whenever you need that additional help. Keep an eye out for recruitment portal sites like Event-Jobs.net who will offer you complimentary listings for voluntary or work placement listings.

It makes sense that if you have the desk space, the work for them to do, and the budget to cover it, hiring an intern is a win-win situation. Why not help yourself and the industry by taking on an intern? You’ll feel great for investing in the industry’s future!

Adam Coole is the Director of Coole Event Management and the founder of http://www.Event-Jobs.net, an online event recruitment portal. He has over ten years experience in event and travel management and is an active participant on the UK Event Management Forum.

Ref: events jobs, conference jobs

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