Internships, Volunteering and Freelancing: What Is The Difference and How Do They Help Land Your Dream Job?
Plus, the useful tools to secure your dream internship, according to an Editor
Yes, taking the leap from education onto the career ladder, can feel daunting, but it is an exciting time. “Why?” (you’re nervously thinking). Well, because there are plenty of opportunities to explore, and more than you probably realise. Whether you are still studying, coming to the final term of your final year, or you have taken some time out to figure out your next move, internships, volunteering, freelancing can be a pivotal stepping stone. Internships, volunteer work, and freelancing can help you better understand the sector you wish to explore, discover roles you may not have considered, and learn about what you do and don’t want for your future. What I personally love most about interning, volunteering and freelancing, is you have the opportunity to sample different industries, sectors, and roles, before you commit to full-time employment and sign a contract. While interning, volunteering and freelancing have some similarities, there are a lot of differences. So, here is everything you need to know about internships, volunteering and freelancing.
What is the difference between internship, freelancing and volunteering?
When I started out in my career over a decade ago, I volunteered, secured countless work placements, internships, and freelanced for different publications and fashion houses. I often booked my internships for the school holidays, so I had a strong CV to help me secure my dream job at a fashion magazine when I graduated. Thankfully, internships have evolved over the years. Now, most companies offer work experience or internships are paid, which wasn’t the case circa 2011. Volunteering, however, is typically unpaid, though you are likely to be reimbursed for your travels. However, the differences between internships, volunteering and freelancing go beyond mere payments, to the breadth of responsibilities you will have and what you will learn, as well as the flexibility, duration and much more.
So, let’s break it down to help you find the best route for you…
Internships
Internships are golden, in my personal opinion. While some may be paid, others may only cover travel expenses, perhaps lunches up to a certain amount. Internships can vary in duration from one to two weeks, to a month, three months, six months, and even a year. These days are typically full working days, as agreed by the company, whereas volunteering is usually more flexible. The beauty of internships is you will gauge a greater insight into the industry, the specific company you are interning with, as well as different roles within the team. In most cases, you may be able to rotate across different departments, which is invaluable as it can help you to decide which niche you want to focus your career on. Internships also develop your skillset, knowledge and contacts book. In some cases, you may have a mentor, but you will always have a senior member of the team to report into and assign you tasks. I advise you to present new ideas to stand out among other interns, and to be tasked with greater responsibilities. Internships are a chance to leave a lasting impression, and you want it to be good. From my experience, internships have led to bigger opportunities later in my career, as I have been asked to extend my internship, secure a permanent job, or freelance for the company, hence why I recommend it to everyone.
Volunteering
Unlike internships and freelancing, volunteering is mostly unpaid. When you volunteer you are devoting your time, energy and skills to build a community and support a cause. Volunteering can be beneficial to your career, but it is considered more of a hobby and something you enjoy doing in your free time. Volunteering is a more flexible approach, and you are typically left to your own devices, as any help is appreciated. While it can enhance your skillset, it looks good on your CV, and could help you build contacts, its main purpose is to highlight your passion for that sector. The other major difference is that volunteering should be flexible. It is between you and the manager to discuss how frequently you support the company, whether it is once a week for a full day, or a mere few hours, and it can be ongoing for as long as you wish. It is important that the volunteer work is flexible, and aligns with your blue-sky dreams, so you are not doing unpaid work that should be paid.
Freelancing
In my opinion, freelancing is a major step on the career ladder because you are being paid by the company to work and represent them. It also highlights you have key skills to be trusted to be part of the team, though what capacity that is can vary on the company and your role. In some cases, you may be trusted to lead a team, you may be left to your own devices to create a new design, or you may have a line manager to regularly report into. When you freelance, your time is flexible, in terms of how long you dedicate to a project or company; it could be daily for a month, several months, or once a week. But, unlike volunteering, you are working on the clock as agreed with the company, and it is vital you adhere to their policies to avoid your project being terminated with immediate effect. While internships aim to teach you specific industry skills, freelancing can hone those skills and advance them. In my opinion, it shows you are trusted, respected, reliable, and recognised in your field. In other words, freelancing proves you have made that leap from education into the working world successfully. But, managing your time, your workload and agenda is not for the fainthearted.
Which is better?
Ultimately, knowing which avenue to explore is entirely down to the individual, their experience, career goals, and finances. I wholeheartedly recommend internships so you can learn as much as possible from industry experts, and to better understand what you want to achieve in your career. Although I enjoyed volunteering it didn’t always feel like an advancement of my career. Personally, I wouldn’t be a Freelance Editor now if I didn’t make the connections I did when I interned.
Where to look?
There are several outlets to help stay in the know about internships, graduate schemes, placements, freelance opportunities and freelancing. Firstly, I recommend seeking out the companies you want to work for, or the people you aspire, and email to ask if they need interns or freelancers to support them. To find those contacts, simply search on Google, social media, LinkedIn, read the author pages in a magazine or digital publication, or ask existing contacts. Graduate Fashion Week’s GFW Live! Talk Series will be a great time to forge new connections with industry experts and ask those career questions. Some companies, such as Drapers, Conde Nast, and Hearst, advertise internships and grad schemes on their website. Similarly, fashion houses and brands, such as H&M, M&S, Burberry and Selfridges, advertise internships as well as jobs on their websites. Industry-related job boards, such as Diary Directory, Business of Fashion, Fashion Monitor, Fashion United, Fashion Workie, Indeed, Cision, Roxhill have a database that shares industry contact details, as well as upcoming events you can meet potential employers in person. Graduate Fashion Foundation also has a dedicated job board, while our Instagram Broadcast channel and the Graduate Fashion Foundation’s newsletter are useful platforms too. Social media is another useful tool. Not only can you find a direct person to contact about new opportunities or arrange a coffee to understand their career journey, but some companies advertise for interns on their online platform too.
For more tips on how to break the fashion industry, read here.
