job advice

[pippingeek]

interesting meeting at the temp agency today. apparently they are looking for someone to fill an internship position with a best-selling author who is willing to train someone to be her research assistant and do some PR stuff as well. this would be "in your spare time" in addition to a regular job to pay the bills, and apparently the author does

Comments

[xraytheenforcer]

Well, the first priority should be rent money. If you took the job from the temp agency, would that mean you wouldn't be eligible for another placement?

Second -- unpaid internships in journalism are pretty typical. That said, most serious people who write books cough up the cash to pay their researchers. In that sense, I'd forget about the "bestselling" writer, because not paying your researcher is NOT standard operating procedure. Every time I or any of my friends has been approached to work on a project like that, there's always been compensation.

Third -- if your goal is to work in women's studies, then just pursue that directly with who you perceive to be the best employer in the area. Or just write your own book on your days off. You're in New York -- being an upstart asshole is part of the game.

[sacredwombat]

That said, most serious people who write books cough up the cash to pay their researchers. In that sense, I'd forget about the "bestselling" writer, because not paying your researcher is NOT standard operating procedure. Every time I or any of my friends has been approached to work on a project like that, there's always been compensation.

This is why I said it was exploitation. I talked to Chris about this and he said that he's always been compensated, even if was just a token amount, for research. He also said that he would wonder about this author's politics if they were working in women's studies (and should be very politically aware) and were trying to take advantage of unpaid labor.

[pippingeek]

1 - definitely taking this position doesn't disqualify me from taking another actual paid job thru the agency -- but i think i'd rather wait tables and have that schedule flexibility rather than lock myself into a 9 to 5.

2 - if internships are typical it may not be so strange after all. i'm assuming you get paid (and hired) as a researcher because you're viewed as someone with credentials, yes? so how does someone break into that field without any prior experience or credentials? is an internship the way that happens?

3 - my goal isn't to work in women's studies, or to write, it's to be a researcher. but since i have such a strong background in women's studies that means i have a leg up on other potential researchers who might not know as much as i do about where to look for stuff or who talks about certain ideas. so in that sense the women's studies thing is a good fit, but it's not like it's a field i'm trying to work in.

[kitchen_window]

I think I'd be intrigued enough to follow up on it....with caution. Luck and smooches.