The Importance of Summer Internships

I've always had a strong appreciation for the art world -- it was the reason I studied art history in college. Yet, it wasn't until I interned at Christie's in New York when I gained that real hands-on experience. Being there helped me understand even more about the world of fine art -- creativity, technical skill and business. I fully immersed myself in the environment. I listened and soaked in everything. I did my research and was motivated to do more than what was asked of me.

At Tory Burch, we have so many talented interns gaining experience in everything from design to editorial. I sincerely hope they are learning a great deal and I thank them for their contributions to our company.

To celebrate the spirit of the internship, we've highlighted some great mentors and their summer interns on our blog. The advice they provide is invaluable. See what beauty expert Bobbi Brown, Glamour's Anne Christensen and Refinery 29's Christene Barberich have to say...

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Tory Burch at the office with all the summer interns. "Listen, participate and volunteer for anything," she advises.

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Tory Burch at the office with all the summer interns. "Listen, participate and volunteer for anything," she advises.

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Comments

[Hickspy]

10:56 AM on 08/10/2011

I really wish I could've gotten a summer internship rather than go home to work the night shift in a factory so I could continue to barely afford going to school.

[Hickspy]

10:59 AM on 08/10/2011

Priceless interning benefits don't pay tuition, though.

[Peter Blair]

10:15 AM on 08/10/2011

Internships are certainly a great way for graduates just out of college to break into their respective industry, but unfortunately there seems to be an increasing number of employers who don't count internship experience towards overall work experience for entry-level positions. Quite a few people I know have the unenviable prospect of interning unpaid for over a year before their first 'real' job, and even then landing an interview seems akin to winning the lottery.

[Hickspy]

03:50 PM on 08/10/2011

From my experience with internships, getting an interview for an internship that has anything to do with the publishing industry really is akin to winning the lottery.

And they seem to still be mattering less and less, because no one is hiring for any position unless you have years of experience already doing that position.

[Peter Blair]

05:25 PM on 08/10/2011

Yeah publishing and journalism are particularly tough to break into (I started out in music journalism many moons ago). I'm not sure if it's possible on HuffPost, but if you want to feel free to email me or fire me a message and I'd be happy to offer any advice I can.

Meanwhile, the best advice I can give is to just try and get editing experience wherever you can, whether it's smaller indie websites or even offering to do some grunt work for bigger websites you admire. Have you tried the WaPo internship program (it's paid)? http://intern.washpost.com/

[Camille Michelle]

09:15 AM on 08/10/2011

I clicked on this because Im wearing TB flats today and I was like "Oh MAN would I LOVE to intern with her"

But from the looks of it, it would have been a very awkward "token black" summer. Sad sad sad sad

[organize180]

03:22 AM on 08/10/2011

Oh stop whining. The purpose of an internship is to see if something you might be interested in leads to you finding your passion. Even if the internship only lasts a week which my son will do next summer, the better he'll be for it. I wish people who were on unemployment benefits had to do 20 hours of interning in order to keep their benefits. What a help it would be for someone who wants employment, to have an opportunity to network and what a benefit to small and medium sized businesses to have some help even if it was just for a short time. What an opportunity for both parties to extend themselves. I think this was the point Burch was trying to make about the importance of internships. You can have a paying job and not feel valued and appreciated, but an internship should allow you explore interests for a short period of time. In either case, paying or nonpaying, nothing should make you feel like an indentured servant.

[Linda Chavers]

12:19 AM on 08/10/2011

i second you, mythoughts2. especially as this is also featured on "black voices" i feel that this must be said: what about the thousands if not millions of minorities or people of different socio-economic ilk that cannot afford to "volunteer for anything"? there's a reason that so many folks in the publishing and fashion industries look so alike and it's not all up to standard statistics. all kinds of people love art, fashion, writing, et cetera but only one to two kinds of people can actually afford to work for free. so then we have whole populations that share one mindset (usually) and few perspectives and the cycle continues. i believe in internships, the ideology behind them, but i also belief in recognizing that capitalism is not outside these walls and we have to incorporate such sentiments into these programs, as well. otherwise, what are we honestly and ultimately promoting?

[MyThoughts2]

10:59 PM on 08/09/2011

Shame on Burch and her hugely successful business if these interns are not paid a fair wage. Companies hugely benefit from the input and services of these temporary workers like the interns benefit from their experiences. However, for profit companies like Burch's are not social service agencies in need of volunteers or free labor. I hope that Burch pays her interns.

[Shenannigan]

12:09 AM on 08/10/2011

Hopefully Ms Burch does offer paid internships, I admit after reading your post, I hadn't thought of the possibility of her paying them, so many of these positions are not paid, but Tory Burch seems to be an expemplary company in so many ways, hopefully she is in this one too.

[Hickspy]

10:58 AM on 08/10/2011

If more internships paid, I could've maybe actually gotten one while I was in college, instead of just working from 12-7 am to pay my bills.

[Shenannigan]

06:40 PM on 08/09/2011

My goodness, the photo above is sure a lovely picture of free labor! How lucky are you Tory? I am all for gaining experience in the field of ones choice, but I think the internship world has grown a little bit obscene lately, I am sure that you are a responsible user of the enthusiasm of young people interested in learning the ropes in thier chosen field, and I do see that these can be a great stepping stone on the way to ones future. I think though, especially in this economy, business leaders also need to consider the ramifications of ever growing use of internships over hiring. I know a lovely, hardworking young person who has 'interned' with enthusiasm at several different companies in his field of expertise, long hours and hard work are required at every one. Observing his experience on the other end of the internship equation leads me to wonder how much of this opportunity is for his benefit, and how much is for the benefit of already thriving businesses.

[williamsjohn]

03:43 PM on 08/09/2011

oops. I misspelled Burch... Sorry!!

[williamsjohn]

03:41 PM on 08/09/2011

Internships and "real world" experience like what Tory Birch offers here is the future of education. Getting great grades in high school and college no longer guarantee's success. In some cases, it's irrelevant.

As an employer, I'd much rather see a job applicant with successful internship experience who has been a part of successful projects.

As an educator, I know that integrating such experience - ALONG WITH ACADEMIC LEARNING - is vital for the success and relevance of traditional academic subjects.

[newshoundmama]

07:22 PM on 08/09/2011

But it's supposed to be to the benefit of the intern, not the business. The business should be TEACHING the intern, not raping them for free labour

[williamsjohn]

08:18 PM on 08/09/2011

Any of those interns are free to leave at any time they wish. They have given their consent to work. And it does benefit the intern.

There is a big difference between an intern and an employee. I find with interns I spend way more time teaching and guiding them than I do with an employee.

In fact, apprenticeship programs used to be a standard in a student's education. These interns are learning valuable information and being exposed to way more because they are there on their own free will and volunteering than they would ever get from a paid position.