A Facebook post by a Chula student went viral last weekend and sparked a conversation surrounding the state of internships in Thailand. The sports science student was told to complete his internship next year, following a dispute with a higher-up while interning at a hotel. Apparently, he refused to do what he was told and got snappy in his reply via Line to the general manager. He argued that the uni could have done more for him as he had secured another company to continue his internship there instead.
Netizens were quick to judge him for being too soft for the real world or having unrealistic expectations about the real working environment. In his defence, he said he had been asked to do what's beyond his job description. He thought he would get to organise activities for guests (which I don't think there are many due to the pandemic) but instead was asked to set up parasols next to the swimming pool, clean the floor and serve food. He also claimed he had worked up to 10 hours per day.
This got me thinking about my own experience as an intern and offering externships for Thai university students. I would like to add my two satangs without blaming anyone involved.
I interned at a company known for affordable magazines about music and movies (I wanted to be cool) and it influenced my career path. I had a vague idea going in that I may get a chance to write in Thai or translate from English to Thai since the magazine mostly dealt with Hollywood films and popular music from the US and UK. My first task in the crowded and messy office wasn't writing movie reviews, obviously. I was asked to arrange celebrity pictures into folders according to their names. Then I was asked to write a short paragraph of gossip news based on a foreign magazine. I graduated to being tasked to write a review of Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind in Thai, earning me my first byline.
After the internship ended, I volunteered to write movie reviews for the magazine from time to time. I didn't get paid for any pieces that were published but I didn't care. I guess I was really eager to prove myself and put the bylines (and pages) in my portfolio. If there were an equivalent of a teacher's pet but for interns, I believe I was it. Needless to say, I continue to write but have shifted to English as my first language and cover a much wider range of topics.
What I'm trying to say is that when you apply for an internship you should go for a company that would give you an opportunity to polish certain skills. The student seemed to think that way before going in but what he got wasn't what he expected so I can sympathise with how he might have felt being disappointed, which lead to him being snappy with his supervisor. Having an emotional outburst at the workplace is never a good idea.
An internship should mean more than credit to be counted towards your graduation. It should inspire and excite you because it gives you a glimpse into working in the real world and what you could be doing to earn a living for years to come. A few ex-interns at Guru have gone on to be bright and witty writers in their own right.
What I would like to see is making internships count for both sides. It could start with better and honest communication between both parties before the internship begins to make sure they are a good match. By that, I mean companies should be crystal clear about the scope of responsibilities and working hours an intern has to take on (and stick to that) so prospective candidates can decide. Should they need interns to occasionally work odd hours or do menial jobs outside the job description, they should be upfront about it.
And just like in the real world, you gamble when you take on a job. What you expect from a job doesn't always what you'll get from it. That's life.
