Let’s say you’re a young, struggling UK creative who really just wants to write copy or direct art for the hottest brands in Olde Britain. You’ve got your diploma and your online portfolio ready, but you’ve yet to truly break through in the agency world. What are you to do in a down economy?
If you want to get your foot in the door at Mother London, get ready to lose some pounds.
Yesterday, copywriter Ash Billinghay noted his disapproval of a recent announcement: Mother wants recent graduates to cough up 10 pounds (or approximately $15) for a “placement,” which is the British way of saying they might have a real chance to score an internship.
I didn’t really like @motherlondon‘s idea of charging for placements, so I told @procopywriters all about it. https://t.co/5miVtXsmbi
— Ash Billinghay (@Ash_Billinghay) December 10, 2015
But wait: it’s really a charity stunt in which two creative internships will be “raffled” in order to benefit non-profit advocacy org Save the Children. As Mother explains:
What would you do for a placement at Mother?
Eat your own testicles?
Kill your grandma?
Stab a badger in the eye?
Well now you don’t have to…
This Christmas two creative seats at Mother are being raffled for
Save The Children
@doritosyndrome @Ash_Billinghay @procopywriters @adland We offer as many free placements as ever, this was just a fun thing for charity.
— Mother London (@motherlondon) December 11, 2015
Save the Children is currently doing admirable work to help the millions of children whose families are fleeing the Syrian civil war. But Billinghay expresses his reservations this way:
“My main issue is the nerve, the absolute audacity, and the complete moral wrongness to suggest that in order to get a chance at the small window of opportunity that a placement offers, you should be expected to exchange cash.
Even after working my way up to a mid-weight copywriting position, I still couldn’t afford London prices. Even after filling my portfolio with some international clients, I’d still be up against hundreds of others with a similar CV for one position if I ever moved down south.”
New graduates/aspiring creatives are already poor, and the money raised by this stunt will be negligible (less than $1500 total). Of course their struggles cannot be compared to those of Syrian refugees, but professional copywriters and their official membership organization are not impressed by Mother’s efforts.
On the other hand:
“The offer includes free lunch every day and unlimited opportunities to steal stationary.”
Thoughts? Self-righteous rants? #HotTakes?