Hello all!
I’m genuinely curious of how people in the industry actually affords to live with an unpaid working student position? Especially those with not a lot of money or financial backing?
They don’t.
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When people do choose to do it, it’s usually a short-term arrangement. They save up enough money to be able to live without income for a few months for the opportunity to work with a top trainer for a short period of time. Unless someone has an incredible amount of financial backing, it’s just not sustainable long-term.
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A working student position seems like a great way to get burnt out. No pay & endless hours of hard work. A lot of working student positions give kids false hopes of showing… which never really pan out.
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They are generally still receiving support from their parents, or they have income from another source (trust fund, real estate, etc).
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When I was a working student, I was on my parents’ insurance and my expenses paid by them (phone, car insurance, etc). I viewed it as my college. If I didn’t have my parents backing I would have become a full time groom, which was basically what I did, with a free lesson 5 times a week.
Bottom line is this sport is not welcoming to those without money. I do not come from a wealthy background. I fought tooth and nail to be where I am and am very proud of that, but I would probably be in a different realm if I had a junior career. I am very greatfull I had the help I did. I know people who when they turned 18, they were left to their own devices, including funding college much less having a roof over their head.
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Unfortunately, the fact is there are gobs of internships out there that are also not paid, it’s not just limited to those working students for an upper level rider/trainer. One has to weigh their choice of being an unpaid intern or working student on how it might help their career path.
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Yes, the unpaid internship for college students is apparently a big thing in a lot of attractive industries. Years ago I remember reading an article that said the unpaid internship on big glossy New York magazines effectively kept the career paths only open for the well to do, whose parents could send them to an internship for the summer instead of them needing to actually earn money.
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I was able to do an unpaid working student gig with a big trainer the summer that I was 17. I had no bills, no car, under my parents insurance. My employer fed me, I got lessons a few times a week, and the couple of shows I was able to do, they covered my show bills because I was showing a sale horse. I worked like a dog, rode a lot, and lost a ton of weight (I was already slender) because they fed me, but it wasn’t much :lol:.
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I agree many careers have unpaid internships and always have. I did one at a marine lab back in college (a long time ago) and my parents supported me during that time.
After paying for riding and everything that goes with it for your child for years, you may save money if you no longer have to pay for lessons and showing if they take an unpaid working student position.
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I did a working student internship when I was in college… just for a summer (short term). I was offered room and board so I had no utilities to pay and they bought all the food so unless I wanted something specific I didn’t have to worry about that. I did not have my car with me so didn’t have to buy gas. The only expense I had was a phone with an international plan and my parents covered that. I was under my parents insurance as well so thankfully didn’t have to worry about that part. I did save up from part time jobs for about 6 months to have any extra funds I’d need while out of the country.
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