The great intern survey

MANILA, Philippines -  There are many ways of viewing an intern, depending on what pop culture reference you’re watching. Some fictional interns are disciplined under satanic bosses like Miranda Priestly from The Devil Wears Prada. Even reality TV show The City exaggerates the horrible boss appeal with Kelly Cutrone, intern Whitney Port’s own personal PR devil. Other pop culture portrayals tiptoe around different versions of an intern, the crux of the story having the unpaid trooper run around doing menial errands or quitting because it was just too much work (ex. Blair in Gossip Girl, among others). But are these accurate depictions of what it really is to be an intern? Probably not.

Sure it’s still possible for an intern to do the occasional coffee run or to have a bitch boss clack her heels along the halls. New York magazine recently did a piece on overworked Harper’s Bazaar intern Diana Wang, who filed a lawsuit against the company for her hellish unpaid stint. It was reality interspersed with fiction. A real thankless job, so she says. But not all internships take a turn for the worse. I’ve had three internships in the past and not once was I ever at the mercy of a slave-driving master. Contrary to popular belief, internships can be insightful, enjoyable and unforgettable (in a good way). Of course, it can really go either way; just take it from Manila’s interns.

With the help of our own intern, we’ve asked 52 former and current interns from different industries to share their own true-to-life working experiences. Check out the infograph below to see them speak up and speak out. Chuck your preconceived notions on how interns are out the window and learn how these kids go about in the real daily grind.

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This survey was conducted online with respondents from different universities in Manila. Not all respondents completed the full survey; draw from that what conclusions you will.