Why internships are ace!

Richard Wyatt writes on his experiences working for the Fairtrade Foundation

It has been an honour to play my part in an organisation which is at the forefront of tackling poverty around the world There are now over 3,000 products available ranging from bananas to t-shirts made of Fairtrade cotton

Working for an NGO (non-governmental organization) that campaigns on international development issues is a dream job for many people and it is a profession which is notoriously difficult to break into. With this in mind last summer I decided to apply for an internship at the Fairtrade Foundation. The Fairtrade Foundation is the independent certification body in the UK that awards the Fairtrade mark to products, and the guarantee that producers in the developing world have been given a fair deal.

I was over the moon when they offered me the position of Marketing and Promotions Intern. It's been a very wide reaching and exciting role which has thrown me right into the heart of the organization. I have been involved in the organisation and implementation of Fairtrade Fortnight, the Foundation's largest annual promotion, the highlight of which was going on the 'Choose Fairtrade’ bus which toured eight cities across Fairtrade Fortnight. At these events I met campaigners, businesses and the general public and talked to them about the benefits Fairtrade brings to producers in the developing world.

Fairtrade is going from strength to strength. There are now over 3,000 Fairtrade products in the UK market ranging from bananas to t-shirts made from Fairtrade cotton. This year saw sales increase by over 70%; outstanding news for some of the world's poorest producers who will benefit from these sales. It has been an honour to play my part in an organisation which is at the forefront of tackling poverty around the world.

My contract is now coming close to an end and I'm going to be sad to leave, but hopefully it will give me enough experience to find full time employment in an NGO. Lots of organizations rely on interns and are keen to involve them in the organisation as they would a paid member of staff. Oxfam, Christian Aid and People & Planet are among some of the organisations which run internship schemes and advertise positions on their websites.

I'd recommend an internship to anyone interested in the non profit sector, and I'd recommend the non-profit sector to anyone interested in making a difference. As one lady I met on the Fairtrade bus said: 'never doubt that a small group of individuals can change the world, indeed it's the only thing that ever has'.