Reflection of Week Five

Reflection about Week Five

Last week at the lecture, my teacher impressed upon us the importance of reflection and supplied these two diagrams to explain what it means and how to do it...

So, using the above diagram first, I need to process what has happened to my internship at Windmill Pottery.  

I have never had an internship before.  I have had a 'work experience' placement before, many years ago.  In that instance, my role was mostly observational and I asked a lot of questions. For this one, I expected something similar... to be taught how to throw vessels/pots on the pottery wheel.  That was my main concern.  I also wanted to learn how to load and unload a kiln, and to understand glaze technology and experiment. (And I said that in my initial meeting.) I couldn't afford to pay for lessons, so I thought doing a few odd jobs around the workshop would be a fair exchange for learning.  I agreed to do this work unpaid.

The reality was a bit different.  There was no discussion about my learning goals, nor the structure of my learning.  I was treated like the workshop 'go for'.  After a month of attending two full days per week, I had had very little time on the wheel and it became evident that the owner of the business was wanting me to train as a production potter.  He had plans to develop a signature line of pottery and wanted me to quickly develop to a point where he could sell my work to a standard design.

I think he wanted an intern who would do as they were told and never think for themselves.  He talked of testing my commitment to explain his shouting at me.  He often expected me to know things without them being explained and would get angry and spectacularly frustrated.

I resented his rudeness and felt affronted to be held back. I would feel frustrated not to be allowed to ask questions when I thought of them.

I have since done some research on what constitutes an internship and what is in reality an employee situation.  The fact that I had to show up for work on set days, set times and do work that was necessary for the business, or something that an employee might do, makes me think that I might have been in an 'employee situation' without realising it. I also think it was perhaps unlawful in that, as the intern, I was expected to perform duties not related to learning. Nor was it a safe and supportive environment.  The owner was at pains to 'put me in my place' and to establish a 'master and supplicant' relationship.  

I gleaned the following information from the Fair Work Ombudsman (n.d.):

But if the person is doing work to help with the ordinary operation of the business or organisation it may be an employment relationship arises.  The more productive work that’s involved (rather than just observation, learning, training or skill development), the more likely it is that the person’s an employee.

Length of time

Generally, the longer the period of the arrangement, the more likely the person is an employee.(I was going to be working at the pottery for three months!)

Significance to the business

Is the work normally done by paid employees? Does the business or organisation need this work to be done? Yes and yes. If the person is doing work that would otherwise be done by an employee, or it's work that the business or organisation has to do, it's more likely the person is an employee. Although the main focus of my activities was cleaning and setting up for classes, it was necessary for the operation of the business.

What the person is doing

Although the person may do some productive activities as part of a learning experience, training or skill development, they're less likely to be an employee if they aren't expected or required by the business or organisation to come to work or do productive activities. I was definitely expected to show up on certain days and be on time.  I usually arrived at 9.30 which was considered an hour late, and I would leave between 4 and 5pm.

Who's getting the benefit?

The person who’s doing the work should get the main benefit from the arrangement. If a business or organisation is getting the main benefit from engaging the person and their work, it’s more likely the person is an employee.  It was advantageous for the business to have a series of interns as unpaid labour.  Less benefit for me to spend most of my time doing jobs rather than developing my pottery skills and knowledge.

(Page Reference: 1777)

Looking back on the full gamut of my activities at the workshop, plus reading the information on the Fair Work site, makes me feel justified in leaving the supposed internship.  I left after an incident where the owner of the business abused me and destroyed my work out of spite, but really it wasn't going to work from Day One.  The perceived meaning of what an internship entails was different for both parties.  

Here is the other diagram explaining reflection.  I will leave that for another post.  My job now is to think of a way to move this project forward.  I may be able to find another potter to work with, or I may think of an area to research... I'm not sure what to do yet.


Fair Work Ombudsman (n.d.) Work Experience and Internships.  Retrieved from http://www.fairwork.gov.au/pay/unpaid-work/work-experience-and-internships