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Zulu Alpha Kilo Says No to Unpaid Internships

07/02/2018
Advertising Agency
Toronto, Canada
187
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Zulu created the “40K a Year Employeeship” competition to give aspiring Art Directors, Copywriters and Designers the chance to forego internships
With internship season just around the corner, Zulu Alpha Kilo continues to stay true to their bold stance against spec creative work by extending their philosophy to another industry institution notorious for unpaid work: internships.

Zulu created the “40K a Year Employeeship” competition to give aspiring Art Directors, Copywriters and Designers the chance to forego the dreaded internship process and get their start in the industry with a full-time job: experience, salary, benefits and all.


This month, the agency is launching the second instalment of the competition and making another bold statement by asking students and the industry to do away with unpaid internships altogether. Since launching last year, the agency has put a stake in the ground and does not accept unpaid interns. This new policy has ensured the agency only brings on students who are at a caliber where they can contribute and are good enough to get paid a full salary right out of the gate. “Unpaid internships aren’t always great for either party. In some cases, it’s more work for the agency if the students don’t add value. In other cases, students make worthy contributions that aren’t compensated. By having a rigourous process for hiring through our employeeship program, it ensures it’s mutually beneficial for both students and the agency,” says Zak Mroueh, Founder & CCO/CEO.


2017 was the inaugural year for the competition and a huge success, with five of the 10 finalists being hired full-time. Last year’s winners Maria Jose Arias (OCADU) and Andrea Por (Humber) started at the agency in the spring as Art Directors, and were later joined by finalists Nathen Ping (Mohawk), Mark Delisi (Humber) and Monika Leck (Humber). The agency also added recent grad, Christina Roche (Humber) to complete the teams.

“We had initially planned to hire just one team but we were so blown away by the caliber of talent we found that we had to create opportunities to bring on more people,” says Mroueh.

To apply for this year’s competition, students or would-be interns should email employeeship@zulualphakilo.com with a link to their book and a written submission of 50 words or less explaining what their best piece of work is and why.

The top 10 applicants will be invited to participate in a rigorous four-hour fully paid bootcamp and interview involving a gauntlet of creative tasks in late February. Two winners will be selected and offered a $40K a year job on the spot and the opportunity to become a full-time Zuligan.
Applications will be accepted until February 20, 2018. The program is being promoted through campus posters, and social media.

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