Deb,
I think you've carefully avoided my point that if an institution 'requires'
professional attire for an internship some kind of compensation should be
offered.  An unpaid internship that requires professional dress and cleaning
costs is a little unreasonable.

I hear a very good historical and working knowledge of professional attire
from you.  I would like to see you hold a workshop.  It would really
benefit the many students out there who have economic hardships, no idea
where or how to shop like you, or are just generally fashion unconscious.
.
Until then, I'm going back into dream state where institutions appreciate
people for their minds, not their bodies.

JC


On 11/29/05, Deb Fuller <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>
> On 11/28/05, (562)Librarian <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>
> > PLEASE tell me this is a paid internship.  I think the concept of
> 'teaching'
> > interns to dress professionally is a good idea.  However, you may be
> making
> > an unrealistic request for someone who has already given up time and is
> > incurring the cost of transportation and other miscellaneous expenses
> > involved in working for free.  Professional clothes have professional
> > prices.
>
> I have an issue with this. Paid or not, everyone who works at a museum
> should be held to the same dress standards. Part of an internship is
> learning how to be a "professional" and part of that is knowing how to
> dress regardless of how much money you make. And once you leave your
> internship and go out in to the "real world", people won't care if you
> have the money to afford clothes or not, they will expect you to have
> the appropriate clothes for the job.
>
> There are plenty of options for people who can't afford department
> store prices. I score big at good thrift stores. It's not the best
> option if you need good clothes right away but making weekly trips and
> scouting around for the stores that get the better clothes will get
> you some great bargains. I'm luckly that there's one across the street
> from where I work and I got a fabulous pair of wool dress slacks in
> perfect condition for $1.50. Yes, a buck, fifty.
>
> There are also charities that provide professional clothing to those
> who can't afford it. Check with local churches, shelters, and other
> charities to see if they have appropriate clothing to donate. Most
> museums don't require business suits but a few pieces that can be
> accessorized, mixed and matched and you'll have a week's worth of
> clothes.
>
> Hit yard sales, church bazars, flea markets, and the like. Haggle with
> people. Give them your poor museum studies student sob story and see
> if they will drop the price or give you a good deal. Again, you'll
> have to hunt around at these and it might take you a while to find an
> entire wardrobe but if you start looking BEFORE you start an
> internship, you will have plenty of time to find things.
>
> > I have a term for "the staff who have to monitor the interns' clothing,"
> > Fashion Police.  Will this person be annoyed by the extra duty and say
> > anything is fine?  Will they take it too seriously and possibly
> humiliate an
> > already financialy embarrassed student?
>
> To me, the job falls to the intern's supervisor as it's part of the
> intern's job. Now other employees might say something to the intern,
> esp. if the intern works in different departments but ultimately, the
> supervisor needs to have the "formal" conversation. You are not acting
> as the "fashion police" by telling people not to wear white after
> Labor Day or stripes with polka dots; you are making sure that people
> under your supervision are appropriately dressed for the job.
>
> Another part of the supervisor's job is to develop a rapport with the
> interns to make them feel comfortable about talking about these issues
> and hopefully the intern will bring up the subject first. "Hey, when I
> took this internship, I underestimated my wardrobe requirements and I
> don't have a lot of money. Could you help me find some more
> appropriate clothes so I look more professional or could I wear the
> museum polos and khakis like the volunteers until I find some?"
>
> > I think your intern will learn about professional dress by being in the
> > environment.  It would be a good topic to discuss over lunch or on a
> lazy
> > Friday afternoon.  I'd also recommend a healthy dose of opinions and
> > suggestions from both genders.
>
> Good idea, but I think the intern needs to understand that sometimes,
> dress codes aren't fair and you just have to deal with them. There are
> some employers who don't allow women to wear trousers and require men
> to always wear a long-sleeved shirt with a coat and tie. I don't know
> of any museums like that but I think it's good idea to be aware of it
> in case you encounter it elsewhere.
>
> > I was in this situation not too long ago.  After explaining that I ate
> once
> > a day and had no elastic in my underwear - I'm not sure who was more
> > embarrassed.
>
> Okay, not to be rude but again, that is your problem, not your
> employers or your host institution if you are an intern. For example,
> if you took an internship and didn't have transportation to get to the
> site, would you expect the museum to pay for cab fare or find you
> transportation to do your internship? Probably not. It would be
> assumed that when you took the internship, you would have transport to
> it. The museum might help out and find someone who works there that
> can give you a lift, but the ultimate burden of getting there is your
> own.
>
> > If it's really important, a 'sign-on bonus' from the gift shop 'this is
> what
> > we'd like you to wear while you're here' could go over quite well.
>
> If the museum requires specific uniform items like polos with the
> museum logo or work coveralls then I think the museum should provide
> at least one or two to get the intern started. But if the dress code
> is "professional" or "business casual" then I think it's up to the
> intern to have those items. Same goes with volunteers and staff.
>
> And personally, I think people need to seriously think about taking a
> non-museum job for a semester or two to save up enough money to do an
> internship. It won't kill you to postpone an internship if you really
> don't have the finances to support yourself well enough to concentrate
> on your job. If you are eating once a day and have few clothes, can
> you really concentrate enough to do your best and learn at an
> internship? Perhaps you can cut back to part-time and work part-time
> elsewhere to support yourself. Even non-museum work experience is work
> experience and will teach you valuable skills you can apply to museum
> jobs.
>
> deb
>
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