I'd say call instead of email. Emails can just sit, get him on the phone and he's yours. Forever. No, but really person to person would be better.

Don't apologize, but be respectful and polite. You can be those things and still push for answers. "I'd really appreciate getting a confirmation on when to start. You said you'd get back to me about it but you haven't for a while. I need to know when to start!"

fix the typo in "you. company" for a start. Is there nobody else you can talk to instead of this guy? I hate the feeling that i'm irritating someone so if there's any alternative contact i'd try that.

You might not find this useful advice, but I'd consider the following:
- it's unpaid
- they treat you like shit even before you've begun

It's an unfortunate fact of life that these 2 things often go together, and there's no obvious reason they'll stop there.

You should definitely start organizing an alternative.

Thanks guys, I've called twice and both times he's just said that he's really busy and he'll be in touch, today he said that he cant talk right now (I called at lunch) I'm worried that calling a 3rd time might be too much.

Leon in the actual email it says the guys name/the name of the company, I just changed it on here for privacy reasons (though to be honest if they saw this they'd probably be able to figure out who I was talking about.

But yeah I'm worried I'm irritating him but he's the only contact I've got for this internship, he's the head of that department but I'm not sure if he's got anyone to delegate it to, it feels like he's the one handling it all but he's putting it off because its not that important to him.

I guess I could ask if theres someone else I could speak to.

Yeah, I was sort of thinking that as well, I mean theres got to be a point where I just give up and move on. Its just annoying.

yep. see if there is someone else you can talk with and also start planning an alternative incase things dont work out.

at this point they need to really need to go out of their way to impress you personally rather than think they can run off their popular/cool image.

Email, don't call. You've already called and he's brushed it off. There's no record of the calls though. He has no idea how long it's been between calls and he'll just forget about it. If you email, they're all recorded with the dates.

Only apologise once, and drop words like "It's just that..."

This is what I would write.

I'm writing to inquire about the start date of my internship. I understand that you have a really busy schedule and can imagine that organising an internship is not a top priority.

I want to let you know that I'm really excited about working with your company and look forward to speaking to you about the details at your earliest convenience.

I have to remind clients all the time about deadlines that they set forth for me without providing me the materials I need to complete my job. Do not apologize and do NOT bring up money. EVER. It's completely inappropriate and nothing he should be concerned about or is his business. Keep it short, polite and sweet.

Sorry the italics got reversed somehow.

I also meant to say that I therefore have to write insistent yet polite letters a lot. You should not have to apologize because he is being a flake and you don't want to set a bad precedent that makes people think they can walk all over you, but neither should you be rude.

I would write this:

Yo bitches, stop being such a douche and give me some work. Also, I've been nailing for sister for a couple of weeks, but she's really starting to bore me. Can you tell her? And also give me your mom's number? Thanks!


Or, you know, steal Amy's.

I would send them a human ear. Tell 'em you mean business.

I am sorry for your situation - believe me, I know how it feels like. I was in a similar situation way back, when I needed SOME kind of job and I was about to work for a promotion agency. The guy kept on promising me a job about 5 times, made me keep my schedule free a couple of times and never called last second. This is BAD behavior. Unfortunately when you are young you think you are dependent on people like that - hopefully you won't have to deal with stuff like that much more in the near future.

Kookaberry made some very good suggestions.

For everybody, I recommend this book for situations like this: How to Win friends and influence people - it's very old-fashioned and kinda silly sometimes, but it gets the basics about good communication right. Very good book, helped me to become a better e-mail communicator.

As far as I can remember the basics of the book were the following:

- show interest in the other person's job/interest (talk about why you apprciate the company)
- always stay polite but instant
- don't bring up your own problems (like a limited budget, as kookaberry said, it's not his problem)
- bring up positive stuff in the e-mail, make it look like he is helping already

Severed finger will get their attention

Put the emphasis on how much you'd like to begin working, not on how much he has not called you. Instead of making him sound like a bad employee (which you really weren't) make it sound like you are simply an eager employee.

What a sucky situation. The advice in here is good - keep it brief and positive, don't mention your problems and preferably have a back up plan in progress...

Hope it all works out.

If you're going to go the threat route, be sure it's tasteful

like

"I intend to cause harm to your fanny."

Your email looks good to me. Is there any chance you could stop by the office & talk to this person face to face? Speaking to someone else would probably help, too. Getting some kind of part time or temp gig would help. If you're lucky, the temp assignment would end around the time the internships starts. i understand though. i'm really getting jerked around with the employment thing right now & it sucks. i just worked 5pm-5:30 am at an assignment that was supposed to have ended already & i was supposed to be starting on better assignment today.

Fanny harm is tasteful but frightening.

thats a bummer phil. i don't have anything to add other than what the folks have already said. good luck. i went through some shit like this once. then they ended up calling me back five months after i was supposed to start....good luck

Guys don't have fannies over here. You'll need to adjust that threat for the international market.

Amy wrote it very well and good points have been said by everyone already :)

sorry bout your scenario! try communicating better while not exactly waiting for this job, you might find better alternates

threaten his loved ones, take a hostage if need be

Hell, I can get you a toe by 3 o'clock this afternoon... with nail polish. These fucking amateurs...

Thanks everybody for all of the advice/well wishing, I didnt have time to send the email off yesterday because I was looking at rooms to rent (I think I've found one with a really great price in a really nice area with brilliant rail links, basically everything I was looking for) but I went with Kookaberry's email.

I'm so glad I just didnt send my other one off because I dont want to put him off from taking me on.

I still want the internship but my enthusiasm for it is waining.

The only good thing about the situation so far is that it gave me the motivation to actually quit a job I hated and take the risk and actually make a go of it in London.

agh, I just got an out of office reply, he's not going to be back until the 19th, this is just getting silly.

But he did give an email address of a couple of other people I should be contacting if its urgent, maybe I'll get somewhere this time.

I could probably do with some advice on how to write that email without making it sound like, hey the guy I was talking to has been messing me around can you tell me whats happening.

This starts getting very silly indeed.
I hope it makes you feel better that you're not the only one stuff like this happens to.

If I was you I'd had a hard time not heading over there and trying to start a conversation in person. Maybe somebody there can give you an honest opinion on what's going on.

As for the e-mail, stay professional an polite no matter what. Just says something like:" Due to the absence of Mister X. I have decided to turn to you...:"

Forget this place. Start looking someplace else. In the meanwhile, if they revert, good enough. If not, atleast you haven't wasted time waiting for them.

Pissed off.

Finally got a straight answer from the guy which basically amounted to I dont have a job ready for you yet, were building new edit bays right now and we'll have a desk for you then but I cant give you a firm date.

He told me to look for other jobs and I'll call you when I've got something.

Seriously who advertises for a job they dont have?

tough break, what are you looking to get into?

Lame.

Cheers, I'm trying to get into tv/online video.

I'd actually really love to own my own company and produce online content (I have a couple of ideas floating around in my head right now) but I really need to get my life sorted out down here at least for a few months before I can start something up.

I might have a part time job sorted, I did a phone interview then there going to tell me if I'm short listed, with luck I'll be interviewing on Wednesday/Thursday then I should be able to find a flatshare to stay in.

Its just annoying because I thought I'd found a house, the room is supposed to come up on the 26th, they kept telling me that I could have my parents as garentors and that they were happy to do the rent month by month but it turned out they werent actually the landlords, just the teants and had been asked to handle it by the owners.

So when they finally checked with the landlord they turned around and said, hey so turns out they dont want to do a garentor form and you have to be in full time employment.

I'm really getting fed up now, I thought moving down here was going to be relatively easy but I feel like I'm not getting anywhere.

that's a tough situation, stubby. i don't really have any advice other than don't give up. i know you want to get into tv/video badly. keep pressing and it''ll happen.

as far as owning your own company, that's the goal. but i think first, you need to befriend some more established producers to keep content coming in.

good luck!

I'm trying to get into tv/online video.

that's a pretty big field. Is there anything specific you think you have a talent for?

Most savvy companies are embracing social media as a genuine marketing channel. Have you thought about finding out if any companies you like have social media managers or anyone like it in their marketing departments? Maybe that is a better rung to start with, at least you'll get some experience managing online content.

interning is a scam :/

moreoften than not at least.

Sorry to hear this. I can only tell you that I was in situations like that before and it made me more careful with people who promise much (in German we would say "talks a lot of hot air). Good luck.

Interning is not a scam lol

Sorry, been majorly busy had to rush back home (the north west) to go get some documents in time for an interview this afternoon, I applied for a job with WHSmiths in Harrods, I feel like I did well in that interview but there's still two stages left to go.

Its not what I want to do but it means I'll have money coming in which will make everything else like finding a place to live a hell of a lot easier.

The way I'm feeling now is, yeah this didn't work out but there are a hell of a lot of opportunities down here to do things, things that are even better than that company.

shirtflirt, I feel like thats one way of doing it true but it might not be the best thing for what I'm trying to achieve.

One of the things I really want to do is build a successful youtube channel based around extreme sports but initially focused on longboarding (theres a really strong community down here), right now youtubes heavily dominated by comedy videos, theres virtually no one in the top 100 that isnt a comedy channel but I feel like were getting to a point where more diverse content can get through but it just needs to be done right.

extreme sports have a hell of a lot of potential to be really big because there's already an in built audience but where the mediums going wrong right now is they haven't made it accessible to people outside of that culture.

Tricks are nice to look at but in any other film they'd be cut away shots.

What I'd really love to do is take a documentary approach and spend time getting to know the people that do these sports because they are really interesting people, at the end of the day it takes a certain type of personality to think "hey, i'll stand on a plank of wood with wheels, then get my friend to pull me up to 60kph/40mph then I'll let go and roll down this hill" but I also think theres a lot of stuff thats really universal, some will try forever to learn a new trick, it can be frustrating but eventually they do it and if I can get an audience to root for them it could be really compelling.

To do that I just need a camera, start filming and start putting out videos.

The other thing is I want to do corporate video/advertisements aimed at small buisnesses, basically they'd put the videos on their websites and I'd generate a QR code that they can put on flyers and buisness cards, people can scan the code with their phone and be taken to a promo video for their company.

The difficult bit is getting the price right so its profitable but doesnt price me out of the market.

the problem, generally, with youtube content is that people have this much patience *fingers are touching*.
they want a laugh NOW if not sooner
they want a funny lookng head with popular faces fake singing songs
they need stupidity

the channels with actual content are some of the lowest viewed bc they don't get shared enough.

i understand that you are a HUGE fan of the internet as a content provider but it has EONS to go before i'd entertain any serious venture in creating a meaningful youtube page.

but, follow your heart and you will not be wrong.

I'd agree that its still early days, youtube is only 6 years old and the partner program really only came about 3 or 4 years ago at the most and the vast majority of youtube users are watching the type of videos your describing, viral videos.

But thats only one part of youtube, the partner program really changed everything because it created a way for people to actually earn money off the site because they get a share of the ad revenue on their videos.

The youtube professionals work hard to build audiences (theres the 1 million subscriber club and the even more impressive 2 million) who watch their videos regularly, the top guys get around 100,000 views a video to 300,000 views, nigahiga who is number one in the rankings gets about 3 million views a video.

there arent really any figures out there because their not allowed to talk about how much they earn off youtube ad revenue but $3 per 1000 views seems to be about the industry standard.

Their also starting to get sponsorship deals and they sell merch.

SB.TV, run by Jamal Edwards is earning about £100,000, theres a lot of people who are on six figure salaries, theres yet to be a millionaire thats come from youtube but I really dont think were all that far off.

And youtube is investing, they recently gave out a bunch of $35,000 grants to youtubers they felt had the talent to become big but needed help. Yeah there still not hitting tv budgets but considering there was nothing before its a step in the right direction.

Also you should really check out the fine bro's (I met them last weekend!) their industry leaders because unlike a lot of people they run their channel like a tv station, they focus heavily on producing shows/formats then retiring them when their done.

Right now their biggest thing is kids react to... which is kids reacting to various videos/memes its hilarious but its also really built up their audience and its given them the chance to create other formats as well, right now their working on teens react and they mentioned branching out to parents and grandparents react.

I'm not sure that's going to be as good as kids react but their thinking in terms of shows and a business.

Point is theres this whole other side to youtube that doesnt get seen as much by the masses but its still pretty big and getting bigger and its those guys that are really shaking things up.

I just thought I'd add, reaching that point is extremely difficult and an uphill battle, youtube gets 48 hours of content uploaded a day, so to get to that point you really have to be the best of the best.

Personally I don't think this kind of content is ever going to take over from tv because of the long tail (where tv content is at the top of the tail and then youtube partners is probably the fat middle, then theres the rest that goes off way out into the tail) but I think over time more and more moneys going to go into it.

I feel like a douche for not saying this sooner but thanks for your support, thanks to everyone who helped with this!

Dan I watched it, its pretty bleak/very true, although one thing I'd add, it made getting through the door look very easy, just 10 applications? jeeze.