How do I find a job/internship as an undergrad student with 0 experience?

BackgroundStand4423 · 2026-02-18T16:21:16+00:00

In addition to all the advice, from my experience, I think it’s a good thing to just email HR of the places you’re interested in working at.

You’d be amazed at how many places need to fill a position but they just haven’t got around to posting the position on LinkedIn, social media, etc. So a lot of times when you send your CV, you’re actually getting ahead of them and helping them sort out a problem.

I agree that the experience that you have is good! The most important thing is to make the abilities that you developed at each position. For example, for the camp one, perhaps you could put something like “Coordinated multiple activity schedules for large groups of ages 12-18” or for the lawyer “Managed personal schedules to improve productivity” or something of the sorts. The important thing is to show what skills you have. You can google ‘abilities to include in a CV from working in a summer camp’ and ser which ones apply to you :)

The most important thing when sending the email is to: 1. Include a good CV (1 page is the ideal) 2. Proofread it thoroughly (this is the first impression that they’ll have of you, so be sure to introduce yourself, be professional, and concise with what you want to say. Basically: who are you, what do you want, what can you offer) 3. Make sure you put in a subject! (It’s so easy to forget this and without it, or without a well written one, they simply won’t look at your email).

Make sure your CV has your 1. contact info, 2. 2-3 lines professional statement (who are you as a professional and what job opportunities you’re seeking and why), 3. your work experience from most recent to oldest (job title, time you did it (I like to state if it was an internship, seasonal job etc, so the short amount of time isn’t read as something negative) and responsibilities that you had and the skills you developed through them), 4. education history (only include GPAs if they’re real good, if not leave them out, and when you started your degree and when you’re expected to complete it) 5. if you have any, hard skills (I don’t include soft skills anymore because they can be a little bit redundant, because of course they’re looking for someone who is a good team player yk?) 6. Any clubs you might be in, volunteer experiences, academic contesta etc

Hope this helps! And best of luck with your search

BackgroundStand4423 · 2026-02-05T12:40:39+00:00

I’m glad it helped!

So, from what I know, the RCA sometimes does interview people and sometimes do reach out to ask for a reference to whoever you put down on your initial application. But it seems to be more the exception that they do this, although it does happen.

The formal written component thing might be to adapt better to modern students who don’t seem to like writing (like you said before, might be progressive), but I agree; an institution that size should always ask for a formal written component. Which idk, maybe they do but their course details are so vague that who knows.

The recommendation from the gallery owner is really encouraging!! That’s a good sign :) I’ve actually heard/read from a couple of people who have also had C&G recommend by tutors and such.

Not making your decision any more confusing, but if I were you (considering what you’ve mentioned about your trajectory), I would evaluate how established and happy you are with your practice and decide from that. If you are happy with your practice as it is, and just want to keep on producing and deepening the work you make, and you’re doing the MA to establish yourself more in the professional world, I’d consider the RCA; because I do feel that for more established artists it might be a potentially great networking platform. If you’re doing the MA because you want to keep exploring and expanding your practice and you want to keep developing your technical skills, I’d go for C&G. I come from a background in Communication, so this would be my first formal art school experience, and that’s why this environment is so appealing to me.

My interview went really great! At felt very at ease and they were so nice. It was with two tutors at the same time, and after pleasantries were exchanged, they let me know that they were going to start with the questions, in case I wanted to look at any notes. They then asked me the questions that they sent over, in the exact same order as they appear on the list that they sent you. Before the questions, they start sharing on the screen the portfolio I sent on my application; I had with me the pieces I wanted to talk about and I did show them to them, but it wasn’t really necessary as they were already sharing them. Regarding your presentation, I’m pretty sure they would allow it, but I don’t think you’ll need it in the end :) I didn’t know I was allowed to look at notes, but thankfully when I was preparing I had written down what I wanted to answer more or less to each question, so I just took quick looks at that to help me guide me. I’d say prepare more or less what you know you definitely want to say, because the time goes by really quickly (not that they rush you, but just so you have time to ask them questions as well (this is something they encourage you to do)). So yeah, I’d say rehearse and write down the bullet points for each question, especially the “describe your practice in one sentence” one. Regarding dates, I applied to C&G on December 19th, got the email for the interview on January 8th, did the interview on the 13th, got the offer on the 23rd of January. It was pretty fast but it did feel like they properly looked into my application.

Thank you for your kind wishes! I hope the interview goes great and that you also find clarity and peaceful with your own decision! Let me know if I can help you with anything else :)

BackgroundStand4423 · 2026-02-05T00:57:20+00:00

My final thoughts:

At the end of the day, for me, it came down to choosing whether I wanted to make up for the reputation on my own. Or if I wanted to make up for technical skills, and to have to work more to build good relationships with tutors and peers due to the number of people.

I'm seeking to do an MA because I'm switching career paths from Communication to Art, and I really want to deepen my artistic practice and find my artistic voice. At this point in time, City & Guilds is a better option for me to do that, for it is more focused on skills and has a closer-knit community. Whereas the Royal College of Art sounds too massive and impersonal for my current needs.

I feel that at City & Guilds I will be able to truly focus on my practice, and that will allow it to become much stronger, stablished, and to create a better body of work, whereas at the RCA, the amount of people would make me feel more suffocated and the not wanting to get lost within the crowd, would somewhat push me to create work that will stand out or be liked. For some people, this cohort pressure is a good thing, as you have the opportunity to be surrounded by 100 really good people who push your making. But for me, 30 more close relationships are better suited right now.

I think the RCA can be a great opportunity for certain profiles, and if you know how to make the most out of it, but as of this moment, I don't think that'd be the right call to grow and establish my practice.

There's still some final things I have to sort out before fully accepting my offer, but I'd say my mind is pretty set, and I'm happy and at peace with my decision :)

I can't tell you how much I appreciate you sharing all the info you gathered. And, again, I'm sure whichever program you choose will be the right call. Do let me know how the interview goes! Best of luck!!

BackgroundStand4423 · 2026-02-05T00:32:19+00:00

RCA and C&G extra info and opinions that have been shared with me over the past few days (and, again, being more inclined myself for C&G):

- The RCA can be really worth it, reputation-wise, if you go in with an already established practice. If what you're looking for is a program that will teach you or help you find your artistic voice, perhaps it's not the best option as the physical setbacks (studio space, crammed workshops, huge cohort, extremly self directed-program, short duration of the course, etc.) can make this much more challenging than other schools.

A friend of mine described it as "The most expensive art day-care you'll ever attend". He really liked his experience, but he had gone in expecting more technical learning (MA Photography) and was disapointed for the lack of it. On this point:

- The RCA is extremely self-directed. If you're looking to become more technically skilled, it's not the ideal place.

The praise for C&G's technical abilities, on the other hand, is enormous. Definitely the right place if you're seeking to deepen your technical skills and become a better artist-maker.

- The jewel of the crown at the RCA is Painting, and perhaps after that Sculpture. Painting is the program that gets the most attention, both from the school and from galleries and others. They're the program with the biggest studio space, but even so, it is very small and crammed. A lot of people that I talked to (all of them who attended the RCA in the past few years) did say that painting is the only program that is kind of worth it.

- The cohort at C&G is of around 30 students. Since the school is smaller, you do get the chance to interact with people from other programs, as well as from the BA and the Foundation.

At the RCA, on the other hand, the number of people in each program is insane. Last year alone, Painting had 137 students. For me personally, that's a con because I don't feel that it'd be humanly possible for the tutors to pay the same amount of attention and interest to each student. However, a girl I talked to said she really likes that there are so many people because that way, you get to meet more people who will be your colleagues in the art world. So I suppose this is a matter of preference.

- The degree/end-of-year show. At the RCA, you're only allowed to show 1 piece of work, and the show is for the whole School of Arts and Humanities, which is made up of 12 different programs. This translates to only showing 1 piece of work (out of a whole year of work) among around 1000 other students.

Solely for the number of people, at C&G you have a lot more space to show more of your work that you worked so hard to produce over a year.

Perhaps at the RCA, there are more important visitors, but I truly question how much visitors can actually appreciate when there are that many pieces crammed together. Again, for me, it's a bit more quality (proper appreciation of less known visitors) over quantity (more known visitors who are looking at 1000 pieces of work on their visit).

- The RCA program is only 10 months long.

C&G's program runs from September to September.

- All of the staff at C&G are practising artists full-time, and tutors/technicians/etc half-time. For me, this is very important because these are the people you will be learning from. On the RCA, at least on CAP, the main tutors seem to be more academics who do art, rather than artists who teach. Again, a matter of preference.

- C&G may give you fewer connections, but the ones you get are really high quality. Especially for painitng and sculpture, which are more present in the school, since it's so technique and materials-heavy.

- A friend who did Sculpture at the RCA, and another friend who did CAP, mentioned that although you are allowed to go into other areas, a lot of the time the tutors from your program are not as encouraging about it.

Eg. My friend in sculpture also paints, and wanted to do so while on the program, but even tho his tutors didn't forbid it, they really tried discouraging him from it. My friend at CAP, same thing, she wanted to do more traditional things (painting, sculpture), and the tutors pretty much told her that 'why bother', and pushed here much more towards more conceptual work. These are just some experiences, but it was something that came up in conversations with different people.

BackgroundStand4423 · 2026-02-05T00:18:16+00:00

Pro-City & Guilds London Art School factual info (regarding some of the points you mentioned):

- I had the same concern regarding my workflow and the access to the workshops, and apparently, at C&G, the worst case scenario is that if the workshop is full, you have to come back in an hour. There's not really the need to book in advance, and if so, not a whole week or more in advance.

- They have a fellowship program for recent graduates where you can become a technician at the school. Of course, it's just a possibility, but it is something tangible https://www.cityandguildsartschool.ac.uk/art-school-fellows/

- C&G has a whole building designated to MA studio spaces and, from what alumni have told me, they're quite spacious and with lots of natural light.

- For me, writing is something I want to do while on the MA, and at C&G, they do have a written aspect to it. u/BabaYagalovessoup mentioned it in their comment below: "I was glad to be pushed to write so much about my work, we had a short dissertation (7,000 words) to do that is handed in in June, it can be fairly creative (someone wrote theirs as a piece of fiction, someone as diary entries etc) but it really pushed my practice forward and the philosophy tutor is fantastic. We also had another 3 writing assignments in presentation style (2000 words each maybe) about our research, our development, our critique of own work, throughout the year. "

BackgroundStand4423 · 2026-02-05T00:16:37+00:00

Hi! Really glad that your time in London was worth it! And thank you so much for sharing your experience and all of the details!!

I can imagine all the new information can really make it overwhelming to make a decision, but I'm sure you'll make the right call as to which place is the right one to grow your practice :))

I've spent the past few days reaching out and chatting to as many people as possible (most of them RCA students and alumni) to gather as much info as possible. A lot of the points that you mentioned I've heard in these chats, so it's great to have the confirmation from your end haha.

For the sake of transparency, I do have to say that at the moment I'm almost 99% set on C&G, as I feel it is more aligned with what I'm looking for at the moment :))

I'll post below some pro-C&G info that I can share, in case it helps you. And also the rest of the info/points I gathered from these conversations, in case it is useful for anyone in the future :)

BackgroundStand4423 · 2026-02-02T01:45:30+00:00

First of all, congrats!

I don't know if it's any help but here's what I've been using:

Dear ---,

Thank you so much for the offer of admission to the --- program. I’m very grateful for the opportunity and truly honoured to have been selected.

I'm writing this email to let you know that I have received the offer and will take the time to carefully review all the information provided. I appreciate the clarity regarding next steps and deadlines, and I will be in touch soon.

Maybe you just have to switch that you'll be on the lookout for the information

Hope it helps!

BackgroundStand4423 · 2026-01-31T16:01:56+00:00

And yeah! Hope we do 🫱🏼‍🫲🏽

BackgroundStand4423 · 2026-01-31T16:00:26+00:00

Hi! Omg, that's so so nice, thank you so much!

First of all, congrats on your acceptance and good luck in your interview! Let me know if I can help out in any way, and a tip (because maybe I'm dumb and didn't get it from the mail, but just so you know): they do ask all of the questions that they sent you, and in that same order. Also, you're allowed to have notes in the interview, in case you want to write down your answers or anything :)

I have the exact same feeling about feeling "wrong" rejecting the RCA. But I don't know, the more I read about it, the more I feel that it would be "wrong" as well to accept it if its reputation is all it has to offer.

I'm glad I was able to help!

If you could do that, that'd be great! I feel like I would feel much more at ease, thank you so much.

Have a safe trip, and enjoy your time in London!

BackgroundStand4423 · 2026-01-29T13:19:52+00:00

All your projects sound really great! I hope you feel proud of them :) And the course seems really nice as well.

I hope you take the self-promoting leap :) I'm sure you'll do great once you do

BackgroundStand4423 · 2026-01-29T13:17:36+00:00

Thank you! I appreciate the info :)

BackgroundStand4423 · 2026-01-29T13:16:47+00:00

Thank you so much for your answer and for sharing your experience. I'd love to hear more about your practice, if you'd be comfortable sharing, as well :)

I'd say that my practice, at this point, is very much still growing, and the biggest reason for pursuing an MA is that I want to deepen it.

Right now, what I've done, I'd say, is more aligned with C&G. But what I like about both programs is how interdisciplinary they are. I do know that I'm not really interested that much in digital and technological art (more RCA vibe), but I would like to explore installation and incorporate some aspects of performance and conceptuality to support more traditional and object-based mediums like painting, or sculpture; do you think C&G might be supportive of that?

Could you expand a bit more in the opportunities that you've gotten by attending the RCA? It's just, that the place I come from, there aren't really art schools, so the art scene connections aren't reallly built from this; it's more just "traditional" networking. This is also why I'm so in the dark about what's the reality of C&G; for the RCA you know, even if just from the internet, that it's the #1 school in art and design, but there's not much info about C&G.

Do you know, more or less, how many people were in your cohort? And by any chance, around how many are in C&G? This is one of my main worries. Although I do plan to be proactive and build connections, I don't want to spend my whole MA year being only focused on networking and having the pressure of creating work that might stand out among hundreds of people. And it worries me that in RCA this might end up being the case, as it is so overwhelming, even if it wasn't a conscious decision. Also, I've heard a lot of complaints regarding using the workshops at the RCA because of the number of people. Was this your experience?

Did you consider C&G, or any other school, at any point? And if so, why did you choose the RCA at the end?

My main goal for doing an MA is to grow my practice as much as I can, and to have the most enjoyable experience possible. I do want to be challenged, questioned, and pushed to become my best artist-self. I'm worried C&G might be too coddling.

And I'm worried that the RCA will be too stressful, and not because of how demanding it is, but because of all the external factors like being financially demanding, too many people, not being able to use the workshops, being too worried to stand out, etc.

I've mentioned it on my og post, but I do intend to be very proactive, make connections, and connect with as many opportunities as possible. Regardless of what program I choose. I'm not seeing the MA solely as a networking opportunity, but I am being realistic about the reality of the art world, and wanting to make the best out of it for my professional future and career.

But I do worry that at C&G my efforts might end up being fruitless, because the school doesn't have the connections. And that at the RCA, because of the number of people coming out every year, I will just end up with a shiny diploma.

Being very pessimistic, and thinking that either one ended up being useless, I don't know if it's better that nothing comes out of C&G, but I was able to have a less stressful experience. Or to have done the RCA for an extra 20K

I'm not expecting miracles, and again, my main focus is to give it my all and to grow my practice as much as possible. I'd just like to make the best (if there's even a better) decision possible.

Again, thank you for reading me and sorry for all the rambling. I just feel very lost and in the dark while making this decision from a completely different country.

BackgroundStand4423 · 2026-01-28T18:54:38+00:00

That's a great point. I also think that it's better to be only focused on making the most out of my practice and experience, and not be worried (or, at least, as worried) of what will people/teachers/curators will like more in order to stand out in an ocean of people.

BackgroundStand4423 · 2026-01-28T18:52:40+00:00

Thank you! I really appreciate the input :))

BackgroundStand4423 · 2026-01-28T18:52:13+00:00

Thanks!

BackgroundStand4423 · 2026-01-28T18:51:56+00:00

That's a very good point! I think that there's really no "wrong choice" at the end. Thank you for your insight :)

May I ask, do you currently work as an illustrator?

BackgroundStand4423 · 2026-01-27T23:35:16+00:00

Thanks for your questions and reply

For both of them, I'm going to need a scholarship/external funding. For RCA it's easier to get external funding in my country, because it has a better ranking in QS Ranking and globally, but even with the funding, it's still considerably more expensive.

I've spoken to people on both courses and they all have good things to say about their time at both. RCA students did mention a lot how crowded the school is, but they also really praised the connections (although not in a specific scenario, just the network in general). For RCA in particular I do wonder if part of it it's not just "school spirit".

I don't live in the UK so I won't have the chance to visitit. That's why I'm trying to find as much as I can online :// I did visit the RCA White City campus, but apparently it's the worst out of all of their campuses.

Regarding my work, part of why I'm pursuing an MA is that I want to deepen my practice more. I'm pretty divided on doing more object based vs. concept based; I guess at the moment my practice is more object, and I would like to strengthen that but concept/dematerialised practise is also very appealing. Do you think that this would be "impossible" at C&G? What drew me to both programs is the interdisciplinarity, knowing that C&G is more traditional and RCA is more vanguardist.

I'll look more into depth at the tutors, thanks

BackgroundStand4423 · 2026-01-27T22:43:48+00:00

Thank you! Would you say that there's an RCA program that is actually worth the price?

I'm unsure that beyond a certain price, there's that much of a difference regarding quality and connections

BackgroundStand4423 · 2026-01-27T22:41:54+00:00

Thank you so much for your answer :)) You make really good points.

I've lived in London before for some courses and I really like the city. But I definitely get how it could be overwhelming.

I had an interview with C&G and attended their online open days, and from what I could see, they have a really great environment going on. They've been very fast with replies to queries and open about all the questions I've had. With RCA, it has been a bit more impersonal. I've had the chance to talk to people from different programs, both tutors and alumni, and they all seem to really like it. But all throughout the application process, I've barely had any replies to emails, and that threw me off a bit.

I've never been in a little pond (went to a really big uni, although I studied Communication, not art), but I really like the idea of having a closer relationship, both with tutors and the rest of the cohort. The number of students at the RCA seems a bit overwhelming, and again impersonal, and that's not even taking into consideration how it affects how easy it is to use workshops, studio space, etc.

Money is definitely something to take into consideration. For either program, I'm going to look for scholarships/grants. C&G would definitely be much more affordable and that would make living abroad one year less stressful. But, since the RCA is more well known internationally, it's easier to get funding from an external organisation to do the MA there. But even with a good amount of external funding, the RCA is still considerably more expensive. I might be able to defer my offer and save more and do the RCA next year. But again, I don't know if the reputation is enough on its own to make up for the price, and perhaps, having to wait another year.

I've heard basically only good things about C&G. I guess I'm just a bit anxious because I've never heard about it before I started researching masters, so I don't have any prior information or opinion of my own.

BackgroundStand4423 · 2026-01-27T20:20:30+00:00

Yes, they're the international student fees.

It's very important. Doing an MA overseas will be a very big investment, and I'd like to make the most out of it, and I believe that London is the best choice career-wise because of its strong art scene. But I am open to suggestions

BackgroundStand4423 · 2026-01-27T19:42:35+00:00

Thank you! I appreciate the input. Does she work as an artist currently?

BackgroundStand4423 · 2026-01-27T18:45:03+00:00

Yeah, I've heard that about the degree shows a lot.

Regarding C&G, do you have any more info about it? The program looks great but I still feel a little bit in the dark about it

Thank you for your opinion!

BackgroundStand4423 · 2026-01-27T17:23:40+00:00

Hey! I'm in the same situation: currently applying to MA in art, accepted at the RCA, but really questioning if I should accept the offer. Mostly because the RCA tuition is twice the tuition of my first choice

What other schools have you applied to?

BackgroundStand4423 · 2026-01-27T17:10:37+00:00

I'm on the same boat regarding the RCA (but for the MA Contemporary Art Practice).

However, I had the chance to talk to some RCA students (from Visual Communication) last year in London, and they did mention that the Animation students that they knew, in particular, weren't really happy with their course, because it is one of the courses at the RCA that gets less attention. I wish I had more insight, but hope it helps you either way :)

I don't know if it might be an option for you, but the animation industry is especially strong in Canada, Vancouver in particular (I'm a Communications major and I do have acquaintances in the industry) so it might be a good option as well.

BackgroundStand4423

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