The Spectator’s 2018 Christmas appeal: give internships, not money

For our Christmas appeal, The Spectator is asking its readers not for money, but something more valuable: internship places for teenagers on the books of the Social Mobility Foundation. We made this appeal last year and the response was incredible. Places were offered in law firms, chemical plants and even the royal household. A few readers wrote in, too, to say how much they welcomed the chance not just to do something about Britain’s notorious social mobility problem but to find bright, young teenagers with no connections. The type of young people companies are looking for but are, by definition, hard to find.

I would say that money can’t buy internships, but often it does and placements are sold to the highest bidder in charity auctions. It is a well-meaning gesture but underlines how the real golden tickets – the chance to see and comprehend working life – go to those whose parents have the means or the connections.