The 2027 Paid Internship Program

Every week we speak with emerging designers, marketers and creatives who are ready to work. They’ve got the qualifications, the enthusiasm and often a pretty impressive student folio. What they don’t have is a way in.

It’s the oldest catch-22 in the book: you need experience to get a job, and you need a job to get experience. Right now, that loop is tighter than it’s been in years.

So in 2027, we want to do something about it. We’re launching the Creative Natives 2027 Paid Internship Program, connecting businesses with emerging talent for paid internships of two weeks or more. And we’re looking for businesses ready to open their doors.

EXPRESS YOUR INTEREST HERE.

Why is it so hard for juniors to get a foot in the door?

The entry-level market has been squeezed from a few directions at once.

There are fewer junior roles to go around. Anglicare’s latest research found entry-level and graduate roles now make up only 11% of all advertised vacancies, the lowest share in a decade. Indeed’s data shows graduate job opportunities fell almost 15% in 2025, and Victoria was hit hardest, with graduate postings sitting 23% below pre-pandemic levels.

The work juniors used to learn on is changing. Resizing banners, building out ad variations, prepping files: this is the transactional work juniors have always cut their teeth on, and it’s exactly the work businesses are now looking to automate. The question being asked across the industry is a fair one: if that early-stage work disappears, how does anyone get good enough to do the senior work?

Most creative businesses are small. As Carol Mackay from the Design Business Council points out, around 85% of design studios employ fewer than five people. In a team that size, a full-time junior hire can feel like a big leap, so it often doesn’t happen at all.

And the result isn’t great for anyone. Without a proven folio, graduates can’t compete on experience, so they end up competing on price, or worse, being offered unpaid “opportunities” that only those who can afford to work for free can take. That’s not a sustainable start to a career, and it’s not good for our industry either.

What is the 2027 Paid Internship Program?

It’s a simple idea. We connect businesses who want to host an intern with emerging talent who want real-world experience.

• Internships run for two weeks or more, so it works whether you want a short, focused project or a longer placement.
• Every internship is paid at minimum wage or above.
• You tell us what you need: the type of internship, how long, and when in 2027 suits your team.
• We do the matching [confirm: how candidates are sourced and matched, and whether there’s any fee].

It’s a low-commitment way to give someone their start, and as you’ll see below, it’s often a smart business decision too.

Why should your business offer a paid internship?

1. You’ll bring fresh energy into your team

Small, stable teams are brilliant, but they can also get a bit too comfortable. Same people, same views, same ways of doing things. Interns arrive fresh from learning. They’ve spent the last few years exploring new tools, trends and platforms, and they’re usually keen to share what they know. It’s a great way to shake up a team that’s been heads-down for a while.

2. They’re the audience your clients want to reach

Gen Z are the audience your clients and customers want, so it makes sense to have them in the room. Together, millennials and Gen Z already account for 36% of retail spend in Australia, and that share is projected to reach 48% by 2030. An intern can offer a perspective your brief and your team might be missing.

3. It can pay for itself

This is the one most businesses don’t expect. According to Never Not Creative’s business case for interns, a well-supervised intern can return their cost to the business even when they’re only billable around half the time, including the time spent mentoring them. At worst, it’s cost-neutral.

For context, a two-week, full-time internship at the national minimum wage ($26.44 an hour from 1 July 2026) works out to roughly $2,000 before super.

4. Your team gets to build management skills

In small teams, it’s hard to learn how to brief, delegate and give feedback, because there’s often no one to practise on. An intern changes that. Wondering if a mid-weight is ready to step up? Give them an intern to look after and see how they handle it. Briefing someone else also makes you better at receiving briefs.

5. It brings diversity of thinking

We all tend to hire people like ourselves, and that’s not great for an industry that’s meant to be designing and marketing for everyone. An intern from a different background, age group or culture can broaden a team’s perspective, or bring real-world insight to a specific project.

6. You can try before you hire

Thinking about a junior hire in the future but not sure it’s the right move? An internship is a low-risk way to find out. Everyone knows there’s a clear end date, so there’s no ambiguity, and if it’s a great fit, you’ve already found your next junior.

7. Contribution matters more than tenure now

Carol argues that design tools have flattened the old production-skill gap between a junior’s first mockup and a senior’s polished work. That means emerging talent can contribute meaningfully, and sooner, than the old junior-to-senior ladder assumed. Their ideas, energy and “why can’t it be done?” attitude are worth having around.

8. You’re giving back to the industry

The standard we set for emerging talent is the standard our industry ends up with. Hosting a paid intern is a practical way to help shape the next generation of creatives. And it doesn’t hurt that clients love seeing businesses that back young talent.

Why do internships need to be paid?

Short answer: because it’s work, and work gets paid.

In Australia, unpaid internships are generally only lawful when they’re a formal part of a course of study (a vocational placement). Outside of that, if someone is doing productive work for your business, they’re very likely an employee and entitled to at least the minimum wage or the relevant award rate. The Fair Work Ombudsman has more detail.

Beyond the legal side, unpaid internships shut out anyone who can’t afford to work for free. As an industry that spends a lot of time convincing clients we don’t work for nothing, it makes sense to extend the same respect to emerging talent. That’s why every internship in our program is paid.

What does a good internship look like?

It doesn’t need to be complicated or time-consuming. Carol suggests most internships work best as a mix of three things:

• Shadowing: sitting in on WIPs, client briefings and presentations, or watching how files are set up.
• Mentoring: explaining what to do, when and why, with regular check-ins.
• Productive work: starting with small, well-scoped tasks and building up to work they can own for a few hours at a time.

In the early days, that might look like 10% shadowing, 40% mentoring and 50% productive work, shifting quickly towards 20% mentoring and 80% productive work as they find their feet.

A few things that make a big difference:

1. Have work ready to go. Scoped, well-briefed tasks help an intern be useful from day one.
2. Assign a buddy. One go-to person makes it much easier for an intern to ask questions.
3. Set clear goals. Agree on what they’ll work on and what they’ll walk away with.
4. Finish well. An end-of-internship chat, honest feedback and a reference (if it’s earned) go a long way.

If you want more structure, Never Not Creative has free guides for hosting an intern, plus a set of Internship Minimum Standards worth signing.

Is your business ready to host an intern?

Ask yourself these quick questions:

• Do you have a project or workload an extra pair of hands could help with? It doesn’t need to be huge.
• Is there someone in your team who could act as a buddy or mentor? Even a few check-ins a week is enough.
• Could your team do with some fresh energy or a new perspective?
• Are you thinking about a junior hire in the future? An internship is a great way to test the waters.
• Can you commit to paying minimum wage or above? This one’s non-negotiable.

If you answered yes to most of these, we’d love to hear from you.

Register your interest for 2027

We’re looking for businesses who want to host a paid intern in 2027. Registering your interest takes a couple of minutes, and there’s no commitment at this stage.

Register your interest here

We’ll ask you for:

• The type of internship you’d like to offer (e.g. graphic design, social media, content, performance marketing)
• Your ideal duration (two weeks or more)
• Your ideal dates in 2027
• Your confirmation that you’ll pay minimum wage or above

Once you’ve registered, we’ll be in touch to talk through the details.

Have a question first? Get in touch with Ryan at ryan@creativenatives.com.au or connect with him on LinkedIn.

Frequently asked questions

How long does an internship need to be?

A minimum of two weeks. Beyond that, it’s up to you. Longer placements give interns more time to settle in and contribute.

How much do I need to pay an intern?

At least the national minimum wage, which is $26.44 an hour from 1 July 2026, or the relevant award rate if one applies, plus super.

Can an internship be unpaid if it’s only short?

No. Every internship in our program is paid, regardless of length.

What kinds of internships can I offer?

Anything across design, marketing and creative, from graphic design and content to social media and performance marketing.

Do I need to commit now?

No. Registering your interest just lets us know you’re keen. We’ll follow up to work through dates and details.

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Any questions? Get in touch with Ryan at ryan@creativenatives.com.au or connect with him on LinkedIn.

To express your interest in joining the program, submit your details here.

With thanks to Carol Mackay at the Design Business Council for sharing her research and insights. Read more from Carol: Juniors still have a role in our industry, Is your studio a bit boring?, Can I afford a junior designer? and Design internships.