2009 PR Industry Nightmare?

Recession - a period of an economic contraction, sometimes limited in scope or duration.

It's 2009 and second year PR students at Leeds Metropolitan are currently looking for a placement to take them through a year in industry.
But it looks like it's going to be a bit more difficult than normal, with companies cutting costs, making redundancies and the Media having a field day over the phrase 'Credit Crunch', there are very few employers who looking to take on more staff, let alone students.

By now I had expected the placement board to be overflowing with placement after placement each offering a PR adventure in wide variety of areas. Alas this is not so.

The words 'limited in scope or duration' could not sum up my current placement hunting better.

Today I was offered a year placement in a highly respected Music and Entertainments PR company, but due to cut backs they could only afford to offer me expenses of £50 a week, which when living in London is impossible.

Panasonic have retracted three placement offers and many more companies I have contacted myself are unable to offer placements for any longer than a month or so, epescially on a wage basis.

Even the Public sector are beginning to feel the pinch of the 'R' word, I am currently carrying out a placement within the communications department of my local council and I've even begun to notice through relevant media the slow but steady decline in jobs.

At times like this would it be better to get experience within the public as opposed to the private, although it is not secure it still stands relatively firm. I had never considered working within the Public sector until my placement here at the council, although it lacks the glitz and the glamour or consumer/commercial PR it is still very varied and interesting.
Since being here I've seen campaigns that had a budget of £50, and resulted in a energy saving push that could power 3292 homes for a year, all from £50.

You don't get budgets like that in consumer PR, working on a shoe string increases initiative and causes one to be far more productive.


Private or Public...or whatever we can get!