Graduates are turning to volunteering and unpaid internships to gain experience, but some question whether the sacrifice is worth itSeán O’Leary says his career path has taken a new direction after his experience of volunteering Fri Jun 12 2026 - 06:01 • 6 MIN READApproximately 73,500 students graduate from higher education institutions across Ireland each year and, based on the most recent Graduate Outcomes Survey (covering the class of 2024), 80 per cent are in employment nine months after graduation.However, a small minority – up to 6 per cent – opt for activities such as volunteering or unpaid internships once they leave third-level education. For many of these graduates, taking time out before beginning their career is a chance to take stock of their situation, to pause before making plans or to simply to dip their toes into the world of work without committing to anything.For some newly qualified graduates this can be an enriching experience, but others may feel they are not getting as much out of the arrangement as they would like. We spoke to a number of young people to find out what unpaid work they did after leaving college or university and what they felt about the experience.One recent graduate says she tried, on two occasions, to work as an unpaid intern, but felt that she was “not being valued enough”, so decided to give it up. “I graduated in 2024 with an arts degree in media and immediately sent my CV out to try and get straight into a job that I liked,” says Grace. “There was nothing available to me at the time and it seemed like the only option was to do an unpaid internship to try and get some experience.“Obviously, I would have preferred to be earning money, but I was advised that this would be good for my career, so I decided to do it for a while to see how I got on.“The first place I worked didn’t feel right from the start as I was treated like a bit of a dogsbody around the office. I would be asked to do menial jobs that no one else wanted to do and found that I wasn’t progressing my career opportunities at all. I was never given any tasks with any real responsibility and, one day, just a few weeks after I started, I was asked to do a lot of seemingly pointless filing, which I felt had nothing to do with my position.“I told my direct manager that I didn’t believe that it was my responsibility to do someone else’s filing and she said that I would basically have to do anything that needed doing while I was working there.”The 23-year-old from Dublin says she “wasn’t prepared to waste time working for nothing”, particularly when she didn’t see any career opportunities arising from her tenure with the company, so she made the decision to leave. Not long afterwards, she embarked on a second voluntary position, which also didn’t work out, and is currently looking for a salaried job.‘I just couldn’t find work without experience and couldn’t get experience without work,’ says one graduate “After the first voluntary experience, I was a bit disheartened, and was reluctant to take on another role, but I was advised to give it another go. I got a position in a marketing company and enjoyed it initially as there was a nice buzz in the office. But, although I was learning quite a bit as I was shadowing a senior member of staff, it didn’t feel fair that I was doing 16 hours a week for free. They said there was the possibility of a paid position later down the line, but also stated that there was no guarantee of it. So I felt that it would most likely lead to nothing, which would once again mean that I had wasted my time.“So I gave it up and I’m now in the process of looking for a paid position, because even though I’m still living at home, I don’t think anyone wants to work for nothing.”Eoin O’Brien has a degree in psychology and hoped to start a career in the profession. After graduating with a first-class honours degree, he attended several interviews but “found it impossible to get a job”. So he decided to take on some voluntary work to gain more experience.“Like a lot of my friends, I found it very difficult to get a job after leaving university,” says the Dublin man. “I had great grades, but just couldn’t find work without experience and couldn’t get experience without work. After a lot of unsuccessful interviews, I was accepted on to a panel which had a waiting list. So, although it officially meant that I would get a job at some point, it might be up to two years before an opening came available. I knew that I couldn’t just hang around, so I decided to do some work for the Samaritans.“This was very taxing and the hours were very unsociable as the people using the service don’t just need help on a 9-5 basis, but I felt that it would be better to do something unpaid than to not do anything at all. The work was very intense and often quite challenging, but I do feel that I gained some invaluable experience which will stand to me when I start working in the field.”However, after six months of volunteering “several days a week”, the 24-year-old says it was unsustainable to “give up so many hours without being paid”.[ Almost half of firms cut entry and graduate jobs as costs riseOpens in new window ]“I had a part-time job in a cafe at the time, but it wasn’t enough to keep me afloat, so I had to give up the volunteering when I got a full-time position as a support worker,” he says. “Because of my degree, I am way overqualified for what I am doing, but there doesn’t seem to be anything else available as the roles just never come up – which is crazy given how many people are on waiting lists.“I still volunteer one night a week as I think that it is good to keep getting the experience, but I’m hoping that I will find a proper job soon, as otherwise I might have to emigrate.”Seán O’Leary has also given his time to volunteering. He was involved in a serious road crash a few years ago in which he nearly lost his life. He suffered severe trauma and had to learn how to walk again. He says it was a long and incredibly difficult journey that completely changed his outlook on life, and this led him on the volunteering path. “I graduated with an MSc in finance from the University of Limerick in 2023, but I’m currently on the Ignite UCC [University College Cork] innovation programme where I’m exploring how to build better infrastructure and recovery pathways for people navigating serious physical injury,” he says. “Following my recovery I got involved in two areas I felt strongly about. I participated in the Axa Roadsafe roadshow doing a road safety workshop in January to highlight the effects of dangerous driving for young people in Ireland. I also became an advocate for blood donations – I received seven units of blood after my crash and without those donations I simply wouldn’t be here. I’ve been actively trying to raise awareness of how vital blood donation is. “The work just centred on sharing my own story. Speaking honestly about what happened and using that experience to drive home the importance of road safety and blood donation in a way that would hopefully land with people.”[ AI is turning Ireland’s graduate recruitment market upside downOpens in new window ]The 26-year-old from Co Kerry says that while his volunteering did not align with his degree, his career path has taken another direction. “I have a much stronger drive now to help others who find themselves in the same situation I was in,” he says. “That’s what led me to the innovation programme and the work I’m doing now. And even though it isn’t related to my degree, I have never felt like it was a waste of time, because when you’ve been through something as serious as I have, you understand the value of trying to share the learnings I got to other people. If one person drives more carefully or registers as a blood donor because of something I said, then that’s a life saved.“My advice for other graduates who are considering volunteering would be to go for it, especially if it connects to something you genuinely care about. The experience, the people you meet and the perspective you gain are really worth it.”IN THIS SECTION