Summer Employment while in College

halflokum
Tue, 10 May 2016 02:55:04 +0000

when it comes to theatres that hire college students during the summer months, EMC companies are still the highly desirable, very competitive “unicorns” in a forest of non-eq, low-paying “trees”.

I love this quote from @mttwinsinca. Which is sad. It isn’t something to love but it’s well-worded and spot on.

My comments about the real value of EMC are real too. Some kids thread the needle in terms of how they get them and get lucky enough to not pay for them while earning them. My daughter did sort of but it was a break even summer vs. a money making one as housing was not included but at least she was paid and didn’t pay tuition for the experience of acquiring them. But breaking even in that sort of a summer comes with opportunity costs (to doing something that REALLY makes money like my son did as a lifeguard for 3 summers. He’s rich compared to her.) She worked her proverbial butt of in 4 shows plus other intern duties last summer and was contracted to stay right through strike which involved strategically arranging the dumpster so things would fit. Nothing glamorous about many parts of the experience but good contacts and friends were made. Points were earned. She respects the theatre and I think earned their respect as well as she has been hired back for this summer - this time with much more favorable terms because she is not an intern. So pick your spots. It’s a gamble that may pay off.

These kind of commitments are not small and the carrot that is often dangled is EMC points. Good experiences to have while you are young but keep it real. As I tried to imply, at least as far as NYC goes, EMC is of limited value in an EPA. Better than nothing but only worth something if you do get seen which often will mean, you will not. And like SoozieVT just said above, you can go from non-equity to equity in a nanosecond with the right contract.