Miloco Work Experience

Miloco has recently received a criticism for the way we present and operate our work experience programme. Despite the fact that this was not founded on a proper understanding of our beliefs, or of how Miloco operates, we did feel that in light of the current climate of focus on work experience exploitation we would take the time to thoroughly review the scheme we offer. This included verification from the Inland Revenue that our programme does not qualify for National Minimum wage and research on the benefits of work experience for anyone considering a career in sound engineering.

Miloco has always and continues to believe that work experience is valuable to those who participate, for the industry as a whole and for us as a studio. It helps young people make better and more informed career decisions and it can sometimes lead to regular employment within the industry.

Training Courses In The Music Industry

We think it's worth looking at some of the many audio training programmes in the UK. In principle we support degree courses in Audio Engineering / Acoustics and - to a lesser extent - the ubiquitous Music and Technology courses. Many of the courses available are operated by commercial companies for profit and fees are very high. We feel that these schools exploit the aspirations and dreams of far too many students and would-be engineers, for whom the industry cannot provide the jobs. We also know that technical qualifications are a small proportion of what it really takes to succeed in a recording studio. The majority of the people who ask for voluntary work experience have done some sort of course which goes to show that the courses are no answer to getting an engineering job at a studio.

Time versus Practicality

Miloco is a very small team running a large number of studios. To manage work experience people is hugely time consuming. We have to check that they will act responsibly when they turn up and behave sensibly in the presence of high profile clients. These placements have to be given something to do otherwise there is little point in them attending. We think it is counter productive to have them sit on a sofa in reception. As a result we give them a list of things to take care of, and we try to involve them and give them things to be responsible for, for their sakes - not ours. We could do these things quite capably without the work experience program and we have run our business efficiently without - for many years.

The Miloco work experience scheme

About four years ago we decided to really champion the work experience program, and we spent time developing a scheme offering 2 - 4 week slots so that those applying could obtain a real feel for how recording studios run and work on a daily basis.

In an effort to reduce the number of enquiries and filter out mis-informed applicants, we did indeed make the experience sound pretty unappealing on our web-site. If we told people honestly at the outset that they would not get the chance to sit in front of the mixing desks but were more likely to be running between buildings, making tea and doing very basic tasks, then we hoped that only completely dedicated people would contact us. We also included a few 'tongue in cheek' photos ... Judging by the increase in work experience emails since we took the page down we can safely say it succeeded at what it set out to do.

The Benefits for the Work Experience Volunteers

The vast number of applicants are recent graduates in some sort of engineering or sound technology course. Hopefully anytime with us will give them some insight into the day to day running of a studio and help them decide whether or not this is what they really want to do.

For a fortunate few it may lead to obtaining work within the industry but it is interesting how many people aspire to working in a recording studio but once they actually see the hours and work involved they often decide it really is not the job for them.

Artists and bands come to us to work, a focused and often very private process. As we provide a professional service to our clients, it is paramount that only experienced staff employed by Miloco work with them on a one-to-one basis - it can be the difference between a good session and a bad one. This means that we choose to delegate other tasks to work experience which for the majority of the time are based outside the recording studios themselves. Sometimes, however, if our staff are mixing without clients present we do allow work experience placements to sit in on the session. On rare occasions (if we think there will be no conflict with our clients interests) we will let work experience placements sit in on a full session.

What they will learn is how a studio runs day to day. They will also get to talk to a lot of our in-house engineers and assistants who work at the studios and who can offer incredibly good advice and tell them how the sessions operate on a day to day basis based on their own past experience and knowledge. It is incredible how many people think they want to work in a recording studio but once they actually see the hours and work involved they often decide it is not the job for them.

The Benefits for Miloco

Miloco now employs all its assistants via the work experience program. That should be a justification in itself as to how successful it is. Over the last two years a large number of volunteers have gone on to work at Miloco or we have been able to recommend them to others. We think that more people actually obtain jobs this way than through some of the high fees colleges. We don't charge! During the period the volunteers are with us, we quietly observe. Few people appreciate how much working in a studio is about people skills. If we are looking for someone to take on we actually do not take them on because of whether they can use ProTools or a mixing desk. We take them on because of their people skills, character and enthusiasm. Interestingly, we find that paper qualifications do not necessarily make a good engineer.

There are three definite stages. Firstly whether they are good with people and have common sense, secondly whether or not they have technical ability or the ability to understand routing of equipment etc (which they will learn from us) and thirdly whether or not they have good ears. Future engineers need all of these skills but we don't test people for all three at the beginning. We start by seeing how they interact with others, which is often the most important part of the job. Without people coming in to do work experience we would not be able to evaluate them. Ultimately Work experience is very important to Miloco. Our future staff all come from work experience.

Solutions? Improvements?

The problem with work experience is that it's run for such a limited period of time. We could not train anyone up to be an assistant in this brief period. However it is hugely important to evaluate an applicant's people skills. If we had the funds (or perhaps government / local authority support?) we could employ someone to truly integrate work experience with training. We would be very interested to work with vocational support programs or apprenticeships. But who pays?

Should we stop offering work experience?

We don't think so. We know that many of those who have done work experience with us have come back to work with us in some capacity, or have gone on to get jobs with other studios or producers. We also know a lot of people who have gone away knowing they no longer want to be engineers and have learned that this is not the job for them. As one of the leading studio groups we do believe that Miloco promotes a constructive work experience scheme. We feel strongly it would be a shame to end it.

Testimonials

Charles Cave (Bassist, White Lies):

Miloco, in my experience is a prime example of how entertainment industry work experience should be done. We had several interns with us during the recording of Ritual and all of them were in the studio with us helping or learning most of the time. There is definitely cases in TV, Music, Film, Art where this is not the case and that's what I have a problem with. I've got friends who have done work at galleries, TV studios and record labels and not got to see anything of what real jobs in those places entail, and that shouldn't be allowed.

Drew Smith (Work Experience applicant, now Assistant):

As a result of my work experience, I am fortunate enough to work as an assistant engineer for Miloco. I volunteered for four weeks before Flood asked me to stay and work at Assault & Battery 2 and those four weeks gave me a far more detailed understanding of the reality of studio life as well as the obvious technical side of things, dealing with many personality types while remaining pleasant and professional, juggling tasks which all need to be priorities and staying attentive to artists' needs. The majority of which I was oblivious to. The Miloco work experience program opens the eyes of many young audio engineer hopefuls. I for one had very little concept of how much work goes on behind the scenes when making records. My eyes were opened and I stuck around. Consequently I got a job out of it.

In my honest opinion the work experience program was one of the most educational and important undertakings of my career so far. I have a BA Hons in Audio Engineering which taught me far less about the reality of the recording industry compared to my experiences with Miloco.

As an assistant engineer I regularly work between 13 and 15 hours a day and the extra help that the work experience program offers is amazing and extremely appreciated. As such, I try and include anyone on work experience in the session as much as possible.

Although I spent days making everything from tea and coffee to preparing food, I spent a few days sitting in on the session. I found the time spent in and out of the studio incredibly educational. It sounds inconsequential, but the importance of getting lunches and dinners right can mean a good session or a bad one. In addition I learnt that being as helpful as possible yields results. The more work I put into making the perfect lunch, the more I was asked to be involved with the session.

It is worth mentioning that if an individual on work experience isn't fortunate enough to spend any time in the studio there can be a number of reasons: Consider the fact that music is an incredibly personal thing and artists can be very protective over who hears their material at its most exposed level. Studios are often very busy and it is often hard finding an appropriate moment to ask the artists if they are ok with others sitting in. If the artist isn't comfortable with an extra set of ears in the room, then they won't get asked in. Secondly, there is an issue of trust. How many ways are there to make tea? Now think of how many cables, microphones, pieces of outboard, power sources etc there are to take into account in a recording studio. If you make a mistake in the studio you could damage extremely valuable equipment or worse, deafen someone. From my point of view, a level of competence needs to be proven before you walk into the studio.

Having said that, it is extremely rare that anyone on work experience leaves having not learnt anything. Although the Miloco website states that they "will not teach you about equipment or recording methods", in reality it's hard not to. In my experience most of the people who are working in this industry talk readily about equipment and recording methods. We're passionate about this; it's why we do it.

If an individual is particularly good then I always put in a good word for them and hope they get offered something more permanent. This brings me onto my next point: the invaluable networking opportunities. There are times when Miloco is fully staffed and not looking for more assistants. In this situation I have encouraged two producers (who are in no way affiliated with Miloco) to take on people who were part of the Miloco work experience program. Through my involvement with Miloco during my work experience placement I met some of the industry's most prominent artists and producers, some of which I have spoken to about the ins and outs of the industry and with others I have held more technical conversations. Their opinions all helped me evaluate my future in this business.

The recording industry demands huge amounts of time, energy, patience and above all, commitment from anyone involved. The Miloco work experience program highlights this and allows you to see the recording industry for what it is. Studio life is very rarely glamourous and for some reason people seem to think otherwise. Developing an understanding of the recording studio environment is priceless.

Basil Dales (Work experience applicant, now full time employee at Miloco):

My work experience placement with Miloco was brilliant. It can be very difficult to get a toe in the door of a recording studio (I certainly found it to be so). With the steady reduction in the number of commercial studios nationwide, this will almost certainly remain the case since openings have always been few in an environment that demands exclusivity. The rise in available Music Technology and Sound Engineering courses means that there is a large pool of people who are familiar with the processes required to make records but who lack the specific experience acquired by working in a large or commercial facility.

Miloco work experience is an opportunity to complement College, University or other prior learning in recording with the day to day realities of studio life. I found it to be a time in which I learnt a huge amount, about recording, the business side of music and the ever changing music industry, from a group of friendly and professional people. Most importantly I got to appreciate at first hand just how much work is needed to make great records. I had an immensely insightful and enjoyable month which was critical for me in that it cemented my choice of career path. Thank you very much Miloco.

Joe Rodgers (Work experience applicant, now Assistant):

I started doing my work experience at 22. I had finished university two years before and had been working as an engineer in a small studio and a live venue in Southend-on-sea. I was working away happily believing I had achieved and knew every thing there was to know about making a record and working in the music industry. It wasn't until I worked with Miloco partner Mike Crossey that I found out that I couldn't have been further from the truth. It was during this brief encounter with one of Britain's great producers that I heard of Miloco's work experience program. After a few months of applying I eventually got accepted and had booked a three week stint on the scheme.

I found the program varied and enlightening. If I wasn't helping with the refurbishments being carried out through the building I was marching through Hoxton with a fresh bag of towels and coffee or going to one of the many other studios dotted around London. During this time I didn't get much of a look in to a functioning studio, the opportunity never presented itself. I felt the management never got a chance to see what I had learned and was worried I woundn't be offered a future role. I couldn't have been more wrong. When I eventually got sat down by the MD he explained he didn't care what I knew. He was more worried about my ability to get on with people, my attention to detail and my ability to work hard. The work experience provides a great chance for people who have or have not been to university or college, who have or have not worked in studios, to show they are committed to working hard towards providing clients with a service and recording standard upheld by the Miloco name.

I am now an assistant and still often called on to perform tasks that maybe i would prefer not to be doing but have realised it's totally necessary to ensure the smooth running of sessions and the company as a whole. There is no guarantee of a job at the end of the work experience and no guarantee during your time that you will get inside a studio or learn any thing studio-related. But with a lot of hard work, some manners and all round ability to push yourself you greatly increase your chance of doing so by working hard every day.

It's not what there is left to do, but what you have left to give.

Apply for work experience

To find out more on applying for work experience at Miloco, please click here.