Ah, work experience! The lifeblood of London's creative industries.

Scratch the surface of any cool brand, magazine or PR and you'll probably find there are more unpaid employees than paid.

But, as we all know, slave labour is the only way to get that whopping £9,000 fashion/graphic/pr starting salary. All of us at UJ have tales from the battlefield of internships: late nights, lecherous bosses, and huge mistakes that we managed to sweep under the carpet or blame on someone else.

If only we'd known then what we know now, huh? Looking back, I cringe at what a poor assistant I was: arriving on time (instead of two hours early) taking lunch breaks (how could I?) and leaving before eight pm. If only there had been a manual to go by.

Well, finally there is. The Hospital members club has set up a mentoring scheme to help young people get the careers they want, and alongside they've launched a website with advice for newbies from veterans in the industry.