INTERNSHIPS
Hors Sujet offers paid tailoring internships to vulnerable queer fashion and costume students. It does so by using profits generated from bespoke tailoring sales to cover the costs of this scheme.
The garments constructed as part of this scheme are gifted to other trans and GNC individuals who are facing hardship (click here to learn more).
The beneficiaries of this service are individuals who are encountering difficulties relating to their gender identity which have led them to being in financial insecurity and/or at high risk of leaving their higher education programs.
WHAT DO YOU OFFER AS PART OF YOUR INTERNSHIPS?
Our internships offer financial help, job training and support from university through to employment:
Internships run for the equivalent of one month of four-day workweeks, but are structured flexibly to suit our students’ timetables. They pay a London Living Wage of £11.05 per hour.
Over the course of an internship, we teach our students one-on-one how to cut, strike, fit and make a suit from start to finish. These bespoke suits are gifted as part of our queer tailoring service.
Our internships enable our students to expand their skillset and achieve at university, increasing their chances of rapidly finding employment after graduation. We continue to accompany our students into their first jobs, and assist them wherever we can until they are settled in.
WHY MIGHT A QUEER PERSON NEED ADDITIONAL SUPPORT AT UNIVERSITY?
For trans and GNC individuals, a lack of support from family members can have a significant negative impact on their studies:
One in seven trans people (14 per cent) aren’t open about their gender identity to anyone in their family. This number increases to one in four non-binary people (24 per cent).
(Stonewall Trans Report 2018)
A welcoming university environment is important because many LGBT students cannot be open about being LGBT with their family. […] One in six trans students (16 per cent) aren’t open to anyone in their family about their gender identity.
(LGBT in Britain Universities Report 2018)
One in four trans people (25 per cent) have experienced homelessness at some point in their lives.
(Stonewall Trans Report 2018)
Trans and GNC students also experience harassment and discrimination at university which reduces their chances of completing their courses:
More than two in five LGBT students (42 per cent) hid or disguised that they are LGBT at university in the last year because they were afraid of discrimination.
(LGBT in Britain Universities Report 2018)
One in seven trans university students (14 per cent) have considered dropping out or have dropped out of a higher education course because of experiencing harassment or discrimination from students and staff in the last year.
(Stonewall Trans Report 2018)
More than a third of trans university students (36 per cent) have experienced negative comments or conduct from staff in the last year
(Stonewall Trans Report 2018)
Our internships offer sometimes essential financial aid, educational support and general assistance for students who are struggling to cope with the difficulties they are facing either at home and/or university. The strain they are under leaves them at higher risk of underperforming on - or altogether abandoning - their education programs.
IS IT HARDER FOR LGBTQI+ STUDENTS TO FIND JOBS?
The lives of many trans people at work remain difficult, with many facing bullying and discrimination:
One in eight trans employees (12 per cent) have been physically attacked by colleagues or customers in the last year.
(Stonewall Trans Report 2018)
I recently resigned my post due to being bullied by a manager after a conversation between myself and a few friends was leaked regarding my transition. I was bullied into self-harm, suicidal ideation, and resigned as I felt I had no other option. I am now struggling to get a job because I'm transgender. Silvia, 30
(Stonewall Trans Report 2018)
Half of trans and non-binary people (51 per cent and 50 per cent respectively) have hidden or disguised the fact that they are LGBT at work because they were afraid of discrimination.
(Stonewall Trans Report 2018)
By enabling our students to expand their skillset and achieve at university, we can increase their chances of finding employment within a job market that is rife with bigotry. By continuing to accompany our students into their first jobs, we can ensure they are settling in well and support them should they face discrimination.
THANK YOU FOR TAKING THE TIME TO READ THIS PAGE. IF YOU WANT TO SUPPORT OUR WORK, WHY NOT CONSIDER HORS SUJET FOR A BESPOKE TAILORING COMISSION AND HELP MAKE LIFE BETTER FOR AN LGBTQI+ PERSON?
