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Are Unpaid Internships Fair?
Brea Douglas pointed us to something that's been in the news a fair amount recently: unpaid internships. Her take:
Lately I have been reading a lot about the idea of unpaid internships and how the President wants to make it illegal for for-profit companies (companies other than non-profit organizations, government agencies etc) to utilize unpaid interns. The Oregonian even ran a story on April 21st called "Unpaid internships remain thorny issue for students, employers" I want to know are unpaid internships a good idea or is it just a form of exploitation on the behalf of some companies. The Oregonian story referenced some individuals who performed the duties of paid professionals, but received no compensation. Another person was told that her internship was paid only to find out that after the work was done that it was an "Unpaid Internship." I think this topic would make for a great show because unpaid internships are sounding more like scams for some companies to get free labor without providing any real valuable experience for interns....
Have you had an unpaid internship? Where do you see the line between opportunity and exploitation?
Update 4/22/10: We have decided to do a full show on this topic. Check it out here.
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Comments are now closed.
Thanks for a great program, would have made this comment live but was blocked by a gateway error.
I teach at LBCC in Albany and many of our students cannot afford to take internships, paid or otherwise, without making a huge sacrifice. This creates (or reinforces) a class divide with regard to who gets access and who doesn't. A viable alternative would be focused volunteer programs whereby students could spend a day a month, get to know the employers and the field, and not put themselves at risk financially. Students shouldn't have to pay for the credit, either - and I don't believe the cost is the same in spite of what your panelists stated. There is no prep time, no classroom time, and the only cost that can be accounted for is if, in fact, the school pays for an internship coordinator, in which case the full cost of a credit is unjustifiable.The time spent per student does not equate to the cost of a credit.
Students should, however, have the information on their transcripts, much as they would have Honor Society designations, which are non-credit.
Programs like Teach For America at least offer assistance with student loans, and in the case of Education students time spent in the classroom is overseen by a faculty advisor.
Thanks