Unpaid Internships. Let's Talk About Them.
The Debate
The conversation surrounding unpaid internships is trending on LinkedIn right now. Some people are in favor of it, while others are against it for varying reasons. While it’s no secret that interns can get great experience from an internships that’s set up properly, is it right or fair?
Parker Dewey, a company that specializes in connecting college students and recent graduates with micro-internships, writes: “There are several good reasons for this shift away from the unpaid intern model. The most obvious one is federal law. According to the US Department of Labor, all employees at for-profit businesses must be paid—and many interns may fit the Department’s definition of an employee.” Generally speaking, “The Department of Labor suggests that interns are employees if they do work that is primarily for the company’s benefit, rather than for their own educational benefit.”
Paid interns can benefit your company; companies just have to be willing to recognize this and set the proper, legal programs in place. One way interns can help is by “[freeing] up staff member’s time by taking over entry-level work. [This] could include projects like content creation, social media reviews, data cleanup and competitor prospecting” (Parker Dewey). What full-time staff member wouldn’t want this?! Clear training and direction would give the intern “real-world experience” while the full-time employee now possesses the bandwidth to work on more pressing projects. Giving an intern real work to do “can also be a great way to develop future entry-level employees. Unlike a normal job interview, an internship shows you what the candidate would be like on the job, meaning you can make a more informed hiring decision. And that information goes both ways: a candidate who has interned with your company is better-equipped to decide whether the job is a good fit, meaning he or she may be less likely to leave the company within the first few years” (Parker Dewey).
Another point made in this dialogue is the idea of unpaid internships being unfair as it limits these opportunities to those who can afford to work for free. First-generation students, many students of color and/or underprivileged young adults will not be able to apply or even think about working for free.
Take a look at this graphic that depicts what an internship should entail.
Our Thoughts
Companies need to pay everyone who works for them no matter the position. Financial payment is the foundation of the employer/employee relationship. Yes, interns are learning about the business, but they are also contributing to the success of the business by doing the "grunt work". No one should work for free as no one lives for free. Indentured servitude went out in the 1800's.
We believe interns should be paid an entry-level salary. Any relationship needs to be beneficial for both parties. In this case, the student gets real-world experience in their chosen field, and the company offering the internship benefits by hiring an eager and engaged employee who they can try out for a future hire. Paying employees creates trust and gives people value both ways. Also, when a company pays an intern, they are investing, they now have skin in the game (so to speak) and are more likely to give them REAL work vs. '“just sitting around.”
Everyone has to pay to live and most kids out of college are already climbing an uphill financial battle to survive let alone get ahead. Many students get their first job from the company they interned for. Without paid internships, companies are promoting a system of inequality. Not everyone can afford to work for free during their semester breaks. Many students depend on earning money to get them through college. Therefore, only privileged students receive the benefit of what an internship affords students as they take the necessary steps to a strong start to their career.
The bottom line: Pay interns and level the playing field.