Salon.com: As part of our investigation into the U.S. intern economy, ProPublica is taking a closer look at the role colleges and universities play in promoting unpaid internships. And we want your help calculating the academic cost of these positions.
5 comments:
I've always been a fan of internships because of the benefits to the employer as well and the student. I have many friends who have gotten jobs that they would not have been able to get otherwise because of the internship. Many people only like paid internships but i have had great success with the unpaid variety. WIth an unpaid internship it gives you the opportunity to show the company your work ethic even while youre not getting paid while also still getting valuable skills and making important connections and contacts. This article brings up a good point though, that unpaid intern could often get exploited and not really get much out of it. I like that they are proposing a way to seemingly check the internships to make sure they are actually beneficial.
The article has a picture of the Google campus in the background. I can tell you for a fact that a summer intern at Google makes a five-figure salary over a summer. Is that going to be the case at all companies for all majors for all students of all skill levels? No. And that's probably partially the point of this.
In the technical fields, employers get away with interns by promising "real job experience" and "housing and a stipend." The reality of this is that companies get an influx of eager-to-overwork college students over the summer to do the same job as their full-time employees for a fraction of the cost. Yes, the students get valuable real-world experience. But they're also almost cheated of their ability, their skills are devalued because of cost per time. What I'm saying here is that even paid interns are often exploited.
As for unpaid interns, the college should be responsible for them receiving credit for what they do. They're working extra and even paying tuition for the credits they receive from it, of course it has to count for something, right? But in the end, a student will often say "yes" to a job rather than go a summer without work. If they don't accept, someone else will; students have little power over this. It's up to the university to make sure they are getting a fair deal, but it's a shame that for many schools, no one really cares. It's a shame that this study even has to be conducted, but I suppose that's the reality of "preparing students" these days.
Internships are great for individuals to get work experience, but only if the internship does not have negative costs for the student. The net outcome should always be greater than the input. This should be true not only monetarily, but also of the commitment and benefits received.
I think that all internships should be weighed and tested to see how well they compare, and especially if they meet legal standards. Although internships that are unpaid can and will give you an advantage over others who have not had internships, it is not beneficial if they take advantage of you. When you are doing an internship, the one thing you need to ensure is that you are gaining from the experience, not being used for others gain.
i do think that internships are an invaluable experience that offer educations and insights in professional practices. However I do agree with Doci that often times interns are performing tasks and functioning as an employee well above their non existent pay grade. I think back on my time as an "intern" this previous summer where though I was "paid" and given housing, I was receiving the same accommodations and "perks" as the seventeen year old high school technical intern whom had never held a power tool in her life. She was a gloried shop sweeper, and I was acting a full fledged ASM. Again the education I received was completely worth the financial struggles I had to deal with over the summer. But if there is a way for people to become more informed about some of the terrible conditions interns work under, and then change it I am all for it.
There seems to be a lot of interest now for research into the cost of internships or the lack of payment that interns receive. I would have liked to explore something similar to this in my thesis. Also, I would love to see the results of this research. Many companies profit from unpaid internships, while university tuition increases yearly and they REQUIRE applicants to be college students. Therefore they are allowed to hide behind the, 'for college credit' slogan. Only students who are financially stable are able to accept unpaid internships, those who aren't unfortunately miss out on some opportunities.
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