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<p>Wrong! </p>
<p>Immediate advantage is not equal to long-trm or permament advantage. And the comparison to training a new employee is irrelevant for unpaid internships.</p>
<p>Filing, answering the phones, bringing coffee, and acting as database entry monkeys are perfect examples of “immediate advantages” as it allows companies to displace workers or … allow them to vacation with their families. The same for research projects.</p>
<p>And, that is what most unpaid internships are all about. As people who are in the age group of the typical intern happen to know! And, what the employers who take advantage of the students also know very well, in a departure from the companies that rely on bona fide summer internships that happen to be well compensated.</p>