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Not too likely since the government does this themselves. My D did an internship this summer with the Department of State in DC that was unpaid. However, that is her career goal and so the experience and contacts are quite valuable for her for when she finishes her Masters. I should also say that the people she worked with were very accommodating with regards to making sure she maximized her time in DC and with the department. They strongly encouraged her to take time during the day every now and then to visit embassies and other locations that were related to the Department, and sometimes just going to museums when there wasn’t anything else urgent happening at the time. In other words, they were very aware that she was an unpaid intern and not an unpaid employee.</p>
<p>There is a 6 point test as to when an unpaid internship is a violation of labor law. <a href=“Fact Sheet #71: Internship Programs Under The Fair Labor Standards Act | U.S. Department of Labor”>http://www.dol.gov/whd/regs/compliance/whdfs71.htm</a> Certainly there are advocacy groups that have their eye on abuses. <a href=“http://internjustice.com/”>http://internjustice.com/</a> But while there are still instances when an unpaid internship can make sense, I tend to agree that they are abused and far more internships should be paid ones. Of course this will mean fewer internships, but it is probably still for the better if more of them were paid, IMO.</p>