<p>“Next year, the regime will probably issue another edict mandating that all private sector companies offer paid internships.”</p>
<p>Oh please… give me a break.</p>
<p>I guess the idea that Obama = Lenin or Stalin really is taking root in certain elements of the right. Oh well, at least it’s not Obama = Hitler!</p>
<p>I’ll say no more, since the last thing I’d want is to have this thread moved to the Election and Politics forum, which I’ve grown to despise with a passion.</p>
<p>I do internship as an investment, so I don’t think I would end my program. It is very expensive to hire good people(20k+ to recruiters), it is cheaper to hire entry level people through internship. I don’t think business will end internship programs any time soon because they are not doing it as a charity.</p>
<p>Whatever the eventual resolution of this, it is important to remember that it isn’t the student who’s breaking the law (if, in fact, a law is being broken).</p>
<p>One of my kids has had three unpaid internships, all with nonprofit or government entities. She has no reason to feel guilty about this. She was simply taking advantage of opportunities that were available.</p>
<p>I read this article on msn today. I have mixed feelings because my daughter has done two unpaid internships. Her college makes it mandatory to do participate in an internship their last semester. She had a decent one with a major television network and when it was over, it yielded a pat on the back a a resume padder…yes, they loved her, blah, blah…still no paid job in the industry 4 months later :(</p>
<p>It is definitely not student’s problem. Government is trying to crack down on employers who are taking advantage of students, and trying to displace their full time workers.</p>
<p>D did unpaid internships for 3 summers beginning the summer before senior year at a PR firm in NYC. We had to pay for all her meals and transportation, but she now has real experience on her resume. </p>
<p>Last summer she got an excellent unpaid internship in the entertainment industry which was made even worse for us economically because they insisted that she get college credit for it. So on top of paying for all her meals and transportation, we now had to pay about $1400 for her to earn 1 credit (that she doesn’t need!) She has continued to work there for free (no credit) through out this past year, too.</p>
<p>This summer she is back to unpaid internships (no credit) and we are relieved! Actually one may pay for lunch and some transportation. And she did apply for 2 paid internships that are pending still.</p>
<p>My overall feeling is that when I think of the cost of her education, these intersnhips cost us maybe another $2000- $3000/ summer (what she would get paid at a summer job.) If we can continue to afford it, they provide valuable opportunites and a chance to also see what career path she may want to pursue after graduation.</p>
<p>"the fact that museums are, in law and in fact, educational institutions, might spare them from the impact of such enforcement. "
exactly! this enforcement is about the “bad apples” in the for-profit sector that TAKE ADVANTAGE of college students desperate for something to put on their CV’s.</p>
<p>I would have a hard time financing 3 summers of unpaid internship for my kid. It would be an indication to me that the industry wouldn’t exactly pay my kid when she gets a job either, so why do it.</p>
<p>D is interested in music and entertainment industry jobs. Unfortunately they are notorious for unpaid internships. But if you can get past that and up the ladder, you can do well for yourself. Of course, no guarantees! Her other option is to pursue musical theatre. So these internships are actually the “practical” side of her experience!</p>
<p>But at 20 she can still afford (or is it…we can still afford?)…to pursue these avenues. Luckily she has the academics that can lead her towards entertainment law or an MBA some day…so who knows?</p>
<p>I do think she is appreciative of the fact they we are supporting her and that it will not be forever. She is a very hard worker and hopefully it will come together.</p>
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<p>In many fields, it takes more time for an employee to supervise and find short-term projects for summer interns than the amount of actual work the interns are able to do. In these cases, industry is hardly exploiting them. Companies are hoping to attract the interest of college students so that in future years they have good new prospects.</p>
<p>
But if you are doing an “internship” as a way to recruit entry level people, then the work should be paid. Obviously, the “intern” can be paid at a lower rate, consistent with their experience – no one is saying you have to pay your intern $20/hour or $35K a year. The only wage and hour laws that apply to you are those setting the minimum wage – so an “internship” can be the route by which you hire a management-trainee for the cost of paying a receptionist, at least during the period of the internship. </p>
<p>Since you mentioned in post #18 that you were happy when your legal department told you that you couldn’t hire unpaid interns, I am assuming that is exactly what you do: hire paid interns, paying at a lower rate than you would for a permanent hire doing the same sort of work.</p>
<p>DD2 would love to spend time with our local (for-profit) Vet during summer. She probably needs the Vet more than he needs her. It would be a shame if she’s not permitted to intern there for free. I wonder if it would be legal for him to offer an “introduction to Vet” course, charge her ten bucks, and have her go there as a student.</p>
<p>I’m going to make some comments from the perspective of a parent of a graduating senior.</p>
<p>My daughter is frustrated because she is graduating magna cum laude from a top university, but most job listings that offer any level of responsibility appropriate to her education are designated unpaid internships, especially with the organizations she most would like to work for. Unfortunately for her, many of those agencies are in the nonprofit field – but that does not necessarily mean they are doing primarily charitable work – or that they don’t pay their full time administrative staff well. </p>
<p>This is not a question of lack of experience. I think my d. has had at least 20 different jobs & employers that she could list on her resume – she mentioned last August when she was applying for part time work that it was 14, and she’s had a whole variety of jobs since then. (Her college does not offer work-study to graduating seniors, so this year has been a patchwork of all sorts of different part-time jobs)</p>
<p>My d. needs to earn her own way after she graduates. Actually. she’s pretty sharp and (over my dissent) she dropped down to part-time her final semester in college so she would have more time to work and search for employment. </p>
<p>She did do unpaid internships in college. Her first year she got grant money to finance an internship with a nonprofit; the nonprofit liked her so much that they offered an end-of-internship stipend as well. She contacted the people who had awarded the grant money to advise them of the offer, and they said it was o.k. for her to keep the grant money and also accept the supplementary stipend – so she ended up earning the same or more than she probably would have with regular employment over the summer. </p>
<p>Her second summer she financed her own unpaid internship with a UN agency, working abroad. We don’t begrudge that – it was a fantastic opportunity with far more responsibility given to her than she would have expected. But it cost her a lot to finance it. </p>
<p>So as a graduating senior, the part that is frustrating is that she has DONE the internship thing – she also has great work experience in a variety of job categories. But the expectation still seems to be that she will leave college to do yet another internship. </p>
<p>And that’s where it really does start to look like exploitation. I understand why employers want to hire someone with work experience – and why they look at a history of part-time or short-term experience as a student with less respect than someone coming to them with several years of full-time work experience. But the appropriate thing to do in that case is to hire new grads on with probationary status. </p>
<p>If the internships become the only conduit through which new grads get jobs – that is, if the company sets up unpaid internships, and then does all of its hiring from the intern pool – it really is a significant barrier for individuals who simply need the income.</p>
<p>Dad<em>of</em>3 – the rules are more relaxed for nonprofits. So rather than “interning” with a private vet for no money, the kid could volunteer with the local humane society. </p>
<p>I’d note that based on what my private vet charges, I think they are making plenty of money. Maybe that’s because I’ve opted for one of the more well-regarded practices in my community. But I would hope that a young person who might spend a significant amount of on-the-job time cleaning up dog poop is going to get paid.</p>
<p>calmom - that’s exactly what I was saying. I never not pay my interns, even with 60K prorated pay over the summer it is still worth my while, because it is still cheaper than paying recruiters. On the other hand, even if someone is willing to do it for free and not a potential hire than it is a waste of time. Another word, no matter what the government does it is not going to change how we operate. I was just addressing previous poster on how the business is going to use this as an excuse not to have any more internship.</p>
<p>I am not into unpaid internship. If necessary one or two to build up the resume if necessary. After that, then you are being taken advantage of.</p>
<p>This may sound harsh, I understand the economy is bad, but one could certainly look into if a particular career always require unpaid internship before entry. It seems like entertainment, publishing, advertising, non-profit generally do unpaid internship more. Frankly, if your family financial situation does not allow you to do that then maybe it is not the best career choice.</p>
<p>Calmom, DD2 actually does volunteer at our animal shelter now, where apart from walking dogs and tending to kitties, she has to deal with poop and dirty cages. What our vet talked about was being in the room while he does procedures on small animals - different experience altogether.</p>
<p>Last summer D had an unpaid internship with a non-profit political organization, but they did arrange for free housing.</p>
<p>What’s the difference between an ‘unpaid internship’ and volunteering?</p>
<p>In theory, the internship is supposed to have some sort of formalized training. And, in theory, the intern is NOT supposed to be doing the type of work that a paid employee would do. </p>
<p>I think one big difference in concept is the level of commitment:</p>
<p>If I “volunteer” somewhere, than I come when I please, at my convenience, and do only the work I am willing to do. For example, if I volunteer at the local food bank and they ask me to help pack meat, but I tell them I am a vegetarian and don’t want to handle any meat – then either give me a different assignment or I simply go home. (If I am courteous and regularly volunteer, of course I would find out in advance whether my personal preferences can be accommodated). </p>
<p>An intern is making a commitment to come in for specified hours, on the employers terms – but the employer is also making a commitment to provide education and training, not to use that intern in place of an employee. So ideally the intern should be doing a lot of sitting-in and observing, and work assignments that are supplemental to what paid staff would do. In reality it depends – when my son was a congressional intern, I think he probably did the same tasks as many of the paid staffers. But he had housing and a stipend - and a significant amount of college credit – so it wasn’t really an unpaid situation for him.</p>
<p>Obviously, a paid employee does whatever the employer directs (within legal limits of course).</p>