Hello,
A little over a month ago, I was hired as an unpaid intern to begin in March at a company that I didn’t really care about. Since then, I was offered a much better dream internship that pays to start at the same time. I’ve already pretty much decided that it’s worth the risk, but just how bad will it look on me for dumping the other company before I even start? I’d be one of two interns at the other company, so I wouldn’t exactly be leaving them empty handed, and it was unpaid, so I wasn’t exactly indebted to them to begin with. Am I making a smart decision?
Do what is best for yourself. Call and tell them asap, so they can find someone else if they choose.
Call or write and withdraw. Make sure to be professional about it.
I did this as well and felt pretty bad about it but I didn’t regret anything. Simply let them know that circumstances have changed and you must withdraw your acceptance of the internship. Let them know you would like to stay in contact about future opportunities with the company then be prepared for some angry responses.
Do what you feel is best for you!
Unpaid internship means volunteer. You no longer volunteer. I think people understand that unpaid positions are offered at the risk of the provider of such opportunity I think IMHO that there is more turn over in this area vs. paid. Yes, I know even unpaid internships are hard to get with the craze that demands that everyone have one or several prior to graduation on their resume to demonstrate some work experience, but come on, it’s a volunteer.