unpaid internship at gov agency

Career Opportunities & Internships
1

<p>So I got an offer from a government agency for an internship this summer in DC and the role is in IT where they need help in overhauling their website and doing public affairs research and things like that. The thing that is holding me back from being completely enthusiastic is that it's unpaid and the HR talked about things like "making phone calls and looking up internet articles" in addition to the IT stuff. </p>

<p>So I'm wondering if any of you have done unpaid internships at government agencies and how that worked out for you and if it met your expectations as an intern. Because if the things I'm doing is mainly clerical, there is no way in hell I'm taking the offer, especially when it's unpaid. I'm interested in gaining useful experience and doing meaningful work.</p>

2

<p>in the “for profit” sector there are 6 rules any employer needs to follow when taking on unpaid interns</p>

<p>The following six criteria must be applied when making this determination:

  1. The internship, even though it includes actual operation of the facilities of the employer, is similar to training which would be given in an educational environment;
  2. The internship experience is for the benefit of the intern;
  3. The intern does not displace regular employees, but works under close supervision of existing staff;
  4. The employer that provides the training derives no immediate advantage from the activities of the intern; and on occasion its operations may actually be impeded;
  5. The intern is not necessarily entitled to a job at the conclusion of the internship; and
  6. The employer and the intern understand that the intern is not entitled to wages for the time spent in the internship.</p>

<p>hope this helps, and this was taken from the Dept of Labor website</p>

3

<p>I was an unpaid intern at a govt agency and it paid off completely for me in terms of opening the doors for future internships and ultimately a fulltime job.</p>

<p>Many jobs require phone calls and doing research as part of their duties. I wouldn’t let that turn you off from accepting the offer if your duties will also include the specific things that you are interested in.</p>