<p>Do unpaid internships look bad on a young person's resume?</p>
<p>My husband says that they do, but the only resumes he ever sees are those of people in technical fields, where most internships are paid. </p>
<p>What about liberal arts majors? Would unpaid internships reflect badly on them?</p>
<p>I don't think they look bad. You don't have to write your resume in a way which says whether they were paid or unpaid.</p>
<p>Some unpaid internships are highly competitive (e.g., working for a Congressman). I've also heard of students working in the labs of medical schools over the summer for no pay. I don't think an unpaid internship would be necessarily bad. It really depends on the specifics and what one gets out of the experience.</p>
<p>Usually, no. </p>
<p>In some fields it's the norm. Journalism, public policy, law, and non-profits are the least likely to pay, I think. </p>
<p>Remember, pay doesn't go on the resume. It's usually not discussed in detail until after someone has been offered the position. So, it's not that big of a factor to begin with.</p>
<p>Many internships aren't paid- why would it lok bad? Sometimes the only way to get the experience you need or want is through an unpaid internship</p>
<p>My D wants to work in publishing, and she found/created an internship at a magazine. Often there is no "official" position or internship, especially in new organizations or public service institutions</p>
<p>My D is currently pursuing soemthng for a non profit- her experience would be invaluable in her field of interest</p>
<p>My oldest is interning for a college/NPR radio station- a coveted position that takes much jumping through hoops to get-</p>
<p>Thanks for the feedback. </p>
<p>I thought the situation varied in different fields, but I wanted to get your input.</p>
<p>In what fields would an unpaid internship look bad?</p>
<p>I'm not sure, but the company my husband works for hires people with backgrounds in engineering, math, and computer science, and he says that if he saw a summer of unpaid work on a young applicant's resume, he would consider that the kid had "wasted a summer."</p>
<p>I think your husband is mistaken... but if your kid has an internship lined up, I'd suggest that he/she also look for outside sources of funding. Last summer my d. got an internship for a nonprofit agency, and also applied for grant funding through two separate programs at her college. She was surprised when she was approved for both (the same committee made the decision for all internship funds, so the college was well aware of the dual applications) -- she got the maximum available funding from her college; one of the programs also provided additional funding in the fall along with 1 unit of independent study credit. Then, at the end of the summer the director of the agency she worked for notified her that they were so impressed with her work, they had decided to award her a $1000 stipend. My d. notified her college about the stipend -- she was told she could keep that on top of the grant funding -- so the end result was that my d. had her internship PLUS ended up with more money than she probably would have earned at a summer job. (Keep in mind, no payroll deductions coming out of the grants + stipends!)</p>
<p>Now, on her resume, she can list:
"Summer Internship for Agency #1" - $X Stipend
Grant, Fund #1
Grant, Fund #2</p>
<p>(The grant funds have nice titles to go along with them -- its not a Fullbright, but it still delivers the message that a college freshman was considered good enough to be awarded money from 3 different sources).</p>
<p>Even if the funding was NOT a high amount, I think that having the ability to list some "award", "fellowship", or "research grant" enhances the appearance on the resume -- PLUS it gives the kid the opportunity to work on another important skill: "how to get paid for stuff people usually don't get paid for". </p>
<p>My son plans to make a career of working for nonprofit agencies and my d. already has an international internship lined up for the coming summer -- she definitely has to pay her own way, but it is with an agency that it would be impossible for her to work for, for pay, unless she was a graduate or post-graduate student -- and she will be picking up this experience after her sophomore year in college.</p>
<p>That is SO sad that only paid "work" is valued to some...is a person working and getting paid and H and M more valued than someone who "works" for goodwill all summer or someone who created an internship at a radio station?</p>
<p>My D approached the magazine, which was brand new, so they never had any interns, ever...she said she would do anything they needed- and she has gained experience that is rare- in publishing and she is just 16...and her name is listed in the front!!</p>
<p>Unpaid internships can look great on a person's resume. What counts is the prestigiousness of the organization and/or what the student does in the job.</p>
<p>In broadcast journalism, for instance, one needs at least one internship to get a job. The overwhelming majority of the internships are unpaid --even at major networks, yet obtaining those internships is very difficult due to the many applicants.</p>
<p>As you already know not all internships pay. As it has been mentioned there are internships in some industries where you can only get college credit and most of those are usually unpaid.</p>
<p>A student is better off having an internship where he actually learns / develops independent thinking/ has the freedom to be creative/ participate in team projects etc., without pay,
rather than
a paid internship where he could possibly be just a drone.</p>
<p>There are many wonderful internships that do not offer compensation, but are fiercely competitive, and present fantastic opportunities.</p>
<p>That said, there are employers who do try and take advantage of unpaid student labor, so be careful.</p>
<p>There isn't anything wrong with getting an unpaid internship - some are even for college credit and can lead to employment. My kids have had several amazing internships, all highly worthwhile.</p>
<p>My S is required to have 2 internships for CREDIT, not for pay before he graduates with his degree in Sports Management.He is now applying for the first one, which is slated for the summer after the sophomore year. Sometimes, there is a small daily "stipend" attached but not pay.The more experienced level of intern, 2nd half of senior year seems to vary with some listed for pay but mostly not.</p>
<p>Big fan here of internships. My internship at Citicirp was the reason I was hired by Chase for my first job, (LAC grad) The guy who hired me basically said it was what made me stand out from the other candidates. S is only a freshman in high school but we've already gotten him one for this summer in his favorite sport. Another thing about internships is that it really helps the student to figure out what they DON'T want to do by trying it out and talking to people in the field.</p>
<p>Also a fan of internships. D in the communications field was required to have 8 credits of internship in appropriate field setting (two semesters worth) and they were not permitted to be paid internships. This experience led to her being hired by a rival television station. Other D in the sciences has had all three: unpaid lab volunteering, required lab experience for credit and a summer REU which came happily with a stipend. Research experience in the sciences is essential for grad school applications. S on the other hand went to a co-op school and was paid for ever job he had (computer science). My question: is it required/necessary/appropriate to denote on one's resume whether internship was paid or unpaid? I have not seen it listed that way...and I don't believe that any of the three colleges career services suggested that be noted???</p>
<p>I'm not sure when internships began to dominate the pre-employment life of college students, but personally find it regretful. </p>
<p>People should be paid for their work.</p>
<p>I'd think the pay or not pay issue would follow the values of the culture. If involved in business, engineering where there is money to be made, paid would be assumed. If the arts, social service, journalism, where money tends to be less than free flowing, internships might tend to be unpaid.</p>