During the 2014 Ecological Society of America Meeting, we will be facilitating a special session panel in the evening of Tuesday, Aug 12, discussing the impacts of unpaid (or sub-minimum wage) internships and volunteer jobs for recent graduates. Is this trend excluding certain groups from pursuing science as a career? Do the benefits outweigh the financial burdens? These topics and many more will be discussed with the panel. Below you will find a full description.
We are looking for people interested in joining the panel who will already be attending the ESA Meeting. In order to make this a constructive conversation, we are looking for people of varying views on this topic: recent graduates who have participated in an unpaid internship, recent graduates who were unable to take an unpaid internship due to financial issues, researchers who use unpaid interns or volunteers, anyone with experience working with underrepresented groups in science, or anyone experienced with the legal and ethical considerations of unpaid internships and volunteers. Those interested in participating please send an email to [email protected] Thanks for your interest! Katy Warner, PhD candidate Jessica Briggs, Research Associate Colorado State University Full special session abstract: Benefit or Burden: The true cost of unpaid internships Many organizations recruit recent college graduates to participate in full-time internship and volunteer positions. These types of internships are one of the primary ways for recent graduates to get entry-level experience, especially in fieldwork-based branches of ecology. In some cases, well run intern programs provide amazing learning opportunities. However, we do not often discuss the financial hardships these opportunities impose on full-time interns. With the average college student in 2013 graduating with over $35,000 in debt, is it ethical for entry-level positions to offer job experience without pay? Are we excluding diverse groups who cannot afford the financial burden of sub-minimum wage internships and full-time volunteer positions? How do employers view intern experience vs. paid job experience when they evaluate candidates? Legally, what criteria define an internship, and when are they exempt from fair-labor laws? Given their non-employee status, is it justifiable that unpaid interns are denied workplace protections including harassment and discrimination despite working full-time? Come hear a diverse panel of speakers discuss these issues and more, followed by a question and answer session with the audience.
