Leigh Honeywell <le...@hypatia.ca> wrote: > Unpaid internships are illegal and discriminatory. In terms of "white > collar" labour practices, few things piss me off quite so much. > > I'm not a lawyer, but the California Department of Industrial Relations, > Division of Labor Enforcement is pretty clear about what companies are > allowed to use unpaid interns for >
I don't have a problem with nonprofits having small part-time unpaid internships. These are effectively volunteer positions, and everyone goes into it with their eyes open. No one expects 40+ hours a week from an intern at a non-profit. It's a labor of love on both sides. I have a serious problem with a tech company that decides to *stop paying* for interns, who are expected to work 40-50 hours a week (or more). And let's get one thing straight. It's not *just* unpaid. These interns are paying for the privilege of working for a company who does not value their time, and they are spending both time and money to compete for these already-unpaid positions. At 28, it's been repeatedly suggested that I give in and take an unpaid internship at a large company. Completely ludicrous. I'm happy to work with a non-profit that is making a difference in AIDS. But I'm not going to work for a company who is making a profit from my work but can't find it in themselves to pay me. The unpaid internship "bubble" for Fortune 500 companies should have burst five years ago. Not only is it bad business practice, it's unfair to the interns who are put in that position. ~Griffin
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