Paying Interns
Lisa on Jun 14th 2010
First, I agree with Angel re: the whole reimbursement for tuition issue. You are basically paying to work for free. Second, I actually work as an internship coordinator, so I see a lot of these conflicts when it comes to compensating interns. A lot of times, companies are looking to cut costs so they think that they can take on an intern and basically get away with free labor. At my job, we have regulations about this (20+ hrs, interns MUST be paid). Interns shouldn’t be breaking their backs and doing irrelevant tasks just because the company is trying to be slick and save money. However, an internship is just that; it’s not a job. If one desperately needs money, then they should look for a job. I know it’s hard and I know companies are looking to hire people who already have experience, but it is what it is. An internship is a learning experience; if a company wants to pay their intern, that’s a great bonus. But I think the primary purpose of an internship is hands-on experience in the field.
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2 Responses to “Paying Interns”
My thoughts exactly.
The problem is, all of us need money, but job availability is low, that’s why students and graduates are taking internships hoping that they will lead to a job in the future. Although they are qualified and have worked in the field, companies would rather gain free labor than pay for a qualified employee if they could. I do believe that an internship is for a hands-on experience but sometimes interns are taken advantage of. I am not being paid, so I may be a little bias in my opinion and I work 20 hours.