One thing employers expect of college graduates is that they have some internships under their belts. Such internships are considered the gateway to the “white collar” workforce, offering valuable experience to students that could only be gained through hands on experience.
A recent article in the New York Times explored the trend of for-profit businesses hiring interns and not paying them. However, many state governments are cracking down on such practices, particularly when students are required to do manual labor such as cleaning and answering phones and emails.
According to the article, Stanford has seen a dramatic increase in unpaid internships on their job board since the recent recession. It seems that some businesses are looking to cash in on the desperate students, laying off key employees—such as the janitor.
However, doing such is highly illegal. One of the stipulations for offering unpaid internships is that business not lay off other employees. Many violations go unchecked, the article says, because students are afraid of causing trouble, rendering themselves unmarketable in the tough job market.
Students, desperate for experience, not only agree to unpaid internships, they heavily compete for them, not caring what type of work they might be doing so long as they are given that coveted professional reference. And often students are not doing work that has anything to do with their profession; therefore, the student gains little or no experience. Perhaps such experience is so hyped up that employers actually think that one day of relevant work and 3 months or manual labor equals relevant experience.
The whole idea seems more like the “good ole boy” system since many internships offer minimal experience in one’s craft, yet seem to be the gateway to the white collar work force. Working without pay for the sake of being a professional, under this supposed “good ole boy” system, shows employers that a student adheres to this code of conduct; this working without pay.
It certainly is a wonder why professional businesses are unable to pay a student a minimum wage; even McDonald’s does that, no matter how minimal such pay may be.
The Unpaid Intern–Legal or Not
