NCTJ magazine diploma course student Kerrie Barnett wrote an analysis feature on unpaid internships.

1. The Adviser: HE Careers Advice 12 - 18 February 2011
THOSE UNPAID INTERNSHIPS:
EXPERIENCE OR EXPLOITATION?
r choice for students after graduation
Internships are becoming a popula
tion attached. Kerrie Bar nett
but they have a notorious reputa
uld be recommended by
finds out if these opportunities sho
careers advisers or discouraged... ...for the g
raduate jo
ntb hu
The recent recession has had an obvious tion to anyone’s CV (and
impact on the graduate job market and life!).”
with companies recruiting less, the com- So, a positive experience Direction is
petition for vacancies has become fierce. on an internship can prove to needed... Ben Lyons believes the legisla-
This means graduates need to up their be invaluable to the graduate, but tion needs to be clearer for interns and
game and get some solid work experience there is another concern connected with says: “We are hoping to see minimum
behind them to back up the theoretical these schemes. The issue is that the unpaid wage legislation properly enforced, so that
skills learnt through their degree. internship is only available to those from the scandal of unpaid internships can no
For this reason, many graduates are turn- an affluent background who can manage longer continue.”
ing to the unpaid internship after failing to to survive without earning any wages.
find a job. After all, some experience is This means the internship is becoming an Good advice
better than no experience at all - right? But exclusive opportunity. Ben Lyons is co-di-
what if that experience is actually exploit- rector of Intern Aware, a campaigning or- So what can be done about the situation
ing the graduate, as they are expected to ganisation that focuses on promoting fair and should graduates be encouraged to
contribute valuable work to the company access to internships. He says: “Intern- pursue an internship? Rosy Rickett has
and yet not get paid a penny? ships must be open to all on the basis of some advice: “If the graduate is just look-
Employers disguise these schemes as ability. Unless internships are paid, only ing for administrative experience then they
being highly beneficial to the graduate. those who can afford to work for free will are probably better off temping; their bank
They promote them as a chance to gain benefit, and access to the professions will balance and their self-esteem will suffer
some solid work experience, while dan- become even more unequal.” less. They should also consider alterna-
gling in front of them a potential perma- tives such as volunteering, which is more
nent job offer when the internship ends. National Minimum Wage flexible and allows them to do paid work
The key word here however, is potential, as well.”
as the reality is that permanent jobs are Intern Aware is campaigning to get spe- Some students will of course have their
rarely given and the particular role in cific legislation in place to cover intern- mind set on doing an internship and if this
question is instead continuously filled by ships. At the moment the only law that is the case they should be fully informed
a line of willing interns. goes some way to helping interns is that of about what to expect. They should also be
the National Minimum Wage but this is encouraged to discuss wages with the em-
Weighing up the pros and cons often a grey area, which is open to inter- ployer if they feel they will be carrying out
pretation. valuable work which a paid employee
There are, of course, two sides to every To receive the National Minimum Wage, would be expected to do. A website which
story and not everyone has negative expe- the legislation says that the person must be could help to advise them about this is
riences when on an internship. The web- defined as a ‘worker’. This is usually de- Rights for Interns, which is run by the
site, Interns Anonymous, aims to be a termined by whether they have an employ- Trades Union Congress and informs in-
channel through which interns can share ment contract or not – if they do they are terns of what they are entitled to. Interns
their stories, good or bad, to help others classed as a worker for the purpose of Na- Anonymous and Intern Aware are also
get a true picture of what to expect. Rosy tional Minimum Wage rules. Even if no useful websites to refer to for the insider
Rickett, co-founder of Interns Anonymous formal contract is in place however, a per- story.
said: “Of the people that write into us I son can still be defined as a worker if they Rosy Ricketts also has a last piece of ad-
would say that less than a third have gen- carry out work personally for someone vice for someone entering an internship:
uinely beneficial experiences. Having said else. “They should think about what they want
that, a good internship is a fantastic addi- The boundaries of this legislation are to get out if it, write a list of all the skills
Internships are popular with graduates blurred however, and when it comes to in- they want to develop and any particular
ternships a lot is left to interpretation. An tasks that they want to do. They should
internship that includes only work shad- also go in with a positive attitude and re-
owing may not merit payment but if the ally milk their internship for any positive
intern is doing work which is of value to experience they can get.”
the employer they are likely to have a right If the current campaigning for new leg-
to be paid the National Minimum Wage. islation pays off and interns can be made
Anyone who believes they fall into this aware of their rights, it might be possible
category should be encouraged to speak to to make every internship the positive ex-
their employer about receiving a wage. perience that it should be.
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