Are Unpaid Internships a SCAM?

March 20, 2010 by sparktalk

‘JT & Dale Talk Jobs’ is the largest nationally syndicated career advice column in the country and can be found at JTandDale.com.

Dear J.T. & Dale: What do you think about the concept of unpaid internships? It has always been a pet peeve of mine. It’s a two-sided problem, where as long as students accept unpaid internships, companies can get away with offering them. The way companies get around this being illegal is that they say the compensation is school credit. I say BAH! Am I being unreasonable? — Marissa

Dale: One of my sons did an unpaid internship for one of the big ad agencies in Manhattan. I got stuck paying for him to live there for a summer, and BAH!, the thought of it galls me even now. But…but, but…I would do it again. He learned a lot and has a great resume item — things I can’t say about his other summers.

J.T.: I think it’s ironic we pay so many thousands of dollars for our children to be educated, but they still aren’t prepared for the workplace. I wonder, Marissa, if some of the blame you’re putting on the companies that offer unpaid internships should be redirected at universities and colleges. In fact, having an internship each semester would give a student enough work experience by graduation to help land that first job. Yet very few schools encourage or require this. A recent college graduate, Greg Barrette, wrote an article called “Three Ways Unpaid Internships Pay” after realizing how his own internship experiences helped launch his career. I’ve posted the article at CAREEREALISM.com — see if he can convince you the right internship is not just worth the time.

Jeanine “J.T.” Tanner O’Donnell is a professional development specialist and the founder of the consulting firm, jtodonnell.com, and of the blog, CAREEREALISM.com. Dale Dauten resolves employment and other business disputes as a mediator with AgreementHouse.com.

Please visit them at jtanddale.com, where you can send questions via e-mail, or write to them in care of King Features Syndicate, 300 W. 57th St, 15th Floor, New York, NY 10019.

Technorati Tags: advice, career, CAREEREALISM, careerrealism, dale, greg barrette, internship, job search, JT, paid, scam, unpaid

Filed Under: Career Advice (Articles), Scoring an Internship
Tagged: advice, career, CAREEREALISM, careerrealism, dale, greg barrette, internship, job search, JT, paid, scam, unpaid

Comments

ML

The thing that is always left out of these conversations is the enormous PRIVILEGE involved with taking an unpaid internship. If it is a significant time commitment, most students who do not come from families with money are unable to take them and that is unfair. Internships that are unpaid are nearly impossible to access for students who have to work their way through college or are unable to juggle an unpaid job on top of classes and working a paying job fulltime. It's unfair and unethical in my opinion on account of the fact that internships end up being populated by students who may be deserving but just happen to be lucky enough to have a family willing to shoulder their living expenses.
Will Hull

I couldn't agree more with the previous statement. I was one of those under-priviledged students working close to full time to afford to live and pay for school. I still managed to undertake an unpaid internship with the Nevada State Legislature. It was tough to manage it, two full days each week to make it work, but looking back it has strengthened my resume much more than much of my education has. Each situation is different for everyone, but it should be stressed to get out of the classroom and get real experience; even if it is traveling abroad to immerse yourself in a language.
Jessie

I am one year out of college with a BA from American University and two months into my 5th unpaid internship. I'm not going to lie and tell you I got nothing out of my these internships. They have absolutely defined my career path and I'm so grateful for the experiences. They are incredible resume boosters and opportunities to make professional contacts. However, my frustration is that unpaid internships are only available to a small population of college students: those that have parents supporting them financially or those who are financially independent. I wholeheartedly agree that colleges and universities should push internships, but just because you intern for free, for pay or for credit does not ensure that you will get a job in this economic climate. What should be pushed more for college students is the art of networking. Most of the time, knowing someone is what's going to get your foot in the door.
Michelle Barbeau

My company just wrote a great article on this. http://ow.ly/1wg8j
Kimberly Otsuka

I think unpaid internships do pay off. I have already done two internships and the experience is worth it. Sometimes I even feel that I am learning more about my industry at the internship than in school. There are some perks of being an unpaid intern. One of the perks is that mistakes made wont usually get you fired as easily. Now I am not saying make a bunch of errors, but no one is perfect. It is better to make them now then later when you are on the payroll. I have also learned to take more risks, which has paid off tremendously. I would say if you feel like you are being scammed, you probably aren't gaining a lot of experience. Say yes to everything and ask to sit in on meetings. Unpaid internships are worth it!