A mere necessity?

We’ve reached that point:

“If you come out of here without any internship experience, you will have a really difficult time getting a job”

This is part of the answer to the often repeated “Then just don’t take the unfair internship and get yourself a real job!” The internship is becoming mandatory because students compete against each other for positions and employers take advantage of it by offering unfair internships. Students have no choice but to accept them if they want to land a paid job at some point.

Helicopters

Apparently, parents are going to the bat when it comes to assuring a rewarding internship to their masterpieces:

“parents also are calling internship directors to demand that their child be given different work, or calling the college to say they expect guarantees that their kids will land particular internships with particular companies.”

This may well be “helicopter parenting run amok” but it’s also a reminder that interns have little bargaining power themselves. A suggestion to these concerned parents: why don’t you ask bosses if their internships are legal?

Spirofrog – A German Resource

A good way to fight unfair internships is to turn them down in the first place. It would be easier if sufficient alternatives were available. Here’s a German tools that should help our German-speaking readers: Spirofrog. It lists only fair internships, based on the German initiative, Fair Company.

Tor students this service is great as they get access to “paid only” internships free of charge, and companies can display themselves as a ‘fair company’.

It lists internships anywhere in the world, not only in Germany, so get yourself a German/Swiss/Austrian friend and start digging. Apparently, an English version is planned in the next few weeks. Stay tuned.

(By way of Blognation)