Young, talented and working for free: the video

They had a great idea over at InternsAnonymous.co.uk: a series of interviews about internships.

It’s time to put a few faces on the issue, to make it more real and personal. Let’s hope there will be some more of these videos.

Using Facebook against unfair internships

There’s a Facebook group called “Interns Must Be Paid The Minimum Wage” started in the UK but that really applies to any country where unfair internships are prevalent, sometimes despite laws against them. There are some interesting debates going on. Their goal is to get the attention of the British Parliament and their rationale is sound:

It’s a basic principle that no career path should be closed, whatever our parents’ backgrounds. It is an even more basic principle that people doing work should be paid for it.

And Phil Willis, British Member of Parliament, also put together his own Facebook group, Campaign for Fair Parliamentary Internships, to support his campaign in favor of fair internships at Westminster, for politicians should set an example (following the law would already be a nice first step). It’s encouraging that he seems to be really serious about this issue.

Parliament of all places should be able to set the example, and be accessible to all, regardless of financial background.

Join these groups if you agree with them and, even if you don’t, join the debate.

BBC calls for stories

The BBC is looking for testimonials from unpaid interns.

Are you doing or have you recently done unpaid work experience or an unpaid internship?

I am a researcher at the BBC currently looking at the issue in light of the credit crunch. I’m trying to get in contact with anyone who may have had a bad experience in this area. If this is you or someone you know, please contact me by email at: Nicola.Dowling@bbc.co.uk, on 0161 244 3931 or 07810 855 315.

Contact them directly if you fit the bill. It’s very nice to see the media pay attention to the issue.

Interns Anonymous

There’s a new blog in town and we can only love it: Interns Anonymous is “a forum for interns to share their experiences and discuss the ethics of unpaid employment”, focused on the United Kingdom.

This is worth not only an entry, but also a seat in the blogroll. Now that we have such a thing, please feel free dear readers to direct our attention to any like-minded blog or website and we’ll be happy to add it.

Why do you call it an internship?

I’d really, really like to know what each person mean when they say “internship”. In this story from the Toronto Star for instance, it sounds very much like a job, but it’s called an internship. Could it be that it’s simply an unpaid job? Have we got to a point where we legitimize unpaid jobs by calling them “internships”?

Maybe the best question a potential intern could ask when applying for an internship is to ask “Why do you call it an internship?” If the answer is “because you will be tutored in a learning environment with benefits for you and not for the company”, then go for it. If it’s “because it’s unpaid”, run away.

Rant

A New Yorker from Manhattan has had enough and has shared his/her frustration about exploitative internships on Craigslist. Interns are so often a docile lot, it’s refreshing to see someone vent.

That’s rich

The obnoxious Sean Avery of the New York Rangers (that’s hockey – like baseball, but with a puck, a stick, skates and ice) made a splash when we learned earlier this month that he was an intern at Vogue Magazine. It turns out that the millionaire got a preferential treatment: he was paid minimum wage.

New York Mag has contacted former interns at Vogue and found a different reality:

For example, Sean is getting minimum wage for his work at the magazine, while real interns don’t get paid a dime.

Why did Vogue pay Avery a minimum wage and not its other interns?

InternshipRatings.com – Review your internship

InternshipRatings.com is another website where you can vent about your unfair internship or praise a fair one – or just check which employers are not exploiting their interns. It sets its heart to cover all 50 states, but falls short in many states, most likely because it was created recently. It is organized clearly, especially if you’re looking for reviews in a particular state or industry. It even allows to filter results by paid or unpaid internships and reports whether an internship was “great” for compensation when at least 51% of raters agree. It has a section where interns can find advice from industry professionals. This would be a good place to advise students on how to avoid or deal with an unfair/illegal internship.

YouIntern.com – Review your internship

We understand that it can be daunting to report an unfair internship to the authorities, even if it can be done anonymously. What may be easier is to write an anonymous review reporting your conditions. YouIntern.com collects testimonies from interns. Feel free to talk about your good experiences, but also don’t hold back from saying out loud that some employers exploit their interns. If you were performing the duties of an employee without receiving adequate compensation, your internship is unfair. Help others avoid the trap.

Update (June 24): I just noticed that you can filter internships by compensation (paid/unpaid/credits) which is just great. I wish we could filter them by fair/unfair as there are some in both categories. It’s a testimony though to how confusing the interface is at the moment that it took me so long to find that critical function.

An intern takes the matter into his own hands

An intern has decided to find out how to report anonymously an employer that violates the FLSA. It seems clear that with 25 unpaid employees, his employer has put herself in an illegal situation. We will keep you posted of major developments.

We need more of these interns aware of those situations who take the time to report their employers if the situation is ever to improve.

Update: He got the most unexpected answer: the Department doesn’t even seem aware of the law! “For unpaid internships and volunteer work are not considered employment relationships since they are usually at-will and not compensated. U.S. Department of Labor regulations address employment relationships between employers and employees.” He’s pursuing the issue. This is getting even more interesting.