Resources

We will compile here the resources that relate to unfair internships. This includes listing the regulations that prevent this situation and the steps to take to expose an employer that breaches the law.

You are invited to contribute by researching the legislation in the country of your choice. We will share here results of accurate research.

KNOW YOUR RIGHTS AND RESOURCES

Canada
Unfair internships are illegal in Canada too. Here’s what a Canadian lawyer recommends to put  in a contract between an intern and an employer:

• A clear statement that the intern is not an employee and will not receive any remuneration.
• Details of the training the intern will receive, how long it will last and how it benefits the intern.
• Explicitly state that the internship brings with it no possibility of an offer of employment.
• What the level of supervision will be and who will provide it.
• Whether the intern’s performance will be reviewed and how.
• An ability for the employer to end the internship and how it would be done.

Ontario students can apply to internships funded by the ACCELERATE program. It’s CAD $15,000 for 4 months with a nice supervision program.

France
In the fall of 2005, French interns have taken the street to denounce their conditions. They have formed a group called “Génération précaire“. A lot of information is available on their website, including extracts from legal decisions showing that it’s also illegal in France to abuse labor by using the internship excuse.

Germany
I don’t have information on legal matters, but Spirofrog is a good place to start looking for a fair interneship. Also,  Fair Company is a good resource.

Japan
Apparently, it’s also illegal there. If you want to make a little research to help your fellows, we’ll put it here.

Switzerland
Geneva is one unpaid-internship-ridden city. With the largest United Nations office in the world, plus all the technical agencies of the UN, it attracts tons of students who hope to work in international affairs. So much of them, that the employers no longer bother to offer a salary to most of them.

United Kingdom
Employment4students explains that internships can only be unpaid if they fall under one of these categories:

• If the internship is doing voluntary work for a registered charity
• If the internship is simply “work-shadowing”
• If the internship is part of your course of study

Another great resource is the document Internships and the National Minimum Wage (2009) from the UK Department for Business Innovation and Skills. It answers questions such as “Does it matter what I call the internships?” or”Do I have to pay someone doing work experience?” It also says that if you’re doing an internship in the UK and think that you are being exploited, you should call the Pay and Rights helpline (0800 917 2368). Please do.

If you’re a parliamentary intern, you can join the Campaign for Fair Parliamentary Internships. If you’re an unpaid journalist in the UK, you may want to approach the National Union of Journalists that has released a pointed survey on the issue and promised to take it on. If you want to share your experience on the web, there’s Interns Anonymous that has a focus on the UK.

The SWEAT team at the Watercooler is a must read forum if you’re in the film industry – they have great resources, understand the issue and offer a great support network. They also have threads on other industries, such as unpaid internships with Members of the Parliament.

United States
Unpaid internships can be illegal in the United States if they don’t meet some of the following requirements from the Fair Labour Standards Act.

1. The training, even though it includes actual operations of the facilities of the employers, is similar to that which would be given in a vocational school.
2. The training is for the benefit of the student.
3. The student does not displace a regular employee, but works under the close observation of a regular employee or supervisor.
4. The employer provides the training and derives no immediate advantage from the activities of the student; and on occasion, the operations may actually be impeded by the training.
5. The student is not necessarily entitled to a job at the conclusion of the training period.
6. The employer and the student understand that the student is not entitled to wages for the time spent training.

There’s a good letter to an intern from the Department of Labor that details those criteria. Note that you can report your employer on the web or by phone at 1-866-4-USWAGE. Or you can write a testimony to inform other potential interns – go to InternshipRatings.com or UltimateIntern.com. Even third parties can file a lawsuit against an employer that offers unfair internships.

Students at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, can join the Rebel Intern program. See post. In New York City, the Foundation Center can help you find a potential source of funding for your internship.

How much should you earn? The minimum wage is $5.85 (or higher) and the average salary of paid interns is $15.99 as of 2007.