Unpaid internships are unethical and wrong
I’ve always hated unpaid internships and have never been allowed to do them in any organization I’ve managed or influenced. Labour must always be dignified, which requires decent wages. I’m not against volunteering; spending one or more days working at a food court, homeless shelter, or cleaning up a nearby park. It’s not just good, that’s great. But organizations that have the resources and ask people to do real work for free should be ashamed of themselves. Exchanging labor for “experience” on a resume is the very definition of exploitation. Of course, only wealthy children need to apply. Some people can’t afford free work because they need to pay rent or help support their families.
To its credit, the Biden administration recently figured out a way to pay for the prestigious White House Fellows program.As Juliana Kaplan recently stated in Business Insider:
“For the first time ever, internships at the White House will be paid. Senate on Thursday pass through $1.5 trillion government funding bill, including $4.5 million to fund White House and Executive Office internship programs.The bill, which has bipartisan support to help avoid a government shutdown, includes billions in aid for Ukraine.President Joe Biden signed on Friday. ”
I’m glad to see $4.5 million in the $1.5 trillion budget. I understand that many organizations view the resources invested in training new employees as a form of compensation, and expecting organizations to pay interns will reduce the number of these “opportunities” offered. I know the ladder to career success has to start somewhere. I would say that every tier of the latter deserves a living wage.
The gap between rich and poor in America is growing. A young man from affluent backgrounds can easily accept an unpaid internship. A young man who is not wealthy may not be able to accept an internship and may miss a crucial step on the career success ladder. It’s shameful that a White House intern who works for the most resourceful head of state and government in the world has not been paid until this week. The symbolism of the President’s key leadership steps here must be acknowledged. It’s long overdue, but better late than never.
I’m not speaking from direct personal experience here. I’ve never done an unpaid internship, even though my family didn’t need the money I earned from summer jobs as a student. In my family I was expected to work in the summer and my very generous and forgiving extended family hired me for paid summer work despite my lack of any apparent employability skills. I did what I was told and thought paid work was the norm. I’m not smart enough to know that I should be doing something more prestigious for free. But I have a lot of friends who never even thought about unpaid work. They really need part-time jobs and summer jobs to survive. In college, I had a very good friend who was a full-time student on a “full scholarship” who still needed to make ends meet as a waitress at the local truck stop. I have other friends who work in the college kitchen and mailroom. That’s where I learned the importance of these part-time jobs and summer paychecks. These are not internships, but part-time jobs. Research shows that these paid part-time jobs are a barrier to taking pre-professional internships.
In addition, research shows that internship opportunities are an important determinant of career success. According to Javier Rodriguez S., Zi Chen, University of Wisconsin-Madison University Workforce Transformation Research Center:
“Internships are widely considered to be positive experiences. Research across disciplines shows that participating in internships can increase students’ chances of finding a career path that suits them, finding a job and even earning a higher salary if hired. All because an internship can Expand students’ professional networks; give them hands-on experience of what a job in a particular industry is like; apply their knowledge to the real world; and learn skills and information outside of the classroom that equip them to be better, more desirable job candidates… …However, not everyone has access to an internship. Different types of barriers prevent students from getting involved. First, there are financial barriers. Not every student can afford it due to high debt and college-related expenses Unpaid work as an intern. Few can afford to relocate and live in a different city for an internship; and, many times, students have the responsibility of caring and caring for others (children, older relatives), which requires them to be in Keep a paid job while getting a college education. Those who can afford unpaid or low-paying jobs are those who can afford a lot of support from family or other sources.”
In other words, unpaid internships reinforce barriers to career experience and give children of wealthy parents another unfair advantage on the path to career success. I recognize that these advantages will never go away and that helping children succeed is part of being a parent – whether you’re rich or poor. But that doesn’t mean big institutions like governments, big corporations and universities need to widen these gaps by allowing unpaid internships.
When I became executive director of the Columbia Earth Institute, I ended the practice of unpaid internships. Organizations with annual budgets of more than $100 million can afford paid internships. In fact, we have increased the number of students we employ. I did the same thing with the associate dean of the Columbia School of Professional Studies. Let me be clear; this is not charity. These young people play a key role in professional settings. Their minds, energy and enthusiasm are a healthy force in any organization. It also helps build community and provides interns with professional training to strengthen our educational mission. Many times, interns can provide a healthy bridge between students and administrators. They can communicate student perspectives on events and policies and help explain University administrators’ decisions to colleagues in the student body. They informally increase student voices in the decision-making process and increase formal channels of participation through student government.
Unpaid internship labor is a modern form of oppression. I think it’s immoral and its institutionalization is very problematic. I’ve heard many explanations about these practices, especially around the education and training provided. At Columbia, we offer credit for internships that further motivate and legitimize these activities.
The Biden administration should be applauded for taking an important step toward paying interns. They should take another step by funding paid internships across the federal government and providing resources to state and local governments to do the same. Just as large companies have demonstrated responsible behavior by pulling out of Russia, they should also be encouraged to pay interns. Colleges should do the same, and only offer credit for paid internships. Internships can be valuable and important apprenticeship opportunities for students undertaking internships. They should be encouraged, they should be paid.
