Jul 14 2008
Unpaid Internships-Labour Exploitation
In many countries (especially those experiencing slowing economic climates) employers are seeking more & more ways in which to gain increasing value out of their companies & businesses. Additionally there is an increasing amount of student labour ripe for exploitation.
Many students are willing to work for below industry rates & even for free – especially those with low financial risk as they are still partially leaning on parents or guardians, & seeking the career jump start to the big time. Essentially they’re an attractive labour option for a company – especially a fresh or newly formed business still plugging away at gaining momentum through production, sweat & blood.
This is why I feel the need to point out to both employers & students, that in order for an internship to be unpaid & of course legal in most countries worldwide, it needs to be first & foremost a learning experience for the intern, & NOT something where the poor lamb is going to be called upon to produce work product for no pay - that benefits the employers profit.
My message is this: You can’t call people interns with the express purpose of receiving production you don’t need to pay for. An internship is a fixed term arrangement (no more than 3 months in unpaid circumstances – longer if a salary is introduced) & the employer needs to consult their countries labour departments on the requirements in place (such as a clear course of educational activities for the timeframe of the proposed unpaid internship) for offering internships in your sector.
Student’s if you need any advice about internships – or have any questions at all about a situation you are currently in – post your queries below & ej’s will do its best to advise on these matters. Please also contact (or search online) your local labour departments for laws & regulations around internships in your area.
I’ve been interning for ova 3months for no money - with a small media company in cape town. My boss sayz i can only go onto a salary if i prove myself to the company and it shows in the profits. But for now he is only willing to pay me R500 a month if i keep working there. That’s no even enough to cover my traveling costs.
Many of my articles and hard work appears on the work they do for clients for example design work for websites or product work for brochures. How do i get a proper salary from my boss without making him mad? Or should I take the experience and reference from there and try to find a job somewhere else?