I’ve been hearing a lot about internships lately, and not just in the public relations sector. There has been many discussions about whether or not unpaid internships are ethical. A post on PR Open Mic first brought this debate to my attention. The New York Times reported that unpaid internships had risen in the past years which seems to be due to the lack of jobs and the state of the economy. Apparently there are 6 requirements that unpaid internships must meet and not all of them are meeting them. The TIMES reports that some employers may feel that it is convenient to lay off workers and get extra help from unpaid students. Another issue is that some internships involve non-education work that does not count as a learning experience. There is also the question of whether less “affluent” students have the same opportunity or pick at internships and if that make students who can not afford to spend a summer without an income “less competitive job candidates” after graduation.
Check out this video, via MoneyTalkNews which shows some of the benefits of unpaid internships (if you can afford them) :
Personally I don’t think I would be able to intern for a semester without working at the same time, that being said, a paid internship would be ideal. I always see unpaid internships that look like great opportunities for me- so it feels like my choices are automatically cut in half. Is it fair that people who have support from parents or other monetary sources have more options when it comes to internships because they are not held back by needing an income? Do you think that some internships are unethical?
J'aime des relations publiques 