I'm opening the discussion on unpaid internships and such. In terms of actual internships, I don't mind that they are not paid. At least you're not stuck in a classroom essentially doing what you've been doing for the past almost 20 years. You're out there doing something and learning through hands-on experience. However, I have a real problem with JOB POSTINGS for jobs that pay little to no money. In the field I am going into (media) this is quite common. If people can't afford to pay their crew and cast a decent wage, they should not create the project.

it's the same everywhere, the project either makes them money or not.. you help someone make money, your value goes up... if you don't, then they have no use for you...

Yup, you cannot change the rules until YOU
are in the seat of power.

I'm all for internships. In my field (automotive repair) I paid a boatload of cash and a few years to get a degree which means very little. Especially since experience is the best teacher and most shop owners know that the majority of schools will give you that paper just as long as you keep paying them. On top of that, I learned more in the first 6 months on the job (and got paid in the process) than I did the entire time I was in school. If I could go back and do it again, I'd gladly work in a shop for free gaining real-life experience rather than paying and getting less out of it educational-wise. So what if somebody is looking for interns? I only wish I had the opportunity to be one when I was starting out. If somebody can't afford to pay wages for help, but have a ton of experience in the field that they can teach, are the interns actually working for free? If somebody has a vision and a goal, why should lack of cash be the cause of it never coming to fruit? Especially when there are people who are more than happy to help. With your way of thinking, that only people with the money can make things happen, only the rich will get richer and the poor will stay poor.

That's sad
Never heard that happened.
You do a job therefore you should be paid unless voluntary.

I do volunteer in schools and hve done in rest homes not to get a job but to help others
I have been offered jobs in the past because of it.

ujGearhead School internships are good and different that unpaid work not related to school. I really don't understand your last statement. How does what I want make the rich get richer? I want people (most of whom are nowhere near well off) to get paid so they can actually afford the bare necessities.

I was referring to internships in general (and not necessarily connected to any school). Of course it's good to be able to afford to live, but if you want to get into a career and can't afford/or just want to skip school and get right to it, internships are a good way to go. Obviously, an uneducated noobie to the field isn't 'worth' what somebody who is experienced would get paid (and often not even worth a 'living wage'), but working for free gets them that experience to help them make decent money later. For my rich getting richer comment, you make it sound like people who can't afford to hire help shouldn't start a project. If they need help to the project to work, but are too poor to pay anybody, the project remains just dream and they stay poor. At the same time, the people who DO have the money can hire the help to get the projects done and in turn keep making more money.

I believe that people should make their dreams/visions a reality, but not if they're going to ask strangers to help them for free. That's just selfish. I would feel like a total ******* doing that. Plus, there are so many options for funding these days. I don't go out asking random people to improve my life. Nobody else should, either.

It's not really selfish just as long as the people helping are actually learning something. If they're learning, that's just as good as cash in the longrun, ain't it? It's like skipping the middleman (the schools). And if they aren't learning anything, it's not like they can't pick up and leave anytime they want. Then if it's in an ad, it's completely voluntary and the people know what they're signing up for. It's not like asking friends to do it and they do it because they feel that they need to.

Not really.
There's no real question in the OP.
Only a statement of subjective beliefs of a vague subject.


What's the difference?


So what are you suggesting?
People "should not" do a lot of things.


Why are they different?
What is the practical difference between internship work, volunteer work, and unpaid work?


That's their personal responsibility to either find an employer that will pay them what they want, or to go into business and do their own projects to get people to pay what is desired.


People are selfish.
Look at this thread.

That's the height of selfishness.
"I believe this way, other people should behave this way."

Other than that, no one works for free. Internships, (legal) unpaid workers, volunteers, they can and usually do represent a cost to the employer in terms of taxes and insurance, and there is just plain risk.

There is no guarantee with:

that people will actually sign up for it.

Also, what kind of job postings for little to no money are you seeing?
Are they requiring 40-80 hours a week trapped on an oil rig or along the front lines of Iraq?
Or are they mostly part time or less offerings?

Do you believe each and every job should offer someone a perpetual bare minimum lifestyle guarantee?
Even if the project only needs someone to be a coffee and errand gofer, proof reader, or office manager, 8 hours a week?

People should offer what they are willing to pay for a job.
With that comes the caveat that they get what they pay for.

We have interns, a lot of them right out of college. And we usually run the intern programs for about 3 -4 months depending on the department. And we do not " use" them, yes they do work that benefits us but we do make a point of teaching them, mentoring them and discussing business with them.

We try to teach them business from a "real" sense, not the textbook version. Each month they have to send a report to our H/R director recapping the month.. who they worked with.. what projects.. and most importantly.. what they learned.

What I like about them the most is their willingness to learn, they are like sponges. A blank slate to teach.. its refreshing and nice.

And with the exception of a very few, we have always offered them a paid position after the internship.

If we had no intension of hiring them then that would be just plain wrong.

in the health care field where i am from, internship is just a part of the system (heirarchy) before you can go onto applying for a license. you don't get paid to do the scut work, you do however, pay the hospital or school for the one or two years of internship...some do offer a stipend or allowance...then a few months of "volunteer" work when you start applying for job positions as part of the hiring process...the work is rewarding, tho... frustrating at times, but still rewarding...

i think some professionals in the fields of sciences, education and social work have the same issues.

I feel people don't HAVE to do it if they don't want to.

For those who enjoy it anyway, why shouldn't they?


when it comes to media and stage , exposure is a means to being paid and has its own value

some people enjoy their craft and are willing to be a part of something with a potential (but no promise) to turn lucrative,,,,,


its all about choice, people can choose to seek media positions that will pay(though they usually expect plenty of experience), or when they are just starting they may take media positions that dont require the background so they can gain the experience and exposure to someday compete for the positions that do

Wow!:)

Adding my 2 cents:

it is important to discuss the purpose of the internship and clarify expectations from the start.

I believe setting of expectations is really important.
I cant help but agree with ujGearhead..work compensation comes in different forms..

I just saw a job posting for UNPAID work. The job is for someone to film and edit a video piece for a politician who is running for a nomination in a riding. Take that in. A politician is not paying for this. It is SO disgusting!!!

Whoever posted it is a frickin genius if somebody takes him up on the offer. The one taking the job, however, is a moron

I dunno whether it was 'Heath Leger' or some other eminent personality, who once 'cared' to say: If you are good at something, never do it for free..

That should 'suffice'!

what level politician? They arent all rich. And depending upon how far this politician gets, the credit on his campaign can do alot for that persons future earnings.

as has been said before, money is not the only value, so is experince and references...

It's for a possible member of Parliament which is Federal. The politician is a woman.

whoever said that must not enjoy what they do


I have done plenty of things for free my whole life because I ENJOYED doing them,,,