Unpaid internships typically don’t have health benefits.
jgh2:
Unpaid internships are classist. Usually only the children of well-to-do families can seriously “intern” for long periods of time (yes, I know there are exceptions. I’m talking about in general cases.) They’re a way of getting free labor and keeping the “right’ people involved in certain industries under the internship system.
That’s not to say interning can’t be beneficial - but with the way the current system is set up (I’m looking at you in particular, media internship world) it’s ridiculous. A little birdy told me that there was a recent seminar at Columbia J-school about how it takes “courage” and is “brave” to intern in your 30s. WTF? At some point, you have to draw the line.
/rant
I can understand an internship or apprenticeship for people changing professions or students in college. That’s what they’re designed for — to get a taste of what a particular profession is like. I interned for Insound as an undergrad, learned a lot and made some great friends in the process.
If you have a degree and experience in a particular field, an organization offering an internship in lieu of a paid position isn’t simply insulting — it’s degrading. Businesses need to find ways to pay employees somehow. Individuals need to stand up and demand better from potential employers (even if this goes against the old adage “beggars can’t be choosers”). Sure, the economy is terrible, but unless we (collectively speaking) begin valuing people for their contributions, it’s never going to improve. We will continue to perpetuate an economic fantasy.
