Unpaid Internships

The New York Times published an Op-Ed on April 2nd about unpaid internships and the legal, ethical, pedagogical, financial and cultural impact this dicey practice has. Of particular concern is the role many universities have in promoting this practice. The article cites a letter signed by 13 university presidents (Don't worry, RISD's president is not one of the 13) to the Labor Department that "...urge[s] great caution in changing an approach to learning that is viewed as a huge success by educators, employers, and students alike, and we respectfully request that the Department of Labor reconsider undertaking the regulation of internships." I would venture to guess that many students don't feel so strongly that unpaid internships are such a boon. The author, Ross Perlin, cites examples where universities actually profit from unpaid internships when students receive credit. Essentially credits were sold to internship placement agencies while revenue is also generated from tuition for the credits. In design, the sad truth is that it's sort of a race to the bottom. On the employer side, work is undervalued and interns are often viewed as a source of free labor. The educational benefits are there, but are not necessarily equivalent to the value of the labor. On the employee side, if one is not willing or able to work for free, there is almost certainly someone else who is.

Ross Eisenbrey, the Vice President at the Economic Policy Institute (a think tank) wrote a compelling response letter to the Secretary of Labor that calls for a renewed diligence in enforcing existing laws designed to ensure labor is fairly compensated for and internships be genuine educational experiences. From the letter:

"Many so-called internships are nothing more than summer employment under a fancy name. Students go to work packing boxes, running errands, answering phones, doing filing and performing many other tasks that are of immediate benefit to the employer but have no real educational value. Even if such so-called internships are arranged through a college placement office, if the employer is not a government or a non-profit charitable organization, the “intern” must be paid for his or her work."

Anyone have any good or bad stories to share? Any thoughts on how to ensure the labor of interns is fairly compensated, either financially or educationally?


If your interested in this topic, the Times published another article on the topic back in April of 2010. If the new paywall stops you from accessing this content, the more recent Op-Ed is reprinted here.