Give the kid a break. At least he asked. Most would have just skipped out. You sound like a real Bitch OP. Take a breath and get a life. You shouldn't be posting something so immature on your day off.

I'm impressed that this intern actually knows the weather report.

When I was an intern, I could tell you where the spots were around town to get the cheapest beer and free eats. Knowing whether and when it was going to rain - not a clue.

I guess interning, paid or unpaid, is more competitive than it was in my day.

You'd be doing this guy a real favor letting him know that there are a line of people who'd love the opportunity he has so much that they'd be willing to work through rough weather and anything else to have it.

Anonymous wrote:Why are so many people on this thread debating the legality and/or morality of unpaid internships when OP came back and did indeed clarify that her intern was paid?

On the other hand, I did an unpaid internship in college and my parents worked extra that summer to be able to pay my living expenses while I was working for free (when I would otherwise be working a full-time paid summer job). Yes, it did help me get my first job and will hopefully help get me into grad school, and I gained a ton of experience/knowledge from that unpaid internship, but I would have much rather been able to land a paid internship (and trust me, I applied to plenty of those too) and not have to burden my parents with my expenses while doing so. If my parents hadn't been so generous, I likely would have gone into a substantial amount of debt while completing my unpaid internship.

Because so many people are being utterly ridiculous about it. They obviously did unpaid internships in college and feel bitter, as if they were forced into it as slave labor instead of accepting the position at their own will.

Why are so many people on this thread debating the legality and/or morality of unpaid internships when OP came back and did indeed clarify that her intern was paid?

On the other hand, I did an unpaid internship in college and my parents worked extra that summer to be able to pay my living expenses while I was working for free (when I would otherwise be working a full-time paid summer job). Yes, it did help me get my first job and will hopefully help get me into grad school, and I gained a ton of experience/knowledge from that unpaid internship, but I would have much rather been able to land a paid internship (and trust me, I applied to plenty of those too) and not have to burden my parents with my expenses while doing so. If my parents hadn't been so generous, I likely would have gone into a substantial amount of debt while completing my unpaid internship.

OK, lawyer here. I am going to make it easy for you. For those of you who didn't want to read the DOL guidelines previously posted, here's what's happening. Yes, we all had unpaid internships when we were young. There was some abuse. The law is changing, both state and federal. DOL has issued new guidelines and there are suits galore. Most companies are aware of this and are treading carefully in this area. If you want to get your company in trouble, go right ahead with the unpaid internship. If not, read the DOL guidelines. For those that can't handle that, here's a recap of where we stand with unpaid internships in the USA from "internship" in wiki:


United States[edit]
Many internships in the United States are career specific. Students often choose internships based on their major at the university/college level. It is not uncommon for former interns to acquire full-time employment at an organization once they have enough necessary experience. The challenging job market has made it essential for college students to gain real world experience prior to graduation. Yet, only 37% of unpaid interns have job offers awaiting them at graduation compared to 60% of paid interns and 36% of students with no internship experience.[33] In the US, company internships are at the center of NIGMS funded biotechnology training programs[34] for science PhD students. The Office of Personnel Management of the US Federal government operation operates a robust internship program for college students and recent graduates.[35]
Not all internships are paid. Many internships that are unpaid involve receiving college credit, especially if an internship is correlated with a specific class. The U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division allows an employer not to pay a trainee if all of the following are true:[36]
The training, even though it includes actual operation of the facilities of the employer, is similar to what would be given in a vocational school or academic educational instruction;[36]
The training is for the benefit of the trainees;[36]
The trainees do not displace regular employees, but work under their close observation;[36]
The employer that provides the training derives no immediate advantage from the activities of the trainees, and on occasion the employer’s operations may actually be impeded;[36]
The trainees are not necessarily entitled to a job at the conclusion of the training period; and[36]
The employer and the trainees understand that the trainees are not entitled to wages for the time spent in training.[36]
The employer must cover the bill of the trainees when trainees are attending any outing with the employer(Dinner, staff lunch, etc.) .[36]
An exception is allowed for individuals who volunteer their time, freely and without anticipation of compensation for religious, charitable, civic, or humanitarian purposes to non-profit organizations.[37] An exception is also allowed for work performed for a state or local government agency.[37]
Some states have their own laws on the subject.[38] Laws in the state of California, for example, require an employer to pay its interns working in California unless the intern receives college credit for the labor.[38]
In April 2014, Condé Nast has settled Ballinger vs. Advance Magazine Publishers Inc. lawsuit over unpaid interns.[39] "Former W Magazine intern Lauren Ballinger and former New Yorker intern Matthew Leib" filed the lawsuit in federal court in the Southern District of New York in June 2013.[39] The interns' "claimed they were paid below minimum wage when working for the Condé Nast titles" and, as a result, "Condé Nast decided to discontinue its unpaid intern program."[39]
In 2012, a former Harper’s Bazaar intern sued Hearst Magazines because of a claim of violating minimum wage and overtime laws.[39] The "judge dismissed that case, but the intern appealed the ruling."[39]
In New York federal court, the Fox Searchlight Pictures litigation is a class-action suit claiming "that Fox violated federal and state minimum wage laws by not paying production interns working on its “Black Swan” film."[39] In June 2013, the judge ruled that the unpaid interns were employees, which "are entitled to wages under the Federal Labor Standards Act."[39]
South America[edit]

When I was in college it was pretty much expected that internships were unpaid (this was the mid 1990's). When I was a working professional we started having more and more interns asking for payment. So I think there are two different schools of thought. When I was in college an internship was considered an extension of your college courses. It was required for most majors and it gave you experience to obtain a "real" job. Now it seems that interns expect payment and I have no dog in that fight so I don't really care. But it is not slave labor. Internships are very important for most college grads in building their resumes.

Anonymous wrote:This could have been such a funny thread. Sigh.

Welcome to DCUM! Just can't help it when stupid shows up in such force. You just HAVE to call it out.

This could have been such a funny thread. Sigh.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Also, there's a difference between DOJ/DOL agreeing and basic morals.
I personally think it's wrong to not compensate someone for doing work. You're hiring them to do work, unpaid. Even if you have to train them or mentor them, as a supervisor would have to do with most new employees, it's wrong. They should be paid.

I'm not talking about legal/illegal. I'm talking about right and wrong.

It's funny that the pro-free-internship PP keeps calling everyone else "entitled." What is more entitled than wanting free labor?

It's not free labor. It's free professional training for the student.

Anonymous wrote:Also, there's a difference between DOJ/DOL agreeing and basic morals.
I personally think it's wrong to not compensate someone for doing work. You're hiring them to do work, unpaid. Even if you have to train them or mentor them, as a supervisor would have to do with most new employees, it's wrong. They should be paid.

I'm not talking about legal/illegal. I'm talking about right and wrong.

Yeah, okay. Tell that to my former interns who are grateful for their experience and now happily working in paid jobs. But hey, if you need something to get up in arms about, go for it.

Anonymous wrote:Also, there's a difference between DOJ/DOL agreeing and basic morals.
I personally think it's wrong to not compensate someone for doing work. You're hiring them to do work, unpaid. Even if you have to train them or mentor them, as a supervisor would have to do with most new employees, it's wrong. They should be paid.

I'm not talking about legal/illegal. I'm talking about right and wrong.

It's funny that the pro-free-internship PP keeps calling everyone else "entitled." What is more entitled than wanting free labor?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Aren't unpaid internships more or less illegal now?

You want free labor to do grunt work, you get what you pay for.

No they are not "illegal." For Pete's sake people, internships allow college students to gain professional experience so that they can actually have a leg up on getting a paid job when they graduate. They may be unpaid financially but the interns are certainly gaining something valuable for their future - if you are constructing the internship in a useful way.

uh...no. Unpaid internships allow people who are generally supported by their parents, who can afford to still support them, get absolutely no useful experience other than the reality hitting them that many people they will work with and/or for are assholes.

I never did an unpaid internship. I have a huge problem with how so many people feel they HAVE to do them. Lower income students can't afford to have them so they have to actually work for a job that pays them, often not in their ideal field, in order to have money for school. Then they get punished later for not having experience in said field because they couldn't afford unpaid internships.

It's ridiculous.

Slave labor it's not, but thinking it's totally fine to not pay someone - anyone - for work done is ignorant of reality.

Well, then you should tell the DOJ. Every intern I've ever worked with has cost me hours of my own professional time in training them in valuable skills. They most certainly ARE NOT doing the work of paid staff. Many of them were in DC with student organizations that paid for their housing and meals, and a handful I can recall most certainly did not come from rich families. They worked hard, I was happy to train them and provide a reference down the line. I've never been threatened with a lawsuit because these kids had good heads on their shoulders instead of ones firmly planted up their ass like yours. I'm pretty sure DOJ would agree with me.

What does the DOJ have to do with this?

Sorry. DOL (labor) is what I meant. But you can't argue with stupid, so why bother anymore?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm the PP - I never had an unpaid internship because I always took paid ones. And worked. I landed jobs in the legislative and executive branch just fine without unpaid internships.

Students/recent grads in unpaid internships skew towards having their parents supporting them. Ever spent a summer on Capitol Hill? It's a sea of homogeneity. Usually improperly dressed.

We don't care.
Sincerely,
everyone

"I got mine!" - Everyone here, always

Also, there's a difference between DOJ/DOL agreeing and basic morals.
I personally think it's wrong to not compensate someone for doing work. You're hiring them to do work, unpaid. Even if you have to train them or mentor them, as a supervisor would have to do with most new employees, it's wrong. They should be paid.

I'm not talking about legal/illegal. I'm talking about right and wrong.

Anonymous wrote:I'm the PP - I never had an unpaid internship because I always took paid ones. And worked. I landed jobs in the legislative and executive branch just fine without unpaid internships.

Students/recent grads in unpaid internships skew towards having their parents supporting them. Ever spent a summer on Capitol Hill? It's a sea of homogeneity. Usually improperly dressed.

We don't care.
Sincerely,
everyone