Posted on 04/06/2010 8:11:56 PM PDT by JohnRLott
The Obama administration's top law enforcement officer at the Labor Department, M. Patricia Smith, is targeting companies that give young people unpaid internships. She claims that internships are rife with abusive practices and that serious violations of labor law are widespread. Arguing that interns should get paid at least minimum wage, Ms. Smith and the White House risk destroying a valuable steppingstone that gives many young Americans training they need to get jobs they want in the future.
Unpaid internships are valuable for many reasons. Most simply, they help people test whether they are a good fit for a particular industry. If interns like the type of work at particular companies, internships can help them get the training and contacts they need to make their career aspirations a reality. The short time that interns spend at jobs - often just two to three months - makes it difficult for firms to both train these young people and get much work out of them. From manufacturing to nonprofits to media companies such as The Washington Times, hands-on opportunities open through internships are almost endless. . . .
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtontimes.com ...
If somebody works, they ought to get paid for it. I’ve got no problem with this.
Not the point, but then I’m not going to write an essay to explain it.
Not saying that I don’t agree, but, for example, I recently went back to school for a technical trade I wanted to learn about (in addition to my former formal schooling), and I had to make kitchen cabinets, which the school collected money on. I therefore was working, but had to pay for the experience.
Interns are not just cheap labor, they are learning a skill which can be used on a resume. In general, new employees, trainees, and interns, cost more to train than they produce, so, to me, it’s easier to not pay them and give them the opportunity to learn, rather then charge them to do the same, or worse, give them NO experience.
Does that change your mind at all?
See my post at #4, does it reflect any of your viewpoint?
“If somebody works, they ought to get paid for it. I’ve got no problem with this.”
I agree... minimum wage at least...
It’s a way for people that have very limited experience, like college students, to get their foot in the door. Like a minimum wage, eliminating unpaid internships only hurts those on the bottom trying to work their way up.
Unless you are a high school student and still living at home, this is a terrible burden to gain experience. Many people cannot afford that kind of sacrifice.
you have got to be kidding !!
This is a FREE MARKET
Interns take these positions of their free will.
If they need money or don’t want to work for free then they shouldn’t take the job.
This is an exchange that both parties agree on.
I’m sorry but that’s just not correct. College students do it all the time. Many are considered falling behind if they don’t have an internship on their resume.
Oh, please. These interns take these positions knowing they are gaining valuable training. They don’t have to take the position. If they want a paying job, they can find one.
Dear Duke: Rocky has a major point - pay is not the point! My grandson couldn’t find a job after finishing college in hotel and restaurant management. After a lot of nagging by me and some work on his presentation, he “volunteered” to work at a hotel. After a month of very, very long days busting his butt for no money but free lunch and dinner, he was offered a full-time position at a great salary for a young guy in a fabulous resort city right on the beach! Kids don’t often know what they want to do so a chance at internship helps them decide if they have the skills or if it something they would enjoy, at least for a while. College does not teach kids what real work life is like, an internship does.
Does this mean that the Obama campaign owes back wages to all those young ‘interns’ who worked to get him elected?
I was an intern in a corporate law department when I was a law student. I didn’t need Uncle Sam involved in “protecting” me from this corporation. I gained incredible experience, made many good contacts and furthered my career.
How about giving older people (who have the means to support themselves while this is going on) the same opportunities? Ageism!
Ditto here. Unpaid labor is nothing more than slavery. Worse, actually, for the slave at least got food, clothing, and shelter.
A lot of older folks would almost kill to be able to make this “sacrifice” in this time where employers can demand left handed unicycle acrobats with six months’ or more on the job experience and find their lobby packed with applicants.
The Disney gal, who majored in Hotel management, now works in Disney Worlds flagship hotel, the other gal in the no.2, only after the owner, of the bakery.
Both doing very well - because of internships
What, I lose MY right to volunteer?
Besides it isn’t for nothing. It’s for creds to future employers who would otherwise turn me away. This is like saying universities should pay students for doing schoolwork!
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