Internships: It’s Time to Pay Students

Scott Graham/Unsplash

Elizabeth McCann/Staff Writer

Internships are a key educational experience for students. It helps students gather experience to add to their resumes, narrow down career interests, and gain professional contacts and resources.

However, not every student has the financial means to accept an unpaid internship.

There are systemic barriers that have held minority and lower socioeconomic groups– especially those of color– back from internship opportunities. These groups have complicated financial circumstances that prevent them from accepting internships. They do not apply or reject internships because they have to work somewhere that provides a steady income for their living and educational expenses. Thus, an unpaid internship is not an option.

The inability to accept an internship creates an educational gap that sets these minority students– especially first-generation students– behind in experience from their counterparts. Their resumes are less developed and this has long-term effects on future career prospects.

Individuals who can accept unpaid internships do not have to consider these factors. Usually, they have supplemental income from family or scholarships that allows them to partake in internships especially those that are away from home.

The most important reason to pay interns is to close the gap between students who are privileged to afford these internships and students who cannot afford to accept them. This system perpetuates inequality within the educational and economic spheres.

For-profit organizations are able to get away with not paying interns due to loopholes under the Fair Labors Standard Primary Beneficiary Test. Employers will justify this by granting academic credit, presenting professional networks and resources, and ultimately offering an educational experience.

According to the U.S. Department of Labor Wage and Hour Division, under The Fair Labor Standards Act, unpaid internships are legal if the intern is the “primary beneficiary” of the intern-employer relationship. That is, the internship is seen as an educational experience related and comparable to one received at a university. If the primary beneficiary test proves that the employer is the primary beneficiary and the intern is contributing to the revenue, the intern must be paid. Simply put, beyond an educational and mentorship experience, legally, an intern should be paid.  

Financially, there seem to be more incentives for organizations to have unpaid internships, however, paying interns comes with benefits as well.  Paid internships attract a competitive, larger pool of potential interns to select who are qualified while having a higher chance of retaining their interns as future employees. As a result, paid internships motivate interns to take the job seriously and to contribute often and eagerly.

Now is the time to pay interns. Unpaid internships are exclusively for the privileged who can afford to make no money setting minorities and first-generation students behind. Therefore, paying interns will close this gap and allow interns to profit from their contributions. 

DISCLAIMER:

The opinions presented within this page do not represent the views of PantherNOW Editorial Board. These views are separate from editorials and reflect individual perspectives of contributing writers and/or members of the University community

Photo by Scott Graham on Unsplash

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