Nothing infuriates me more than the debate about unpaid internships and placements. As you may have read in my previous post, ‘The importance of Internships: tips, myths and getting your dream job’, I am most certainly pro-work placements: they are a fantastic way of gaining valuable experience and could even land you a job.
What concerns me is the lack of awareness around the rights we have as unpaid interns. With the ever increasing competition for jobs and internships, students and graduates are accepting anything they can get – gratefully, I may add. However, with the never-ending revolving door of interns, many companies are happy to exploit the free labour. A vicious circle has begun with certain firms now finding it far more cost efficient to simply hire free interns than give out paid work. This has led to calls for government intervention.
So what are your rights as an intern?
After some googling and a little bit of research, here is a comprehensive list of what you are, and are not entitled to:
- Work experience students of compulsory school age would not be entitled to the national minimum wage or have employment rights as a worker.
- Interns, however, may be entitled to the national minimum wage as they can count as an employee or worker if they do regular work for an employer, work that would otherwise be done by another employee, or are promised a contract for future work.
- The employer doesn’t have to pay the minimum wage if an internship only involves shadowing an employee, ie no work is carried out by the intern and they are only observing.
- If you are a student and have to do a ‘placement’ as part of your higher-education course (while studying, individuals often spend six months working for a company to learn the practical aspects of the job) you are not entitled to minimum wage.
- Volunteers are also not entitled to the national minimum wage as they don’t get paid other than travel or lunch expenses and therefore will not be classed as a worker. Volunteers do not have a contract of employment but often have a volunteering agreement.
- All work experience placements and internships should offer lunch and reasonable travel expenses as standard.
I am completely aware of how it can be daunting and awkward asking, but it’s good to know that the company has the right intentions. Never think that you’re being cheeky by asking!
Tips:
- During the organisation of your placement or before you start, just add in an email/over the phone, ‘is this internship paid? If not, will travel and lunch be expensed for?’ Sometimes they need a gentle reminder if they haven’t already offered it.
- Make sure you have a written agreement on email of the terms (expenses, hours, breaks and type of work) of your placement.
On the most part companies are really good and know procedure, but please don’t allow yourself to be taken advantage of. Internships are great and a fantastic way of learning more about the industry you wish to work in, so make sure you are getting the full benefit from your experience!
