Word: internships
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: all
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
...advocate the restriction of unpaid internships because of the structural inequality inherent to acquiring these internships. Since richer students have the means to forgo wages, socioeconomic class determines, in large part, one’s ability to procure an internship. This unfair economic stratification means that poorer students and graduates often cannot afford to accept unpaid positions...
Worse, these same students later face de facto discrimination when applying for jobs for which an internship is deemed a stepping-stone. The majority of firms expressly cited “relevant work experience in the form of internships” as the primary motivation to hire a recent college graduate. As it stands, if you can’t afford work to without pay before graduating, you might not work at all afterwards...
Additionally, students’ unofficial understanding of the value of an internship skews their perspective on the conditions under which their work is important. Those who perform menial tasks under the auspices of an internship often receive greater prestige than those who perform the same tasks for pay. This magnification of an internship experience fails to give equal credit to those who do the same labor but need financial compensation for their work...
While these reforms might result in fewer internship opportunities, this cost is worth the elimination of discrimination—specifically against those who cannot afford the opportunity cost of these internships, namely, working without wages. Employers should continue to value experience, but make it clear to students that it is no longer necessary to hold an internship to get hired...
...with changed student focus. Undergraduates should shift their approach toward other ways to learn skills, such as working for non-profits or volunteering. Additionally, meaningful work can be found in jobs that don’t offer fantastic compensation above minimum wage or the prestige of an internship...