by Cristina Liao, SFU Student
University is a time for gaining educational and work experience so that students are prepared for the future. The National Association of Colleges and Employers report that “75% of post-secondary students graduate with at least one internship.” When we intern at a company, we give our time, energy, and talent to them. It’s only fair to be paid for our work — not paying interns is simply an unethical act.
Internships are based on the “concept of learning a skill or trade under the direction of a more experienced worker.” So essentially when you intern, you are being trained for a job. When I was being trained at my job at McDonald’s, my shorter hours meant I had a smaller pay cheque. But, I was still paid for my time as a trainee.
Paid internships also benefit the employer. If an intern is being paid, then they have a greater incentive to bring in higher quality work. Paying interns ensures a higher productivity rate — which helps raise profits and ensures long-term happiness for workers.
Not paying interns also fuels a class divide. Those with privilege can afford to take unpaid internships within their field of study and thus have a higher chance of getting well-paying jobs after graduation — the same cannot be said for everyone else. Now should be a good time to end unpaid internships because paying interns gives them the necessary money to keep working for a company. This is even more necessary now with people choosing not to return to jobs because of the less than ideal working conditions.
In Canada, it’s still legal for students to have unpaid internships. One of the conditions for someone to be deemed a “student intern” is that they are “performing activities for an employer with the primary purpose of gaining knowledge or experience.” But getting paid and gaining experience are not mutually exclusive. This is just another way in which students are getting exploited in this country.
Students usually take up unpaid internships to gain credible work experience. We can’t blame them for trying to increase their chances of getting a good job after graduation. The real culprits are companies that do not hesitate to exploit the desperation of someone who is simply looking to gain experience.
Interns are not volunteers. Volunteers choose to be at a workplace or a non-profit because they believe in the organization’s message and have a “desire to help out.” Interns are interns because they want to develop their skills to help them understand how to best do their job.
If a company decides they need to hire employees, they should be prepared to pay them. If a company does not have the resources to pay their employees, then they should rework their business model so they can. Even if companies do not pay interns the same wage they’d pay a full-time worker, interns should be given minimum wage for the time they’re putting into the company. Paying employees is the bare minimum sign of respect that a company should have for the people they hire.
