There's the issue summed up in one brief and eloquent message.
If unpaid internships were illegal, employers would not be able to talk
about "absolutely
no relevant work experience".
Who comes out of a university with work experience? Only those with parents
who can pull strings. I graduated with holiday-job experience in putting up
office furniture.
Get rid of unpaid internships and we can get back to the bad old days when
employers expected to train new recruits.
How many research scientists face the same challenge? Are they expected to
put in many months of slave labour for nothing? (I know that PhD students
don't live in the lap of luxury, but they do get something.) Does CERN take
in unpaid interns?
Is this egregious phenomenon limited to the media and its associated domains
(like advertising, publishing and Public Engagement in Science and
Technology), law firms (firms being the operative word here, which may
explain why they do not behave in the same way as companies) and politics?
Do GPs have to do unpaid internships?
The notion that "most employers don't see people who have not made this
sacrifice as worthy of employment" is probably being too kind to the
employers. That isn't their reasoning at all. They just don't want to pay
the people who work for them.
I'm sorry if this upsets people who don't like the idea of social mobility -
is diddums worried that working class proles will outshine them?
It might be nice for some people to work for MPs because they were in the
fortunate position of being able to sustain themselves, but this again
ensures that parliament is stuffed with rich kids who haven't got a clue.
Look no further than the current mob, few of whom have done a proper job,
thanks to the fact that family wealth bankrolled them while brighter
individuals had to earn a living.
At least if you set up a pop group you know that you are starving on your
own. There aren't any well paid executive rushing off to have expensive
lunches while you work for nothing.
MK
-----Original Message-----
From: psci-com: on public engagement with science
[mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Emma Welsh
Sent: 28 May 2011 20:19
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: [PSCI-COM] Unpaid Intern Court Victory
Out of interest, are any of you in the position of being able to offer
jobs willing to offer them to people (grads/postdocs) with absolutely
no relevant work experience at all? I was rejected from many, many
jobs on the basis of not having relevant experience and even told on
one occasion to 'carry on doing internships and I'm sure you'll get a
job eventually'. The organisations offering internships are not the
only ones to blame here. The motivated can fund themselves for three
months, using savings, crashing on friend's floors and a bit of
freelance work or bar work without being born with a silver spoon in
their mouths or resorting to JSA. Apparently most employers don't see
people who have not made this sacrifice as worthy of employment in
this (and many other) industry. Maybe we could have a pop at this
group instead??!
Cheers
Emma.
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