Fact Sheet #71 was created in April 2010 by the Wage and Hour Division of the U.S. Department of Labor. This sheet was generated for use in determining whether the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) requires a “for-profit” private sector employer to pay its unpaid interns minimum wage (Bacon, 2011). The test for unpaid interns section in particular has caused some intense debate over the issue of unpaid interns. Fact Sheet #71 offers direction on determining an unpaid internship’s legality. These include that the internship is for the benefit of intern rather than the employer, the intern is not necessarily entitled to a job at the conclusion of the internship, and “the employer and the intern understand that the intern is not entitled to wages for the time spent in the internship” (U.S. Department of Labor, 2010).
Universities need to take great care when filtering, posting and encouraging these unpaid opportunities to ensure that they are the best opportunities for their students. While an unpaid internship provides invaluable experience to the student intern (Yagoda, 2008), universities are being criticized for promoting a practice that is seen as discriminatory. Unpaid internships are seen as discriminatory by some because unpaid interns for nonprofit organizations and government agencies can be classified as volunteers (McDermott, 2013). In addition to McDermott’s opinion, Yagoda sees unpaid internships as discriminatory from a socioeconomic perspective stating that unpaid internships “reinforce the divide between the ‘haves’ and ‘have-nots’ among undergraduates” (Yagoda, 2008). He explains further saying the ‘rich kids’ take the internships and improve their prospects, while the ‘less-off kids’ simply cannot afford to and...
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...v. Fox Searchlight Pictures, Vadake Narayanan, a business professor at Drexel University, says “The employer, the college, and the student should be linked somehow, through a contract outlining learning outcomes, and have a clear understanding of the internship from the start” (Bernhard, 2015).
Not all students are afforded an equal opportunity to take unpaid internships due to the financial hardship. In addition to inequality, NACE statistics show that full time offers do not differ significantly from student who had internships and those who did not. It is advisable that universities refrain from participating and supporting a practice that is discriminatory and sometimes illegal. In offering only paid internships and cooperative education opportunities, universities would benefit more of their student population and avoid urging on additional legal disputes.
“Take This Internship and Shove It” by Anya Kamenetz is about the declining state of jobs for new college graduates or current college students. Anya Kamenetz is attempting to prove that internships, particularly unpaid internships, are part of the problem of new graduates finding employment in their field of study. Kamenetz is also trying to prove internships are harmful to the job market in general. Kamenetz describes internships as “fake jobs” and states internships cause low wages and decline in young workers being part of a union. When an employer can hire someone for free he or she is more likely to do so instead of spending company money on a paid employee. Employers get away with these practices because with an already troubling job market, new graduates worry about finding jobs in their field. Colleges are either requiring students to participate in an internship to graduate or are pushing that internships are the gateway to careers. Kamenetz points out that two-thirds of college students are receiving loans to help pay for their education and it is harmful to the individual to work for free when that time is essential to make money to pay for living and school expenses.
Internships completed by students in certain degree programs are quite popular in most colleges and universities. An internship is used so classroom based learning in a degree program can be applied to practical situations in the real world (Jordan, Burns, Bedard & Barringer, 2007). When students are placed with an agency, there is a real possibility that a portion of students will witness actions they believe is unethical or illegal. During a study conducted within four universities, many students that participated in an internship program within the criminal justice system reported that they had observed behavior they suspected to be illegal behavior for a law enforcement agency. (Jordan et al. 2007). Due to this ongoing problem, colleges
In this article Nemko is illuminating the issues that our modern society is facing involving higher education. Students are starting off college with bare minimum requirements for next level learning and feeling disappointed when they are not succeeding in their courses. The author acknowledges that the courses being taken by students are sometimes not beneficial to life after college. Nemko states, “A 2006 study supported by the Pew Charitable Trusts found that 50 percent of college seniors scored below ‘proficient’ levels on a test that required them to do such basic tasks…”(525). Students are specializing in areas of learning to in turn be denied to working in that field and stuck with unnecessary skills. “Many college graduates are forced to take some very nonprofessional positions, such as driving a truck or tending bar”( ...
Moreover, internships are great starting blocks for a career. Jeff McGuire explains how in today’s educational system, schools have specialized offices and employees whose primary responsibility is to help you...
The importance of doing pro bono work as part of legal education is something that law students should take into account, not only due to the benefits it provides, both in developing key legal skills within a real-life context and enhancing graduate employability, but also because its charitable nature gives them a sense of having “given back” to their community by aiding those who seek out legal advice.
In 1998, a study done by the Higher Education Research Institute and the University of California, Los Angeles reported that “30 percent of college undergraduates reported taking a ‘service-learning’ course.” The next year, the percentage of college freshmen who had experience as volunteers jumped all the way up to 75 (Perry 96). Writer Joellen Perry states that between the years of 1984 and 1997, “the number of high schoolers involved in service-learning leapt an astonishing 3,663 percent” (96). This proves that high schools must already know that colleges look at how involved students are in their communities. Therefore, it should not be seen as a necessity to require public service from students before they are allowed to enroll in
Universities have recently started allowing students to volunteer for nonprofit groups and as a payment or reward they can receive lower college expenses or even free college. This is letting the students decide if they want to work for their education and walk out without or little debt. By doing this we are giving students a learning experience on how you can earn what you want rather than letting them pay their way through college. Colleges that have tried this solution have noticed a great amount of success (Laboissiere). Students are taking the opportunity serious and tend to take their education more serious, since they already “worked” for
Various types of unpaid work are performed by individuals in the workplace itself and often misrecognized as volunteer work. As with
Internships play an important role in the career development and recruitment process of young professionals and soon-to-be college graduates. Internships come in two forms: paid and unpaid. Paid internships are most commonly procured in the private sector or in organizations that have financial stability to pay students to gain experience and learn while they work. Unpaid internships are becoming increasingly common in the current workplace where some businesses are cutting costs and downsizing due to economic struggles. The following paper will show the negative effects of unpaid internships and how unpaid internships challenge ethical business practices.
The first leg of the editorial 's argument rests on Hastings non-discrimination policy covering all student groups equally, thereby achieving viewpoint neutrality. According to Hastings, their policy “permits political, social, and cultural student organizations to select officers and members who are dedicated to a particular set of ideals or bel...
This review will critique Claire Callender and David Wilkinson (2008) journal article it will unpicks ‘students’ perceptions’, of bursaries and what, if any, are the implications, which may underpin ‘decisions’ and ‘choices’ when deciding to attend university. Subsequently, the article looks at the effects of the National Scholarship Program (2012), whilst evaluating its effectiveness for undergraduates. As well, exploring government ‘reforms’ plus what effects these may have on student involvement in the higher education route, Callender et al (2008), furthermore, looking into how these changes influence student knowledge and understanding of the funding streams available to them. This report will compare and contrast
...use internships are becoming more and more popular with the overall student body. Business internships are key to creating the better businessman or woman.
At first, I was very skeptical about the whole concept of an internship. Given the size of Providence, an organization that spans five states and employs over 82,000 people, I felt like a drop of water in a vast ocean. The idea of learning anything in such environment seemed unrealistic, let alone contributing to the organization’s growth. Most of all, I was conflicted by the notion of giving 200 hours of my life away without any sort of monetary compensations. In addition to incurring an implicit and explicit cost during my internship at Providence, after doing calculations I came to a conclusion that I would have made at least $2000 over the course of ten weeks if I were to take a part-time minimum wage job. From the economic feasibility perspective, I was losing money instead of making money. At the time, it seemed a preposterous idea to continue doing what I was doing, but in retrospect, the long-term impact of internship on my future career and personal development is priceless.
ability to establish a professional work ethos as well as developing skills needed to maintain a work life balance. Through all the experiences gained from this internship, it has provided skills such as multitasking in a fast paced office setting, keen organizational skills, and improvement on communicating in a professional workplace as well as the ability to handle situations as they arise.
A flower does not get to choose its garden, and neither does a child his birthplace, but taking advantage of the opportunities given should be a priority in any human. Nonetheless here in the land of the free too often the words, “I cannot understand my teacher, I am going to drop.” Or “This is too hard, I will take it next semester” enter the thoughts of the youth of America. In other words, these phrases characterize the mentally weak society that has been corrupted by overindulgence. In this case some of these kids do not even grasp the concept of work ethic; understanding how hypocritical this may sound coming from a college student, an undeniable truth must be stated. Higher education is no longer a privilege to obtain enlightenment. Instead