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Free for all

Civitas, 6 April 2011

The mudslinging has started, the rhetoric is now in full flow and the cries of hypocrisy have begun to get louder. Unpaid internships. What, oh what, are we to do? On the one hand, a valuable exercise and CV trophy, on the other, a period of being a wage-slave without even the wage. As Nick Clegg claims, are we undermining social mobility by offering unpaid internships? Probably not.

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Wading into the debate over whether Clegg, or any others are hypocritical for their views on unpaid internships is a good way to avoid the argument.

Clegg claims unpaid internships are discriminating against the less well off, and as they are a vital leg-up in the world of work, this is a real hand-tied-behind-the-back problem. Without the internships they can’t afford, the best jobs will be closed off to them and social mobility will be stunted.

This may be true to a limited degree, but the majority of highflying internships are paid and those that aren’t are a reflection of the tough economic times. Major banks, law firms and consulting bodies all offer remuneration, negating Clegg’s argument, while others that aren’t paid are still satisfied by the quality of intern they bring in. If people didn’t want them, there would be no takers. The real unpaid phenomenon appears to be concentrated in the world of Westminster – perhaps his announcement was the sign of a guilty conscience…

Are unpaid politico roles socially backward? As MP Jake Berry said, his unpaid internships were ‘more along the lines of work experience’. This holds true for a significant number of wageless positions. Their length is often less than paid ones, weeks rather than months, and their responsibilities fewer. It would be a folly to rely on someone who isn’t actually obliged to turn up for work in the morning.

In these short periods, the intern is likely to be getting far more out of the experience than the employer, who will be training someone up and may only get a few weeks’ real productivity. The tables then turn when the length increases and the employer is gaining a real asset – and should pay for the privilege.

Other than the obvious free labour, which some companies will inevitably exploit, unpaid internships make it easier to hire – knowing that your intern isn’t workshy means recruiting is much easier and for some SMEs, the ability to offer unpaid roles could mean the difference between deciding whether to take on a new employee in the first place.

The real issue is perhaps less socio-economic than geographic. The vast majority of internship-offering firms are in London, and if you don’t live in or around the city, hard cheese. There are few, regardless of class, who could afford to rent temporarily in London for the duration of an internship, and at that level, whether it is paid or unpaid will make little difference.

Interestingly, given many unpaid internships cover travel expenses, this can be a better bet for some interns living in far flung locations with huge travel costs that the minimum wage but no travel expenses could not cover.

Does there need to be a resolution? Perhaps – Clegg raises an interesting if precarious point, but there should really be a limit to the time one can work unpaid. The real problem, of London being inaccessible, is something neither Clegg nor the Government can do anything about, except maybe to significantly lower the outrageous cost of train travel etc, making it affordable to commute in and out of the city.

Like the minimum wage, the unpaid internship has voracious defenders and opponents, but for once, it would be good to see the political argument based in reality rather rhetoric.

(In the interests of openness: Civitas offers unpaid internships up to a maximum of 6 weeks. Paid internships are offered for a commitment of three or more months)

2 comments on “Free for all”

  1. “Major banks, law firms and consulting bodies all offer remuneration, negating Clegg’s argument, while others that aren’t paid are still satisfied by the quality of intern they bring in. If people didn’t want them, there would be no takers”

    1. And you, were did you get your figures exactly, in order to be based “in reality rather rhetoric” ?

    2. If people “want” internships, it is because they are necessary to get jobs. Hence the system does feed itself. It is directly linked to the concentration of decision making in the hands of a few, within the current political and economic configuration. Would you say about 50 years old african women who clean your toilets that they “want” their jobs, instead of realizing they just need the money to feed their children?

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