The Boom in Internships
http://thekojonnamdishow.org/shows/2011-05-18/boom-internships
They don't just get coffee and make copies. Today, internships are encouraged by most parents and colleges, and exist in almost all industries. But are they the first step on a career path... or free labor -- or both? And what does the intern boom tell us about the values of the American workplace?
Guests
Ross Perlin
author, Intern Nation: How to Earn Nothing and Learn Little in the Brave New Economy (Verso)
Comments
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I would hope that Mr Perlin would recognize The Internship Institute, a non-profit dedicated to best practices in internships. A free online seminar on unpaid internships is being offered next Wednesday, May 25th. GO to the TII website to register: www.internshipinstitute.org.
The Director of TII is also the Intern Lady, a resident of Washington DC who works with young people to move them into the World of Work with success.
I would hope that Mr Perlin would recognize The Internship Institute, a non-profit dedicated to best practices in internships. A free online seminar on unpaid internships is being offered next Wednesday, May 25th. GO to the TII website to register: www.internshipinstitute.org.
The Director of TII is also the Intern Lady, a resident of Washington DC who works with young people to move them into the World of Work with success.
Though Mr Perlin is gaining a lot of press right now, I think it is important to understand he is presenting a somewhat lop-sided view of internships. We are one of the largest international internship providers and have been facilitating practical work experiences for students around the world for 10 years now. We have thousands of past participants, hundreds of businesses and universities, not to mention parents and staff who disagree with much of what Mr Perlin claims. Much of it seems to be sensationalism and embellishment to sell his book?
I think Kojo would be wise to ensure there is another voice of reason looking out for the best interest of the value of internships and that not all interns are abused, companies are taking advantage and schools are ignoring...much of which seems to be his position on these matters.
Global Experiences has placed thousands of interns in hundreds of businesses worldwide and have been doing so since Mr Perlin was still an undergraduate at Stanford. I don't believe he has enough perspective, experience or support in the industry or from the community at large to make some of the sweeping statements and to dismiss the opportunity for many to gain some skills, make some contacts and otherwise differentiate themselves from the millions of others graduating each year and moving into one of the worst employment climates in recent memory.
We are based in Annapolis, only 45 mins from your studio, perhaps another voice to lend to the discussion?
Chris, a caller who hires interns without paying them, stated that having this experience on their resume is a special benefit because he is specific about his interns' contributions to his carpet laying business. This is not a special benefit of an internship, but something that comes from working at any job.
Getting valuable experience is no less an outcome of paid work, than it is of unpaid work.
I am an audiologist with a Doctor of Audiology degree from a highly-ranked program in the US. As part of that degree, audiology graduate students complete what is called an externship, a full year of supervised clinical experience, before receiving the degree. Many sites that agree to take externs do so on an unpaid basis, and many more provide what those institutions describe as a stipend, a small amount of money intended to help offset the financial costs of fulfilling the obligations of an extern year. Students are also required to maintain full-time registration in their home graduate school while completing this externship, which may be done nationwide.
Active audiologists are adamant that paying externs is not appropriate, as they are still completing an academic requirement and as such are not yet full professionals. Externs maintain that the costs of the extern year are prohibitive, especially when completed in a high-cost city like New York, Chicago, or Washington DC, without stipend or salary.
How do we ensure that audiology as a profession is not excluding those students who are not financially independent, and who may be very good audiologists if they could only afford to finish that extern year? Student loans are not always an option, especially if the externship is completed in a state other than that of the home university. How can we as a profession manage the financial requirements of the extern year without excluding potentially excellent students who are not independently wealthy?
The Interior Design Industry is rife with unpaid internships. While some may be justifiable as part of a credit-earning practicum, the majority is for free labor. I know this because I have participated in a couple of such experiences and have been part of a designer on-line discussion regarding the ethics of such practices.
The American Society of Interior Design has been particularly mute about the practice even while they are agressively raising licensing barriers through the US on a state by state basis.
I do believe that there are appropriate ways to integrate new entrants to a field/industry. The Apprenticeship approach seems to be highly valuable - but only when paid.
The proponents of unpaid internships are perpetrating an new age version of the indentured servant.
Labor is worth paying for.
Unpaid internships are unethical.
The Scripps Howard Foundation Semester in Washington Program offers paid internships for college journalism students. We also provide free housing in furnished apartments.
The deadline for spring and summer 2012 is Nov. 1.
To apply, go to: http://www.shfwire.com/