By Lindsay Sax
College students are applying for internships to gain work experience, but deciding on the right internship can be a tough decision.
More than half of all college student internships are unpaid. With the many unpaid internships available, students may need to weigh the benefits of working without being paid.
“This is a hot topic in the legal realm,” said LeAnn Cunningham, employment relations/ internship coordinator, Career Development. “People are watching closely, at colleges, what has happened.”
In June, a New York judge ruled against Fox Searchlight Pictures in a case brought by unpaid interns. The judge agreed that the interns on the film “Black Swan” were regular employees and the studio benefited from the free labor.
“But those benefits were incidental to working in the office like any other employees and were not the result of internships intentionally structured to benefit them,” said ruling Judge William H. Pauley III. “Searchlight received the benefits of their unpaid work, which otherwise would have required paid employees.”
Cunningham said when students take an unpaid internship and then try and sue for wages that the company will say that the intern knew they were not going to be paid when they agreed to intern.
“[The] Fair Labor Standards Act was changed in 2010. There are six criteria for unpaid internships, and most don’t meet that,” Cunningham said. “Students need to realize they pay for college credit and not being paid for the work they are performing.”
Cunningham said prospective interns need to weigh the benefits of an unpaid internship and that some students cannot afford to work for free.
“Unpaid internships aren’t fair to students who don’t have a choice,” said Cunningham, about some fields that almost require internships to get jobs.
Not all students are interested in internships. Kelsey Loftiss, student, put it simply.
“No, I don’t plan on it. I have no interest,” Loftiss said.
Ryan Palmer, student, agrees with Loftiss in that he does not plan on interning, unless someone found an internship for him. While he thinks they are helpful, there are other things students can be doing.
“I think they’re good, but it’s kind of a tough decision because at the same time you could be doing a job that would pay,” Palmer said. “I don’t know if there are some internships that pay, but from what I’ve heard of there aren’t any.”
If a student does decide to take an unpaid internship there are guidelines for the work performed. First an unpaid internship should be like the training they would acquire in an educational setting. Also interns should be working close with existing staff for the educational benefits. The employer should have the understanding that the duties of the intern should have no immediate benefit to the employer.
If an internship is in a student’s best interest, it is best to start the search early. According to the college’s career development department, students should start looking at least a semester in advance.
Cunningham says that one thing she hears from employers is that applicants need to have a good resume and know about the company they are applying to. She says that the Career Center has the “Business Journal” that students can use to research companies throughout Kansas City.
“You can’t beat a first impression,” Cunningham said. “Dressing appropriately is important in today’s business world.”
Visit the college’s Career Development page for more information: http://www.jccc.edu/career-development/experience-internships. html
Contact Lindsay Sax, copy editor, at lsax@jccc.edu.