Explain Why Interns Should Not Be Paid Essay

In today’s society, there is constant competition for jobs because of the developing global economy in the country. Companies and business owners search for those well qualified and whom they feel will make them the most successful. One way for college students to stand out to employers is through unpaid internship programs. Unpaid programs such as these can be successful tools, but recent debate has shown that many believe interns should receive compensation. Internships provide very important and unique opportunities that can pave the way for their success. But should not be paid for their efforts because they are already being “paid” in many other significant ways, compensation should not be the end goal, and they are inexperienced students.

There are countless advantages to being an intern for companies and businesses. Raven Rush, a reporter for the BG news, wrote an interesting article about the recent debate nationally over paying interns called, “Student Workers weigh in on national

internship payment debate; see positives, negatives.” In this article are examples of different accounts of many students that have experienced internships and expressed feelings toward them. A quote by Senior Brooke Ranalli in the article states, “I love the company culture at my unpaid internship, and I’m gaining tons of experience” (Rush). She was not upset with the fact that she was not paid for her work. Her internship is important because it could potentially help her find a job with the company she interned for. Job experiences like that also appears great on resumes, which could also help with other job opportunities. Interning helps the individual show their strengths and what they can bring to the table for that career field. They should not expect to be paid because the company has already helped them by giving them the internship in the first place.
In addition, one could also say that money should not be the end goal in the first place. Charles Westerberg, an associate professor of sociology, and Caro Wickersham, who is also an instructor of sociology, wrote an article about how they felt about the subject. “However, the whole point of an internship is to provide students with experiences that are not like what students get in the classroom” (Westerberg, Wickersham 1). In other words, students should not be worried about the money aspect of the program. Although interns still are forced to work hard just like everyone else that is employed, interns who are confused as to why they do not get compensated are at fault. They are at fault because they make the final decision in the process. The company is not forcing them to sacrifice their time. If a company tells a student that they will not receive pay for their effort, then the student can respectfully decline. The main point is that they should be excited that a company is giving them a chance to show them what they can do. Ultimately, it is on the students’ shoulders to know if the internship is fair and meets the criteria for what they intend to gain. Internships are primarily revolved around experience and they are receiving that regardless of not being paid.
Furthermore, there is another vital piece to the puzzle when deciding whether or not companies should pay an intern.

Inexperience is an important, and overlooked aspect to the plug into the final equation of the problem. As a current college student, how to manage employees of a company has not come across the curriculum quite yet. But it certainly would not be difficult to understand how an employer could be hesitant to pay a person that has not had any work experience yet. Since interns usually do not have experience during their college careers, it would be a high-risk decision to compensate them for their work right away. Internships are tools to get students involved and to help them get their foot in the door at a certain company. Students that have not worked in that particular situation are inexperienced and that is not appealing to companies. They may not get paid at the moment, but making those connections and taking advantage of free exposure can only benefit

them.
Multiple interns may argue that they do enough work to be considered a full time employee. A reasonable argument would be profits should be returned back to them because the play a part of creating it to begin with. On the contrary, business along with the economy is not so effortless and easy. There are different factors that need to be taken into account. The BG News article by Raven Rush includes requirements of an internship. The first requirement listed is, “1. The Internship, even though it includes actual operation of the facilities of the employer, is similar to training, which would be given in an educational environment” (Rush). If it would be considered similar to educational training, these students should not be credited with payment. A university does not pay a student that regularly attends school, so why should a company pay a student that is essentially doing the same regardless of the income they create? Another important point is the student is expected to know how the process of an internship works. A business or organization simply does not force people to intern for them. People need to be well informed when choosing to be an intern.
The world today is filled with people that believe in instant gratification without any type of delay. Interns are programs that are beneficial to the participant, but do not deserve to be paid simply because the company has provided them with the opportunities, the training is more valuable, and they do not meet qualifications right away due to inexperience. The economy of the United States has made the job process demanding for people and forces them to display the most credentials as possible to employers. Internships are useful tools for resumes and can give the student a critical head start. There is no doubt money is essential to life, but it is important to understand the true value of making connections.