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.
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”( ...
“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.
An industry that once promoted fairness and attainability was now itself becoming an obstacle to overcome. “American universities are in fact organized according to middle- and upper-class cultural norms or rules of the game and that these norms do indeed constitute an unseen academic disadvantage for first-generation college students transitioning to university settings” (Stephens et. al, 2012). This proposed characteristic serves as an almost uncontrollable and unchangeable disadvantage that students will likely fail to subdue. Institutions should serve as mediating platforms that allow students to start at impartial grounds, where their talents, abilities and connections are the only factors that can influence their
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...
Natasha Rodriguez’s, “Who Are You Calling Underprivileged,” is relatable to students all around and helps to shine light on a potentially damaging label that colleges place on their students. As stated in her article, “Misfortune, like beauty is in the eye of the beholder” and by making a simple change from calling students “underprivileged,” to “a student in need,” can make a world of a difference in a student’s life.
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
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.
While she was an unpaid intern at a newspaper in her senior year, her sister is getting a volunteer and part-time job during the summer (191). By giving two examples of internships, she claims that unpaid internship is not “the best preparation for success” but she doesn’t explain why taking unpaid internship is wrong. She had not have any bad experience with unpaid internship as well. Right after that, she jumps to the issue that the growth of unpaid internships would have a bad influence for the labor market and for some careers. By raising another issue right after one, she is guilty of a slippery slope fallacy because of her assumption that unpaid internships affect the economy
Knouse, Tanner, Jr. and Harris, E. W. (1999). The Relation of College Internships, College Performance, and Subsequent Job Opportunity. Journal of Employment Counseling, 36: 35–43.
Various types of unpaid work are performed by individuals in the workplace itself and often misrecognized as volunteer work. As with
...use internships are becoming more and more popular with the overall student body. Business internships are key to creating the better businessman or woman.
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
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.
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
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.