I have perhaps a controversial opinion: If you want a position where you will be working on real things and want lots of input from a senior person, then that

I have perhaps a controversial opinion: If you want a position where you will be working on real things and want lots of input from a senior person, then that probably means them spending at least 1 hour per day working with you directly. That’s about 140 hours over 7 months. At a company cost of $200/hour (minimum in NYC) for a senior developer, this translates to $28,000 of company cost. Why would a company agree to $18000 out of pocket cost in your scenario vs $28000 in an unpaid intern position? I posit that, perhaps, the type of company that would cover $18k cost but not $28k may not be the type of company you want to intern with. Personally I wouldn’t want to hire someone in this way. I’d rather real internship or no internship because I’d be concerned about mixed messages. Have you considered a change of location and finding a real internship? Also remember all this is free internet advice. You have no obligation to agree with any of it.