4 ms·

Unpaid internships are legal in the United States. I know of a few businesses that build these internships into their model as a way of keeping costs down. The

by zecho 16y ago

Unpaid internships are legal in the United States. I know of a few businesses that build these internships into their model as a way of keeping costs down. The Department of Labor has a smell test for them: http://www.dol.gov/whd/regs/compliance/whdfs71.htm http://www.dol.gov/whd/regs/compliance/whdfs71.htm

AndyParkinson 16y ago
The link to the DOL is broken. Any chance you can give the name of the "smell test"?
- zacharycohn 16y ago
  "The following six criteria must be applied when making this determination: 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; 2. The internship experience is for the benefit of the intern; 3. The intern does not displace regular employees, but works under close supervision of existing staff; 4. The employer that provides the training derives no immediate advantage from the activities of the intern; and on occasion its operations may actually be impeded; 5. The intern is not necessarily entitled to a job at the conclusion of the internship; and 6. The employer and the intern understand that the intern is not entitled to wages for the time spent in the internship." Source: [pdf] http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&cd=1&ved=0CBQQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dol.gov%2Fwhd%2Fregs%2Fcompliance%2Fwhdfs71.pdf&ei=Q-SATfeZJ4a-sAOkid2OBg&usg=AFQjCNG_RJ4Ukq4Tn76HTyADk_tYljlrgg http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&cd=1&v...
  - zecho 16y ago
    Thank you. The page I linked to worked when I linked it.
    - zacharycohn 16y ago
      Sure. When I was looking I found a few dead links on government sites too.
  - mode0 16y ago
    I read an example on the net once that might clarify the "no immediate advantage" thing. The guy was talking about working at a rail yard. At the end of the day, train cars were driven back into the yard for maintenance and/or storage. Interns were not allowed to do that, since it benefited the company. So the cars had to be moved back into the yard, then one or two were taking back out so interns could drive them back. Kind of odd, I know.
swecker 16y ago
"I know of a few businesses that build these internships into their model as a way of keeping costs down." According to those regulations posted we see that a business can't legally have an unpaid intern to keep costs down. The pros for an unpaid intern would be; 'Intern gets experience,' and 'business has potential future employee.' Whereas the pros for a paid intern would be; 'Intern gets experience plus compensation,' and 'business gets profitable labor, and has potential future employee.'
- zecho 16y ago
  You're absolutely right, but it's hard to enforce. I'm not saying it's right, but this kind of thing happens all the time in old media jobs and elsewhere. For example, if I brought you in as an intern and showed you how to write a story that's technically training, but your story may very well displace another reporter's story, too. Young workers live with it because they want to build portfolios and work experience.

by zecho 16y ago

AndyParkinson 16y ago

The link to the DOL is broken. Any chance you can give the name of the "smell test"?

zacharycohn 16y ago
"The following six criteria must be applied when making this determination: 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; 2. The internship experience is for the benefit of the intern; 3. The intern does not displace regular employees, but works under close supervision of existing staff; 4. The employer that provides the training derives no immediate advantage from the activities of the intern; and on occasion its operations may actually be impeded; 5. The intern is not necessarily entitled to a job at the conclusion of the internship; and 6. The employer and the intern understand that the intern is not entitled to wages for the time spent in the internship." Source: [pdf] http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&cd=1&ved=0CBQQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dol.gov%2Fwhd%2Fregs%2Fcompliance%2Fwhdfs71.pdf&ei=Q-SATfeZJ4a-sAOkid2OBg&usg=AFQjCNG_RJ4Ukq4Tn76HTyADk_tYljlrgg http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&cd=1&v...
- zecho 16y ago
  Thank you. The page I linked to worked when I linked it.
  - zacharycohn 16y ago
    Sure. When I was looking I found a few dead links on government sites too.
- mode0 16y ago
  I read an example on the net once that might clarify the "no immediate advantage" thing. The guy was talking about working at a rail yard. At the end of the day, train cars were driven back into the yard for maintenance and/or storage. Interns were not allowed to do that, since it benefited the company. So the cars had to be moved back into the yard, then one or two were taking back out so interns could drive them back. Kind of odd, I know.

swecker 16y ago

"I know of a few businesses that build these internships into their model as a way of keeping costs down." According to those regulations posted we see that a business can't legally have an unpaid intern to keep costs down. The pros for an unpaid intern would be; 'Intern gets experience,' and 'business has potential future employee.' Whereas the pros for a paid intern would be; 'Intern gets experience plus compensation,' and 'business gets profitable labor, and has potential future employee.'

zecho 16y ago
You're absolutely right, but it's hard to enforce. I'm not saying it's right, but this kind of thing happens all the time in old media jobs and elsewhere. For example, if I brought you in as an intern and showed you how to write a story that's technically training, but your story may very well displace another reporter's story, too. Young workers live with it because they want to build portfolios and work experience.