4 ms·

> Do not leave anything to ambiguity - Turns out this is one of the hardest things to do, especially in "friendly" negotiations with investors you know or frien

> Do not leave anything to ambiguity - Turns out this is one of the hardest things to do, especially in "friendly" negotiations with investors you know or friends you might be hiring. Don't assume that something you think is implied is agreed upon. Every point that you negotiate should be made explicitly. This wouldve saved me a lot. I just did an internship that was supposed to be paid, or at least thats what i understood out of my talk with the person in charge of accepting me for it. Turns out when i asked for my money i got something along the lines of "well i said we'd see if i wanted to pay you or not" Edit: and there was no contract or anything written so i guess im pretty much screwed.

troels 12y ago
Edit: and there was no contract or anything written so i guess im pretty much screwed. Depends on your jurisdiction. Depending on how long you worked and how vindictive you feel, perhaps talk to a union rep or a lawyer. Even if you didn't explicitly agree to a particular pay, it may be assumed legally that you get some sort of pay for the job you performed.
lmartel 12y ago
Assuming you're in the US, there are very strict federal laws about what an unpaid intern is allowed to do (from [1]): 1. Interns cannot displace regular employees. 2. Interns are not guaranteed a job at the end of the internship. 3. The employer and the intern(s) understand that the interns are not entitled to wages during the internship period. 4. Interns must receive training from the company, even if it somewhat impedes on the work of the organization. 5. Interns must get hands-on experience with equipment and processes used in the industry. 6. Interns' training must primarily benefit them, not the company. If you were under the impression you'd be paid, they're already in violation of the law (#3). Most likely your internship violated a few other provisions as well; an unpaid internship basically has to be "science camp" to be legal, little productive work can be produced except by accident. [1] http://www.dol.gov/whd/regs/compliance/whdfs71.htm http://www.dol.gov/whd/regs/compliance/whdfs71.htm Edit: And, please do pursue legal action if you have the time and energy to do so, or refer the case to someone who does. Illegal unpaid internships are exploitative and industries reliant on them end up locking out everyone who can't afford to work for free (anyone but the children of the wealthy).
- cryoshon 12y ago
  These laws are all well and good, but in practice: 1. Completely ignored everywhere because it cuts costs to have an intern 2. Obeyed because it protects corporate profits 3. Obeyed because it protects corporate profits 4. Obeyed because that's the only way to extract work/profit from the intern 5. Obeyed because that's the only way to extract work/profit from the intern 6. Completely flagrantly and aggressively ignored 100% of the time, always, everywhere So I guess the laws are strict, but not ever enforced. The intern-ization of corporate US is a pretty well documented situation which has been used to slash costs at the entry level, thus creating a new "entry level" which requires internship experience and pays effectively what a non-free intern used to make.

troels 12y ago

Edit: and there was no contract or anything written so i guess im pretty much screwed. Depends on your jurisdiction. Depending on how long you worked and how vindictive you feel, perhaps talk to a union rep or a lawyer. Even if you didn't explicitly agree to a particular pay, it may be assumed legally that you get some sort of pay for the job you performed.

lmartel 12y ago

Assuming you're in the US, there are very strict federal laws about what an unpaid intern is allowed to do (from [1]): 1. Interns cannot displace regular employees. 2. Interns are not guaranteed a job at the end of the internship. 3. The employer and the intern(s) understand that the interns are not entitled to wages during the internship period. 4. Interns must receive training from the company, even if it somewhat impedes on the work of the organization. 5. Interns must get hands-on experience with equipment and processes used in the industry. 6. Interns' training must primarily benefit them, not the company. If you were under the impression you'd be paid, they're already in violation of the law (#3). Most likely your internship violated a few other provisions as well; an unpaid internship basically has to be "science camp" to be legal, little productive work can be produced except by accident. [1] http://www.dol.gov/whd/regs/compliance/whdfs71.htm http://www.dol.gov/whd/regs/compliance/whdfs71.htm Edit: And, please do pursue legal action if you have the time and energy to do so, or refer the case to someone who does. Illegal unpaid internships are exploitative and industries reliant on them end up locking out everyone who can't afford to work for free (anyone but the children of the wealthy).

cryoshon 12y ago
These laws are all well and good, but in practice: 1. Completely ignored everywhere because it cuts costs to have an intern 2. Obeyed because it protects corporate profits 3. Obeyed because it protects corporate profits 4. Obeyed because that's the only way to extract work/profit from the intern 5. Obeyed because that's the only way to extract work/profit from the intern 6. Completely flagrantly and aggressively ignored 100% of the time, always, everywhere So I guess the laws are strict, but not ever enforced. The intern-ization of corporate US is a pretty well documented situation which has been used to slash costs at the entry level, thus creating a new "entry level" which requires internship experience and pays effectively what a non-free intern used to make.