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Discussion on: Help me understand unpaid internships!

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nicolasini profile image
Nico S___

The rational behind an unpaid internship is that the intern should get, in return for its time and effort:

  • experience in a professional environment
  • learn skills that will be valuable when looking for a job
  • receive mentorship to start/progress its career path

However, this is not always the case. Providing these desired outcomes for the intern required time and effort from the company employees. Not every company is willing to sacrifice "velocity" to train an intern, and often they use interns to do menial tasks.

In my opinion, internships should receive monetary payment, as well as provide the above mentioned outcomes for the intern.

Having said all this, I think it is still worth pursuing an unpaid internship, provided that you are guaranteed to get a favourable outcome, in whatever shape and form.

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joshichinmay profile image
Chinmay Joshi

Thanks for your insights Nico.

Totally valid point,

In my opinion, internships should receive monetary payment, as well as provide the above mentioned outcomes for the intern.