The Ethics of Internships

As Nick Clegg drives forward a new policy to end unpaid internships I find myself reflecting on the ethics of internships.  

As I fast approach a year’s worth of internships, both paid and unpaid, there is no doubt in my mind that there is great experience to be gained, invaluable lessons to be learnt and hopefully a step further to be taken in finding that dream job..   

However, as Clegg has now started to acknowledge, the reality is that unless you are supported through an unpaid internship it is very difficult, near impossible to take advantage of the various job placements that are available.

Is it therefore ethical for companies to exploit the market by abusing the free labour which is available to them?

The competitive nature of interning means that companies can demand a great deal when they are advertising for an intern, more often than not for a graduate, with a good degree, from a good university and in some cases with relevant experience and background. It goes without saying that they must be willing to work full time, unpaid, from anywhere between one month and six.

If the job the intern gets is one worth doing, then by definition it is adding value to the company;  value that would ordinarily be paid for but is not as a result of the thousands of jobless graduates ‘willing’ to work for free.

Regardless of the pressure put on the government to produce some guidelines on unpaid internships it has taken until now for them to start thinking seriously about subject.

Prior to Clegg’s changes, the House of Commons were offering the following guidelines to its members:

"As soon as they [interns] are expected to be at work at specific times or to complete specific work, they are no longer volunteers but employees and some employment legislation will apply, such as the minimum wage." Which seems very confused and unclear.

To add to the confusion, the guidelines contradicted the ‘work for an mp’ website (http://www.w4mp.org/) where several unpaid internships were advertised to work full time for a period of around three months. It will be now interesting to see whether Clegg’s new rules of travel expenses and lunch of up to £5 for lib dem interns will make a real difference to opening up opportunities.

An intern is not an employee, but nevertheless and an employer still has a duty to take care especially in the current climate when it is so difficult for graduates to find full time employment. If the employer is looking to enhance its reputation by providing opportunities for young people it should treat them fairly; in the end they will be positive advocates for the company.

What it will come down to is whether Clegg’s push to end unpaid internships will be powerful enough to facilitate real change.