I’m really pleased that NUS is working with the TUC, Intern Aware, the NUJ, Hazel Blears and others to campaign against unpaid internships. All across the country – students; staff working in colleges, universities and students’ unions; interns, some with positive experiences, some with terrible experiences are working together to make the support and regulations fairer for interns.
Internships – unpaid, unfair, illegal
As our campaign sets out, unpaid internships are profoundly unfair – they break one of the most basic tenets of workplace justice, that a day’s labour deserves a day’s pay. And given that internships are often a major route into many of our most competitive professions, they present a profound barrier to fair access – a barrier that says if you can’t afford to work for free, you can’t get onto this career path. For many professions- it seems almost expected of people- that in media, fashion, even the 3rd sector, that to get on the first rung of the ladder, you simply have to work for free. It doesn’t help anyone to fill the influential posts in our society with white middle-class kids from the South.
I experienced it myself, 4 years ago when I did an internship in the media… although I’ve only just realised it was illegal. So why have I only just realised? Was it that I failed to realise …no I was certainly aware it was unpaid, but it was advertised as work experience and hence I didn’t bat an eyelid over it at the time, despite the fact I was doing set hours- set tasks, no I didn’t make cups of tea…but that’s because they were rather tight and expected us to buy our own!! And this is the worrying thing- they are represented to us as a fact of life, something we are just expected to endure.
They’re not just profoundly unfair – they are quite straightforwardly illegal! As others have pointed out, minimum wage legislation is really quite clear on this – if you are required to turn up to a place of work for specific hours, and have particular duties which would not otherwise be undertaken, you must be paid.
It isn’t then a question of employers acting morally – employers first and foremost need to start obeying the law. Pay your interns - and then we can start talking about how you treat them well.
NUS has been doing work on internships for a long time now, as part of our Society and Citizenship Zone – and it is a key priority for us over the coming year. You can find out more about our campaign at www.nus.org.uk/unpaidinternships.
I have to say at this stage that this area of NUS’ work is something I am incredibly proud of – where our work extends beyond the direct of interests of students, and thinks about the world we live in, the world we will enter once we finish our studies, and the type of world we wish to create.
NUS focus – University Careers Services
Alongside our more general work on this campaign, NUS will, together with local students’ unions from across the country, be focussing particularly over the next few months on university careers services.
We know that many careers services continue to advertise unpaid internships – this helps to sustain both their existence, and to contribute towards the idea that they are somehow acceptable. They are not, and our universities should not be suggesting through their actions that they are.
We have produced materials for students’ unions to use in their local campaigns – and please do get in touch if you would like to receive any of these.
NUS stunt – the Devil Pays Nada
We’re also working together with students’ unions, Intern Aware and others to raise the profile of this issue in different industries.
The fashion industry is one of the worst culprits for employing unpaid interns. Join Intern Aware and LSE to protest against this practice at 9.45am, Friday 17 February at Somerset House, London at the press launch for London Fashion Week genius title whoever came up with it- Devil pays Nada!
I hope that you might be able to join us - the theme for the event is 'fashion victims' so do dress up as you see fit!
Unpaid internships are unfair and illegal – I am confident that together that we can end this exploitative practice and open up access to the professions. It’s a huge challenge- it’s not a populist issue- often labelled as only affecting the Oxbridge grads- when really we all know- that that’s precisely the reason we want interns paid- one important step in opening them up to those of all backgrounds.