{"id":950,"date":"2013-07-15T22:06:00","date_gmt":"2013-07-15T22:06:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/admin.patheos.com\/blogs\/janetheactuary\/2013\/07\/unpaid-interns.html"},"modified":"2013-07-15T22:06:00","modified_gmt":"2013-07-15T22:06:00","slug":"unpaid-interns","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/janetheactuary\/2013\/07\/unpaid-interns.html","title":{"rendered":"Unpaid interns?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

The (Chicago) Tribune featured another article on lawsuits by unpaid interns, which I\u2019d link to here, but I read the Trib in paper form, and much of the online version is behind a paywall (good for them \u2014 I hated paying for content they were otherwise giving away).\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0But nonetheless, for those who say that unpaid internships are a matter of free choice:<\/span>
\u00a0<\/span>
I own a business selling widgets \u2014 well, artisanal widgets, on etsy.com; I want to hire my unemployed neighbor, but I can\u2019t afford to pay the minimum wage.\u00a0 I suggest to her that I pay $5 an hour, and she agrees, because she hasn\u2019t been able to find work elsewhere and besides, I manufacture my widgets in my basement, so she\u2019d save on commuting costs.\u00a0 <\/span><\/p>\n

Now revenues are growing and I put out the word that I\u2019m looking to hire a second employee.\u00a0 Two more neighbors come by and tell me they\u2019re interested.\u00a0 (Times are really hard.)\u00a0 I figure, if a $5 an hour employee is good, a $4 an hour employee would be even better, so I lay it all out and ask each of them, how low a wage would you accept to get the job over your competitor, and neighbor #3 willingly undercuts neighbor #2.\u00a0 I\u2019ve now got my $4 an hour employee.<\/span><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

I\u2019m starting to get nervous now, though \u2014 revenues are growing.\u00a0 What if one of my employees complains?\u00a0 I get my lawyer involved, and have him draw up a contract, stating that I\u2019m providing an internship in making artisanal widgets with a stipend of $160 per week.\u00a0 I then put the word out that I need an intern to design a marketing plan; heck, this time I don\u2019t even bother with a salary, but I just reassure the student that her summer\u2019s efforts will result in a great portfolio for future employers and a fantastic resume once Artisanal Widgets, LLC takes off.<\/span><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>Now I\u2019m doing pretty well for myself, so I decide to treat myself, and I hire a housekeeper (paid in cash), a nanny (paid in cash), and a lawn-mowing serivce (paid in cash) \u2014 all of whom give me great deals because they don\u2019t have to report the income or pay self-employment taxes.<\/span><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>When did I cross the line?<\/span><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>From the moment I wrote that first $200\/week paycheck?\u00a0 \u2014 and not because I did anything against my employee\u2019s will \u2014 she agreed to it \u2014 but because we as a country have agreed that the greater good is served by requiring a minimum wage, regardless of whether any given worker is willing to work for less.\u00a0 <\/span><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

If so, then why is it OK to pay interns nothing at all?<\/span><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

There simply is no credible case for unpaid internships without also arguing for abandoning the minimum wage (except for nonprofits and government agencies where volunteer work is appropriate), but there are middle-ground solutions.\u00a0 For a typical case where the intern does a mix of low-level gofer\/office work and job shadowing, an employer could differentiate between \u201clearning\u201d time (e.g., shadowing) as unpaid and \u201cgopher\u201d time as paid so that the internship is a combination of part-time job and additional learning time.\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0For a case where an intern produces a body of work (e.g., articles for a publication, video pieces in the entertainment industry, a marketing campaign, etc.), the employer could pay on a freelance basis.\u00a0\u00a0 For a case where the staff at the employer spend a significant amount of time providing the intern with training, either one-on-one or in a classroom setting with a group, track and take credit for it in the manner of a \u201ccourse fee\u201d to be netted out of the paycheck for the \u201cgrunt work\u201d portion of the workday.\u00a0 <\/span><\/div>\n
<\/span>\u00a0<\/div>\n
There are<\/em> answers out there, and there are no excuses for failing to follow the law!<\/span><\/div>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The (Chicago) Tribune featured another article on lawsuits by unpaid interns, which I\u2019d link to here, but I read the Trib in paper form, and much of the online version is behind a paywall (good for them \u2014 I hated paying for content they were otherwise giving away).\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0But nonetheless, for those who say that […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2209,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-950","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\nUnpaid interns?<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The (Chicago) Tribune featured another article on lawsuits by unpaid interns, which I'd link to here, but I read the Trib in paper form, and much of the\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, 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