THIRD SECTOR’S TREATMENT OF INTERNS IS FAR FROM CHARITABLE, SHE SAYS
*GRADUATE FOG EXCLUSIVE*
The legal loophole which currently allows charities to use unpaid interns must be closed, says the Labour MP Hazel Blears, who promised to push for a change in the law to ban the exploitation that has become widespread among not-for-profit organisations.
Speaking at the launch of a year of action on internships by the NUS on Monday, Blears likened the practice of using young, unpaid interns as “Victorian”. It is, she said, “the modern equivalent of sending children up chimneys.”
The event was attended by the TUCs Deputy General Secretary Frances O’Grady, the NUJ General Secretary Michelle Stanistreet, Intern Aware co-founder Gus Baker and NUS Vice President (Society and Citizenship) Dannie Grufferty, among others. When the panel’s discussion moved to the practices in the so-called ‘third sector,’ Blears expressed visible surprise when she heard that charities, social enterprises and NGOs are being allowed to hire unlimited unpaid interns – and that graduates are working for months unpaid in the hope that it might lead to paid work eventually.
After hearing how these organisations are taking advantage of a loophole in the minimum wage law to claim their unpaid interns are ‘voluntary workers’ who are not entitled to pay – even when their placements are full-time and last for six months or more – Blears promised to present a ten minute rule bill to the House of Commons, to close the loophole.
The loophole was originally created to protect the practice of genuine volunteering so that charities would not be forced to pay the minimum wage to those wishing to help out from goodness of their hearts. But there are growing concerns that an increasing number of charities, social enterprises and NGOs have seen it as an easy way to cut their staff costs as they struggle to secure funding and donations.
Graduate Fog has exposed the unethical practice within several of the country’s most well-loved charities. Last year, the National Trust recruited for an “Internship Scheme Co-ordinator” – that’s an unpaid intern to plan and implement their new unpaid internship scheme – lasting six months and not even paying expenses. Oxfam advertised for an unpaid “marketing executive” internship and “research and communications assistant” and Comic Relief recruited for an unpaid “broadcast intern” for a placement lasting three months. Since then, there have been too many more to investigate.
We welcome Blears’ determination to change the current situation for the thousands of interns currently working unpaid in the third sector – but we fear she will find it harder than she expects to outlaw the practice.
While we all know the difference between an intern and true volunteer is obvious to us, it is remarkably difficult to define in absolute terms. (Does it depend on the worker’s motivation for doing it? Or the nature of their relationship with their employer?) And, as the government’s controversial work programme has shown, our politicians seem hell-bent on maintaining the illusion that unpaid work is somehow the solution to youth unemployment. In fact, as most graduates know, it is already a big part of the problem.
However, hard and impossible are very different things. There IS a difference between a volunteer and an intern – and if we can nail it we can push for a change to be enforced.
*DO YOU SUPPORT BLEARS’ PLAN TO BAN UNPAID CHARITY INTERNSHIPS?
Should the practice be outlawed in the third sector – or should not-for-profit organisations be treated differently from private companies? How would you define the difference between a charity intern and a genuine volunteer?
Yes, she’ll find it hard, but this is really great. It is the charity loophole that allows cultural organisations and museums a free ride on free labour; even when some of the same institutions have more than half of their income from non-state and non-charitable sources.
Being a graduate of a Museum Studies program, I find it frustrating that unpaid internships in the museum sector are acceptable, as most museums are registered charities. In this sector, a LOT of previous experience is required before you can even hope to land a paid role. Having held a number of unpaid internships, and still being rejected for jobs due to lack of experience, I will not be able to continue to work for free to gain the experience I need for much longer. Also, a great many museums are re-naming internships as ‘volunteer positions’, and even go so far as to create ‘job’ advertisements for these volunteer roles, highlighting what they are looking for in a volunteer candidate, and what the museum can offer them in return (mostly, experience). These roles essentially offer the same experience as internships, and are targeted at the same market, but the label of ‘volunteer’ role seems to be to be acting as a safeguard against the unpaid internship backlash.
Now, I understand that Museums are constantly fighting for every penny that they can get, and often fall short of the budget goals that they need to meet, especially now that public sector cuts are in full swing. But they are often asking the impossible of graduates, as I apparently need a costly MA, and more experience than I already have (which amounts to over two years of unpaid internship and volunteer positions) to even be considered for an entry level role. If museums are demanding this much from their candidates, why can’t they offer paid internships to those who are working hard to break into the sector? A few museums have recognised this and do aim to offer paid internships when they can, but the vast majority of them do not. Perhaps it’s a case of creating more initiatives for museums to fund paid internships.
It’s a complicated problem, and being on the raw end of the stick, after searching for a paid job in the sector for about a year, I’m a bit frustrated by it all. Of course, it could just be that I’m actually rubbish, and should resign myself to flipping burgers for the rest of my natural life.
It is a pity that when Hazel Blears was in the Labour Government, and before she became entrenched in the expenses scandal, she did not voice her opposition to the Labour Government introducing the Flexible New Deal where, in order to continue to receive benefits, unemployed graduates were treat with utter disdain and contempt by Admin Clerks within Third Party Agencies (such as A4E and Working Links), despatched to a classroom and looked at as if members of a Kindergarten Class, where one of the exercises they had to complete was “Answer 2+2=”.
…. and that is assuming that they did not opt to work in some Charity Shop for 13 weeks for no pay.
Hopefully, Hazel Blears will not attenpt to distance herself from being complicit and culpible from the work of the Government that she was inextricably part of.
@Anonymous I’m sure you’re not rubbish, don’t give up hope!
This is difficult because I’m such a big fan of volunteer work but (having recently witnessed a non-profit organisation blatantly exploiting someone who, while they may be willing to work part-time for free, is receiving no training, no significant career-furthering opportunities and not even basic day-to-day support) I have to say I’m in favour of this plan. We need a better system for all of this! Volunteering has changed my life and (almost certainly) contributed to me finding paid work in the past, but I wouldn’t expect anyone to commit to what is essentially a full-time unpaid job. Better rules and regulations need to be in place regarding what constitutes a volunteer placement – I would suggest that voluntary placements should not be completed on a full-time basis, there needs to be adequate training and support, and the charity or non-profit needs to have an understanding that their volunteer will looking to progress to paid work. They’ll also need to be HONEST about whether or not this is a reasonable expectation. It’s all very well that over-stretched and under-funded charities are grumbling about young volunteers leaving them for paid work – but what on earth do they expect us to do?? It’s just not reasonable to expect someone to live on no income!
On the subject of charities, clearly its not impossible for some of them to pay interns. Here’s one from Brake in Yorkshire!
http://www.graduatesyorkshire.co.uk/jobs/list/29/Internships/vacancies
This should absolutely happen, and its not just with major charities the less well known ones are doing too- and yes this includes the Church. i am doing a 10 month long (part-time) voluntary internship which is unpaid.
My bosses seem to think that a part time job will fall easily into my lap. However, trying to fit one around the days they want me to work for them is incredibly difficult, if not impossible, and i am struggling to afford to live.
I am doing this year to understand what practical ministry is like (as i feel it will help me as i go through the process of working out whether i will be allowed to become a vicar). Yet at the same time i feel unappreciated and very limited in what i can do, particularly considering (in my opinion) that a third of my role was taken away at the start, because they chose to keep the students worker(who is paid) in his role, rather than paying me- which would have helped so much.
Having heard in conversations that the diocese i am working in want to roll the scheme out generally (bearing in mind i am a guinea pig, as my church have never done this before)really concerns me. They know that there are lots of young people/students interested in being a vicar (especially considering they have formed a group for the students). They know that there isn’t much money to pay for people to work for the church. Sadly they also know that they can get away with it, as the church is classed as a charity,… so they are going to exploit the hopes/dreams of these students/young people.
As somebody currently on the scheme this makes me feel uneasy, as well as exploited and undervalued. If i ever get a role of responsibility, where i could possibly implement these schemes, i will make damn sure i pay these graduates/young people properly. Its the least they deserve- by showing them respect and appreciation for the hard work they do.
So please, please Hazel Blears (as a current unpaid intern for a charity) close this loophole so that the young people of today’s world are given the respect they deserve for the hard work they do- without feeling like they cannot leave due to needing a reference to get onto the 1st run of the ladder.