THINKING ABOUT WORKING FOR FREE? READ THIS FIRST
Unpaid internships are illegal and unfair. But that doesn’t change the fact that you need to get your career started — and it’s hard to find paid, entry-level jobs.
So, if you can find a way to fund yourself, should you just suck it up and work for free for a bit? It’s your decision. But here are 8 things we think you should know, if you’re wondering ‘Should I do an unpaid internship?’…
1) Your boss will be breaking the law. Good employers pay their interns. The minimum wage law says that if a person fulfils the criteria of being a ‘worker’ (with set hours, set responsibilities and contributing work that’s of value to their employer), they must be paid at least the minimum wage (currently £6.95 an hour if you’re aged 21-24, rising to £7.05 an hour in April 2017). Unpaid internships are only still happening because the law isn’t being enforced effectively. Follow @GraduateFog and @InternAware to join the campaign to get that fixed.
* Two exceptions: Charities can have unpaid workers (the law calls them “volunteer workers”) — but we think even that’s a bit dodgy. Employers can also have unpaid workers if they’re students doing it as credit for their course *
2) You can’t waive your right to wages. If you’re prepared to work for free, why is it anyone else’s business? Because that’s not how the law works. The minimum wage law isn’t just there to protect the individual, it’s there to set a general ‘floor’ below which wages can’t fall – which protects everyone from exploitation. If interns (or waiters, or construction workers, or anyone…) could waive their right to be paid the minimum wage, the whole law would be pointless.
3) Not all unpaid internships are equal. If you’re going to do work for free, make sure your investment is going to look impressive. ‘Impressive’ can mean one of two things: a) working for a big-name employer, or b) doing some really cool stuff during your placement. Two months at a big company that’s a household name looks better on your CV than two months at a smaller one no-one’s heard. And two months doing useful, interesting work as part of a team looks better than two months sorting the post and sharpening pencils on your own. As to which is more valuable: sharpening pencils at a big firm – or doing cool stuff at a small firm? That depends on who’s going to be looking at your CV, and what they care about. Think about the people who will be looking at your CV. Will they be interested to know exactly what you did during your internship? Or are they more interested in what ‘names’ are on your CV?
4) Unpaid internships warp your idea of what you’re worth. Just because you’re being paid zero, that doesn’t mean you work is worth zero. If you weren’t there, would a paid member of staff need to do your duties instead? If yes, you’re worth at least the minimum wage (£50, for an eight-hour day). If you’re doing skilled work, your work is worth even more.
5) If you decide to intern unpaid, for God’s sake keep applying for paid jobs. Thought unpaid internships were a wage-free trial period to test you out before giving you a paid job? Not usually. Nowadays, many employers operate a ‘revolving door’ intern policy, giving them a rotating cast of freebie helpers. In this situations, no-one gets hired at the end of their internship, they just get replaced with another intern (who they sometimes have to train up before they leave). The intern world is murky so there are no stats on this, but on anecdotal evidence we’d estimate that less than 50% of interns are hired into a paid job at the end of their unpaid internship. However ‘nice’ your employer seems to be, never, ever just cross your fingers and hope. Likewise, never extend the internship past its original end date (unless they find the cash to pay you). Eggs and baskets, people.
6) You can claim your wages back later. True story — if you work for free and later decide you want the cash you’re owed, the Pay and Work Rights Helpline will help you claim your ‘back pay’ (for free). The sum you’re awarded will be roughly the amount of hours you worked, multiplied by the hourly minimum wage at the time of your internship. (So, about £1,000 if you worked for a month). Just bear in mind that you’ll be named in the paperwork, so only do this once you’ve got a paid job, a new plan or have decided you couldn’t care less what your old boss thinks of you. If you have any trouble getting what you feel you’re owed, contact Intern Aware.
7) You might not feel ‘lucky’, but you are. Remember, most people can’t afford to work unpaid and in a way you’re perpetuating the system by agreeing to work for free. (We’re not trying to make you feel bad – honest. We just think you should understand the big picture). And – just as you’re luckier than those who can’t afford to work for free at all – there will also be someone even luckier, who can afford to intern unpaid for longer than you. And someone else, who can afford to do it for longer than them…
8) There may be smarter uses of your time. Have you really considered all your options? Are you sure you’re looking for paid jobs in the right places? If you’re using the same job boards everybody uses, test out some others. (Have you seen the Graduate Fog Job Board? We guarantee a reply to every application). What if — instead of working unpaid for six months — you spent that time doing a paid job in a related field — and going to industry events every night, to build your network? Stick around and schmooze afterwards, and you’ll make contacts who could tip you off about proper jobs in the future. That’s right – jobs you’ll actually get paid for! Just imagine that…
*CONSIDERING DOING AN UNPAID INTERNSHIP?
Why have you given up looking for paid jobs? How do you plan to fund your unpaid internship – and how hard will it be to make ends meet? How long can you afford to work for nothing? Or, if you’ve done an unpaid internship, what advice would you give to recent graduates considering it?
EDITOR’S NOTE: This post was originally published in October 2014 and has been completely revamped and updated for accuracy and comprehensiveness
Unpaid internships really should not be. A graduate, undergraduate or school leaver can provide their employer with real value, so, they deserve to be paid.
I’m not sure that number 2 is strictly correct Tanya.
While it is the case that it is not within your personal volition to give up the right to the minimum wage, that does not necessarily mean that you will be breaking the law by attempting to give up that right.
@Mbeare Thanks, I’ve checked the details an re-worded that point slightly 🙂
@Kieran K I agree entirely! One of the things I find most difficult personally is when graduates say they don’t feel they should be paid, as they don’t have experience. Some are even really grateful to their employer for ‘giving’ them this experience.
It breaks my heart that they have bought the lie being spun by so many people – that your contribution has no value unless you have experience. This is simply not true! What can campaigners like me do to tackle this? There is only so much we can do if young people themselves aren’t angry about this issue! I must admit there are days when I ask myself ‘Why am I doing this..?’
Since graduating I have been turned down by every job relevant in my field, the reason being experience.
For this reason, I have been forced to take a job at Subway as the job centre will force me into unpaid work that isn’t within the sector I’d ideally like to work in. My options are now this; work in a pointless job for free, or work in a pointless job for money. All the while I continue to apply for jobs in my desired field and get rejections due to a lack of experience.
I cannot afford to take the time out of my (paid) subway job to gain this experience as I have bills to pay. Alongside this, as time progresses my degree becomes more worthless.
I wish, whilst receiving my student loan for University and without the pressure of the job centre, I had been able to enrol myself onto a 3 month unpaid placement in the summer between second and third year so that I’d have something strong on my CV when graduating other than ‘part time bar staff.’
@Daniel:
Sorry to hear that. What field were you trying to get into?
I’ve heard of things getting so bad for graduates without office experience on their CV that they’ve got friends of friends to fabricate past admin jobs for them so they can try to get out of retail.
Has anyone done an unpaid internship with the intention of suing afterwards for their wages I wonder?
There’s no logic in what you’re saying. I have admin experience (full time in the NHS) and it doesn’t make me more employable. Where did you get the notion that admin is more prestigious than retail?
Beggars can’t be choosers and I would take a retail job if I was offered one.
If there is a job hierarchy then admin and clerical are at the bottom of the pile. A graduate employer doesn’t care if you can do that kind of work as a teenager can do it. Oh you can answer phones, process documents and file paperwork? Woop de fucking do…
I’ve said it before on here, a lot of the people with true graduate jobs were already on a graduate scheme beforehand and the others went to the best unis, did erasmus or have connections / connections.
* Should say connections / money but the two are synonymous in this country I suppose.
@Richard
Thanks for your comments. While I agree that having any pre-existing contacts / connections is certainly helpful (friends or family etc), it is very possible to create your own network from scratch. This is something I always advise graduates to do, especially when trying to break into competitive industries where unpaid work is rife (media, politics, fashion etc).
For example, events (often free) are a brilliant opportunity for networking, which graduates under-use in my opinion. There is so much going on, so go to stuff related to your field. Stick around and speak to people afterwards, get their business card, email them the next day, etc. When graduates claim to be ‘passionate’ about their chosen field and ‘desperate’ to break in yet they haven’t left the house to actually go to any events recently, I start to doubt their true commitment. This may sound harsh but it’s true!
Additionally, you and I have talked before about how important attitude is, and I’m going to point out again (!) that this whole ‘beggars can’t be choosers’ narrative is unlikely to be helping you with your job hunt. Nor is the attitude that everyone else is getting ahead because of their connections, because it just isn’t true. Connections help, but you can get your career going without them.
I also want to remind you that lots of people will read any comments you post on GF, and making sweeping statements / long generalised whinges about how unfair the job market is are not helpful to other readers. So please before you comment next time can you bear this in mind and take a moment to re-frame your point as a question? Then perhaps other readers will be able to offer advice or ideas to help you. Otherwise, you’re just going round in circles and dragging other readers into your vortex of despair, which isn’t very neighbourly (!).
PS. I know we often feel passionately about things on GF but if you swear again in a comment I’ll unapprove it. Thanks.
PPS. I don’t mean to be harsh but I have to consider the wellbeing of all Graduate Fog’s users, not just you. And while it’s okay to talk about why you’re disappointed that you didn’t get a certain job, etc, and seek advice for next time, I think it’s important to try to keep discussion on this website constructive where possible. My site, my rules 🙂
You’re the one making sweeping generalisations – about my job search.
I said “beggars can’t be choosers” because I am not snobbish about retail work… What is wrong with that?
“not everyone else is getting ahead because of their connections”. You have just contradicted youself. You just said that you advise graduates to network.
I see there is no room for debate on this website so I’ll leave. Could be why this website is dead…
A Judge has already ruled that, if a candidate is subject to a defacto Contract of Employment, then no party may waive the entitlement of the candidate to National Minimum Wage, and it is already becoming increasingly likely that (as in the case of Uber Drivers etc), employers may not ignore their legal responsibilities in paying the state their fair share of tax and national insurance.
On the admin hierarchy point:
I’m definitely treated differently and called “sir” more often when I wear a suit for more my near minimum wage admin job, and I do get the impression some white collar staff still think of themselves as above people in the service sector even if they earn the same.
Plus some traditional graduate roles are essentially better paid, more specialised admin to a degree, eg much done by solicitors in civil law, many Civil Service roles. Hence why they are also vulnerable to automation.
There does seem to be more full time admin work than full time retail work too.
I was once in the “vortex of despair” and when you are in that rut it is hard to get out.
On Wednesday I am going to get a paycheck of over £1400 and now I am in the world of employment it is like the unemployed me was a completely different person. The pressure DWP were putting on me left me on antidepressants and moved me further from the labour market. So easy to judge until you end up in the system.
I got into employment by following the opposite of the advice Tanya gives here. I started off with the attitude that ‘If I don’t value my labour why would anyone else?’ That resulted in a growing CV gap in the middle of a recession.
I advised someone on their housing rights today. Without gaining that experience in a voluntary capacity first I would not have got hired for my current role. My employer considers it the job of someone else to train entry level employees. Candidates who are not basically doing the same job already do not get hired.
Seeing the job hunting process from the other side is quite revealing.
My employer will not hire you if you do not have relevant experience which amounts to working in the industry already doing a near identical role. It is someone else’s job to provide that initial experience.
On Friday I heard that a candidate could not be appointed as they would need to be trained up.
At the same time we are struggling to recruit industry candidates because these people already have a job and so are not looking!
This is the attitude candidates are up against.
I agree with what AlexW is getting at re retail.
I worked in retail during the recession and it damaged my CV. Employers simply couldn’t see past it when I was going for interviews. I was asked its relevance to the role I was applying for? Why was I working in retail if I was so committed to industry x? Why was I working in retail given I had a first from a top uni?
Mostly boomers whose only experience of the recession was reading about in the Evening Standard on the commute home.
A “survival” job might be a necessity during a period like the last recession but what happens when the economy improves? My experience was that graduate employers prefer the new grads over people like me who were working non-graduate roles.
Again unpaid experience in a relevant industry might be preferable but not everyone is in a position to be able to do that.
That’s a very valuable information you have provided here and yes it will be nice addition to your resume if you do an internship. and it will be a great learning experience.Thanks a lot for sharing this article.