There’s a tradition that has grown up in the UK, particularly, but not exclusively, in the Media industry to ’employ’ free interns. Although the law limits how long you can do this for, they get round it by calling them ‘volunteers’. In theory, the experience looks good on a CV, and might even get the intern a job in the company where they are interning.
That’s how it’s sold. And in some cases, it’s true. My partner’s daughter got her first PR job through interning and has never looked back. Unfortunately, however, too many companies are just exploiting young people who are desperate to get a foot on the career ladder.
And the Media industry is sexy, so people tolerate this behaviour. Sadly, Ebenezer Scrooge is alive and well the whole year round, not just at Christmas.
Peter Cappelli, Professor of Management at the Wharton School of business has recently written a hard hitting article in the Harvard Business Review about the low wage culture in the USA and the double standards of large Corporates who claim to be into Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). In the USA, like the UK, it’s very hard to live on minimum, so-called ‘living’ wage rates.
Here’s what Capelli has to say on the subject.
having a good time, but inside feeling sickly empty and unable to see the point or purpose in life. On the outside it looked fine; on the inside it was lonely and deeply, deeply unhappy. Because I’d lost touch with joy and happiness, I saw everything through a ‘miserable’ filter. Even when something wonderful was staring me in the face, I’d see the negative or the unhappy.
Puzzled, I went to get a hot chocolate, and took it to a bench in a secluded bit of the park. I’d pretty much finished it, and put the top back on, when I spotted a squirrel, running along the bench on the other side of the table. It kept poking its head up, largely ignoring me. I realised it could smell the chocolate. So it began a dance to get at the chocolate, coming close and then ducking down, then coming closer. Jumping on the table, then fixing me with a long hard stare. A couple of times it grabbed the cup, but backed off, frustrated because it couldn’t get in. If I’d wanted fleas or a sharp bite I could have touched the thing. Again, close up flash photography didn’t really seem to faze it.
