Stop hiring interns for free.

Aj
13 replies
You can either pay them, help them with school credit, or just don’t hire them at all. Everyone justifies the internship that they get to learn something but they also contribute to your company’s growth and... That’s real work.

Replies

Katerina
Great point. Without pay, you automatically exclude certain people from applying. Also, make a learning plan or add some structure so that they can say later more than just "I gained experience", but have something to show.
Rushikesh Kavathekar
"There ain't no such thing as a free lunch".
Yusuke Nishijima
Totally agree. I felt uncomfortable when I worked with a free intern as I could not ask the person to work on something.
Shubh Ajay Agrawal
That is super true. A lot of startups and companies look at interns as unpaid grunt workers. Pay them a stipend and help them learn, cannot pay? Decide a few hours every week where you teach them a marketable skill!
Gleb Braverman
Totally agree! We have couple of them at Gossip helping us out with various tasks and they bring tremendous value and insights!
Alan Lee
Couldn't agree more
Julia Doronina
Totally agree! Because for instance in my case I was an Intern for almost 1 year without any rewards ... Of course it was a great experience, nevertheless, it's very sad
Nihal Bhushan
I do agree with this strongly. There has to be some sort of incentive. There is a fine line between enabling growth for an intern and exploitation.
Preeti Chovoor
Say it louder👏🏽
Mia Pham
I couldn't agree enough! I worked several unpaid internships during school to gain experience. Though I put in the work, what I learned was all just bits and pieces and I wasn't able to set myself aside from other candidates for jobs. The same feedback kept coming back that I did not have enough experience for seemingly entry-level positions. I would only recommend internship programs if the employer plays an active role in structuring and leading the way for interns to learn about their industry in a holistic manner.