love_rat Posted October 4, 2011 Share Posted October 4, 2011 It is somthing that students and young people seem to be doing recently, doing an internship. This means they do work but don't recieve payment. Many people believe that is doing the young person a favour as it gives them valuable work experience and gives them something that goes onto a CV. But would this not make sense to roll this out to other sections of the workforce, such as the over 50s (or any age group). I picked out the over 50s as many are unfamiliar with IT and so would give them a chance to learn about modern technology within a workplace, again, would give valuable experience and look good on a CV. It would also save costs of wages and make companys more viable. Many MPs support using interns, and they themselves allow interns to do work for them. Would you be happy to be an intern, or do you think this should only apply to young people/people leaving university? My opinion is this. You have to be careful of what you support, especially in times of economic woe, if it becomes acceptable for one section of society to be treat in a certain way, then realistically you could argue that another section of society be treated in the same way (that is why I used the over 50 and the IT as an example - many over 50s don't know what a mobile phone is). It becomes a vicious circle, if employers know one section of society can work unpaid, then realistically it puts other sections of society at a disadvantage, because anybody wanting a wage maybe looked on in an unfavourable way. Its similar to agency workers, while many supported the idea of people working without terms and condtions, the people who supported this were not too keen on this type of working condition for themselves. So what is your opinion on interns? a good idea, and should it be rolled out beyond students to other sections of the working population. If you support this, would you be happy to work as an intern yourself? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robwillow Posted October 4, 2011 Share Posted October 4, 2011 I'd happily work for less than the minimum wage if the job was interesting and led to better prospects. Working for nothing at all is a bit harder on a practical level, I'd still do it for an improvement in career prospects. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jessica23 Posted October 4, 2011 Share Posted October 4, 2011 Internships are horrendous. Any industry that expects young people - or any people at all - to work for nothing in order to progress is going to end up being full of people who have enough money to support themselves while not working - i.e. the children of the rich. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
max Posted October 4, 2011 Share Posted October 4, 2011 Intern-ships are elitist in that only those with private means can afford to undertake them. As to your ignorance about the over 50s, who do you think invented computers, children? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VideoPro Posted October 4, 2011 Share Posted October 4, 2011 If they are doing productive work -and most are, they should get paid. Commercial broadcast TV has been employing interns for some years. They get a bunch of kids who start thinking they've got a future in a high paying industry, only to be booted out and replaced with the next batch after 6 months. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich Posted October 4, 2011 Share Posted October 4, 2011 Nothing wrong with working for free, I've been doing it for over 20 years Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LeMaquis Posted October 4, 2011 Share Posted October 4, 2011 I picked out the over 50s as many are unfamiliar with IT and so would give them a chance to learn about modern technology within a workplace, again, would give valuable experience and look good on a CV. Do you think there weren't computer programmers in the 60s and 70s? This post is yet another desperate attempt by someone who must be frustrated that we have a Conservative government that hasn't brought back slavery. There are some sad people on this site. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
love_rat Posted October 4, 2011 Author Share Posted October 4, 2011 People are saying that "internships are only for the rich" Rubbish - poor people can do them as well, there is nothing elietist about doing an internship. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
max Posted October 4, 2011 Share Posted October 4, 2011 People are saying that "internships are only for the rich" Rubbish - poor people can do them as well, there is nothing elietist about doing an internship. Try and think this through; all benefits suspended due to not being available for work thus: no money for food, no money for travel to and from work, no money for accommodation. Do you see? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich Posted October 4, 2011 Share Posted October 4, 2011 Try and think this through; all benefits suspended due to not being available for work thus: no money for food, no money for travel to and from work, no money for accommodation. Do you see? Oi you tea leaf! Stop stealing my sig quote! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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