max Posted October 4, 2011 Share Posted October 4, 2011 Oi you tea leaf! Stop stealing my sig quote! I know, annoying isn't it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grafikhaus74 Posted October 4, 2011 Share Posted October 4, 2011 Panorama touched on this yesterday (All Work, No Pay) and most internships are to get workers for free, with no prospect of advancement (even though hinted at). It also mentioned the effect of the raising of the minimum wage. Places such as hairdressers won't/can't afford it so 'employ' people on a self-employed basis. Still, as long as unemployment stays below the magical 2.5m figure... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
L00b Posted October 4, 2011 Share Posted October 4, 2011 I don't think the OP/question is phrased right, somehow. You can't replace all paid employment by unpaid internships. Else how do you sustain a national economy? The internship model only really lends itself to those professions with a large, steep and fairly specialised learning curve, e.g. medicine, legal and many trades. I.e. those wherein, when you start at the bottom rung, you are unlikely to earn your employer anything before you have learned at least some ropes on the job. Even then, few are entirely unpaid. Making everyone work as a intern would solve the economic crisis. Wages would no longer need to be paid, saving businesses millions of pounds a year. Everyone would gain valuable experience.Alternatively, you could provide a 'better' JSA (or some extra benefit of some sort, not necessarily monetary) to JSA recipients in internships, as an incentive to learn to do something/keep practicing their trade, whilst they look for proper employment. Provided of course, that taking an internship doesn't cancel the JSA (should be easy enough to do, if intern isn't on payroll). It's no worse (or better, for that matter) than a Gvt-sponsored grant or aid to businesses, except in this case it's the recipient that benefits directly (rather than the business, whose accountant might find a way to squirrel the grant/aid). Don't know how to pay for it, though. Maybe "redirect" or "reassign" that fresh £250m intended to fund additional (and most probably unnecessary) bin collections? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kthebean Posted October 4, 2011 Share Posted October 4, 2011 What is frustrating is industries where most/all internships are in London. In sheffield it is relatively easy to live cheaply, rent/food etc is quite cheap. You could save up enough for three months free work in a year or so. In London you can really only work unpaid if you're commiting benefit fraud or you have benevolent relatives who live there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mj.scuba Posted October 4, 2011 Share Posted October 4, 2011 I'd rather people be paid a decent wage including interns, but I accept that if they did have to be paid, then some orgaisations simply may not have them in the first place. Does that help the 'disadvantaged' people that can't afford to be unpaid interns anyway? NO! It benefits no one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robwillow Posted October 4, 2011 Share Posted October 4, 2011 I'd rather minimum wage was removed. It needs to be flexible over the country and people need to be able to decide what they are prepared to work for. I would rather work for 1/2 minimum wage than claim benefits, but maybe I'm strange. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Balpin 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? That is the biggest load of nonsense I have ever read. Work for nothing? I will do that when I get my food for nothing, my car and fuel etc for nothing. You are thinking in a socialist utopia, which we do not have. BTW, regarding people over 50 and IT, we invented it, you are the practitioners of it. All it needs is a power cut and IT goes out of the window. Apply here for how to use log tables and a slide rule. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sumayyah Posted October 4, 2011 Share Posted October 4, 2011 Apply here for how to use log tables and a slide rule. a what now? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Balpin Posted October 4, 2011 Share Posted October 4, 2011 a what now? English please:confused: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sumayyah Posted October 4, 2011 Share Posted October 4, 2011 English please:confused: yes all 3 words are english i was querying what those items you mentioned are Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.