negotiating internship salary (urgent)

MYOS1634
Mon, 09 May 2016 20:12:07 +0000

^I agree.
What I see here is that OP really, really wants to be in NYC and thinks it’s so cool s/he got an internship as a freshman, even if unpaid, so that parents have to bankroll that to the tune of $3,000 (perhaps more depending on rental costs and how frugal OP is).
The parents don’t see why they should pay for OP to work, when he could just earn a minimum wage or be at home and at least not costing.
OP doesn’t see where the problem is since his/her parents have money and it’s an internship in the City!!
OP doesn’t want to turn down the internship and hopes something will make it worth the $3,000 expense. Instead, posters here suggested he ask for a salary.
OP doesn’t want to ask because odds are that s/he’ll be turned down. And then what? Bye bye internship. So, OP would rather preserve the illusion of having an unpaid internship, even if it’s not possible to have one.
OP’s trying to find a way, any way, that anyone will say “go ahead and spend the summer in the city on your parents’ dime”, but the reality is that either he asks to be paid (and OP’s been provided with advice as to how to ask and why) or or he turns down the internship (which sounds like camouflaged work doing brokers’ job, BTW, since OP would be paid “on commission” but nothing’s in writing, including the amount/percentage of commission or existence of aforementioned commission…)

@pianogeek: it’s simple: ask to be paid (even a stipend + commission, put in writing). If they say no, find something else. If they say yes, jump for joy and start packing. However, having an internship isn’t necessary freshman year and there are probably real estate agencies that would gladly let you get a paid job with them in your hometown.