Thanks for posting that, xiggi!
The UN doesn’t even take a stance against ISIS. Why would we expect they would do anything ethical as far as interns go? They are worthless.
…And so is corporate America - even when states adopt statutes to curb such slavery, corporations make pacts with schools to provide “educational ex/in ternships” so they can bypass paying the interns without violating the laws.
This is WA: no “volunteers” are allowed at for profit places. Yet…
http://www.lni.wa.gov/WorkplaceRights/files/UnpaidInternshipsFactSheet.pdf
What happens to the $15 fast food minimum wage? It’s a serious question, Geneva is in Europe last time I checked.
DrGoogle, UN is an easy target. Big and easily visible. Like Amazon. I would argue that UN interns get more educational benefits from their work at the UN than the poor US students who get to slave away at the law firms, PR agencies, tech companies, etc. here in the US that can well afford to pay their interns. But they don’t!
It’s the same game our elected officials play with unpaid congressional, scotus, white house internships: the laws they make don’t apply to themselves.
Back in the day, it was not always driven by the corporations. I attended campuses that would not give internship credit if the student was being paid. To me, that is worse than if the business is doing it. It is much easier for prospective interns to shun a business if they are out of lockstep with norms. Tougher to change schools when you discover you have to work for a summer unpaid to meet a graduation requirement.
There are multiple facets to much of this type of thing. In many cases, the interns are a burden, not a boon to the business. They don’t have time to reap any rewards from the training. They just get in the way. Other times, the students are awesome out of the box and do well, deserving of a bonus. I am a proponent of paying interns, but I think it should really be up to the business. If a student is not interested in an unpaid internship, look elsewhere. Businesses that find value in it, pay and sometimes pay well. One of the complaints I get from my staff at times is that the interns make more than many full time workers. (higher cash pay because they are seasonal and do not get all of the other benefits)
When you have a government or quasi-governmental agency, the math changes a bit. They are not really alternatives. There should at least be pay equivalent to typical summer pay for students in that city.