Cultures that value education also value unpaid internships. It's an excellent trade. Free education in exchange for free labor.
Yes, this has been extremely exploited in America, particularly in tech, where it has:
- Created a sense that some work should be "free", hiding the true cost of labor from employers
- Turned students into an endless pool to be exploited
- Undercut the wages of professionals
That being said, the answer is for the student interns to recognize when it's time for them to be paid and to demand it. A lot of Americans think interning is just about getting your "foot in the door" so you "know the right people" and get a leg up on a cushy job. That's simply not the way immigrant families think. There is a value proposition to interning for free when you're learning a trade. It's how I started. When I came to feel I was being exploited, I asked for money, and got it.
>> Preparing for internship culture
This quote itself implies that you're not willing to put in the effort other people are willing to put in. So now, as an employer, why would I hire someone who didn't feel like putting in the extra work for their resume? I suppose you're owed a job - but then, isn't everyone?
I think you are right. The correct comparison is internship vs. no opportunity at all, not internship vs. job. The actual number of real jobs is driven by revenue.
Yes, this has been extremely exploited in America, particularly in tech, where it has:
- Created a sense that some work should be "free", hiding the true cost of labor from employers
- Turned students into an endless pool to be exploited
- Undercut the wages of professionals
That being said, the answer is for the student interns to recognize when it's time for them to be paid and to demand it. A lot of Americans think interning is just about getting your "foot in the door" so you "know the right people" and get a leg up on a cushy job. That's simply not the way immigrant families think. There is a value proposition to interning for free when you're learning a trade. It's how I started. When I came to feel I was being exploited, I asked for money, and got it.
>> Preparing for internship culture
This quote itself implies that you're not willing to put in the effort other people are willing to put in. So now, as an employer, why would I hire someone who didn't feel like putting in the extra work for their resume? I suppose you're owed a job - but then, isn't everyone?