Intern exploitation

SIR – I read with interest Cara Mcgoogan’s article on interns (“No one should have to work for free just to get a graduate job”, Features, February 15).

She quotes the co-founder and director of RMP Enterprise, a service that advertises only paid internships, as saying: “Companies are getting the message and the world has moved on.” If only this were true.

In the creative industries, marketing and politics, firms are still getting away with either not paying interns, or just covering their expenses. Some of these internships are as long as six months, with interns working eight to 10 hours a day.

All too often, if interns speak up and ask for payment, they are told that they are no longer required. These companies know that there are plenty of others who will work for little or no pay in order to get something on their CV.

How can this practice be either legal or moral? Some form of regulation is needed.

Andrea O’donnell

Oxton, Nottinghamshire