The curse of unpaid internships
Being a post-secondary student is expensive. Between the cost of textbooks, rent, public transportation and courses, it’s not uncommon for students to leave university with both a diploma and debt.
The one thing that can alleviate this financial strain is working during the summer between academic years. But as companies continue to offer unpaid internships, some students might not be able to afford working in their fields.
Unpaid internships in Toronto are common, especially in jobs related to arts and media. Large companies like Entertainment One and Bell don’t pay students for their full-time work, offering class credits in place of a steady salary. And while certain students might be able to afford unpaid work, for many, these opportunities are inaccessible.
For students who aren’t financially supported by their parents, the cost of rent in Toronto — or even the cost of commuting into the city — is too much to bear without an income. This financial pressure is heightened by the fact that most students return to school when their internships end in August, which is difficult when they haven’t been saving money all summer.
Though unpaid internships seem especially prominent in Toronto, they’ve become an issue throughout Quebec as well. As students across the province become increasingly frustrated over a lack of paid opportunities, they’ve decided to take action. On Monday, many of Quebec’s post-secondary students will be participating in a general strike in the hopes of prohibiting universities and CEGEPs from sustaining unpaid internship programs.
While a general strike might seem extreme, it’s understandable. A summer internship might just seem like a fun job opportunity for students, but the reality is that it can be the difference between getting hired after graduating and being left with few job prospects.
Of course, most summer jobs pay their staff. It’s easy to argue that students seeking work should turn to full-time customer service gigs rather than complaining about unpaid internships. But the reality is that most entry-level jobs in arts and media require prior experience working in the.field. Without access to internships and the connections that accompany them, students have a harder time breaking into the careers that their degrees prepare them for than those who can afford unpaid opportunities.
As a university student seeking jobs related to media and journalism, I’ve experienced the frustration that accompanies being qualified for internships but not being able to afford them. My experience working at a student newspaper and volunteering around campus has left me well-positioned to apply for summer internships — but my financial situation hasn’t.
When I read that an internship is unpaid, I don’t even entertain the possibility of applying, regardless of whether or not it would look good on a future resumé or lead to a potential career. This leaves me at a stark disadvantage compared to the students with the money to afford unpaid work, who will finish the summer will a competitive edge that I won’t receive from being a barista or a cashier.
Of course, some places do offer paid internships, but those positions are scarce when it comes to jobs in the arts and humanities. A limited number of paid internships aren’t enough: unpaid internships shouldn’t be offered at all, especially by big companies that are, realistically, able to pay students for their work.
Unpaid internships create a vicious cycle that follows students into the workforce. Students who can afford unpaid work are given a leg-up when it comes time to enter the workforce after graduating, while students who were already at a financial disadvantage are pushed to the side. They graduate with less experience, making it harder to find work in their fields at all.
Pushed to the extreme, the practice of offering unpaid internships can limit socioeconomic mobility for these students, who will have a harder time landing jobs than their classmates with wellpadded resumés.
University and college are already expensive. Students who are already stressed with financial burdens should never have to pay to work in their field.
Gabrielle Drolet is an undergraduate student and the opinions editor at the Western Gazette. Find her on twitter @GabrielleDrolet