Running head: ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF INTERNSHIP 1

Advantages and Disadvantages of internships

Student’s Name

Institution
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Advantages and disadvantages of internships

Internships help students to gain practical experience in their field of study. Organization

and institutions can decide to offer the internships either in the form of volunteering or for

academic credit. Therefore, an intern may be paid or not depending on the initial agreement.

Thus, unpaid internship refers to a situation work on assigned tasks without getting any form of

compensation. However, in some circumstances, an intern may be subject to allowances, which

is also not mandatory. In most cases, internships take place during the school year as well as in

the summer. Interning in one’s field of choice is an added advantage, especially when seeking

employment after graduations. This because interns are provided with training with an objective

of integrating both education and career development. Also, unpaid internships offer

opportunities to students to figure out if they are suited to a certain profession. Nevertheless, due

to lack of compensation, one is bound to face financial difficulties. Additionally, not all unpaid

internships are relevant to one’s field of study. Regardless of whether there is compensation or

not internships is essential for career development.

The debate on unpaid internship has continued to take shape since 2012 after popular

news articles initiated the topic. Particularly, this can be attributed to an article ran by The New

York Times on February 2012 titled ”Room for Debate.” Following the Great Recession,

different lawsuits, government policies, and the mainstream media have contributed to the

tension surrounding interns compensation. Glatt argues that “unpaid internships should be rare

and almost never done” (O’Malley, Expert Views: Q&A: Glatt on Suing Over Wages, 2015) He

suggests that unpaid internships are exploitative in nature and only benefits the employers

economically while leaving the interns in hardships in terms of financial stability. In the

respective lawsuit involving Fox Searchlight picture- Glatt et al. vs. Fox Searchlight Pictures Inc.
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et al., (O’Malley, 2015) where they based the argument on the aspect that student should not be

responsible for how the employer treats them instead they should only concentrate on preparing

for their careers. The debate about the unpaid internship in most cases centres on the Fair Labor

Standards Act (FLSA), subject to the court’s definition of employment. In 2010, The U.S.

Department of Labor tried establishing the specific parameters on the issue of internship, which

contains six guidelines under which a student can be considered as the employee of the

organization.

Although their challenges associated with taking an unpaid internship, there are benefits

which are associated with the process. As a result of the economic recession, there has been an

increase in the number of unpaid internships. Therefore, as a student, it is one’s responsibility to

make a clear decision in making sure that the position will provide valuable learning experience.

Unpaid internships provide a great platform to develop experience, which is key to career to

development. In case one does not undertake relevant internship, one stands at a disadvantaged

position in comparison to those who have had work experience in their area of study.

Unpaid internships provide students with an opportunity to gain valuable experience.

This is the primary role of any form of an internship. Here, the intern is exposed to working

experience and surrounded by experts who can explain concepts on how to solve real-world

problems By spending time in such an environment one is bound to gain knowledge on that

particular field which would otherwise be impossible if one chooses to spend their time doing

other things. According to Kerr (2015), “students should not close themselves off to the

invaluable experience they might get working under unpaid internships.” Whereas classwork is

crucial, there are certain things that are not taught under classroom settings that have a direct

impact on productivity (Kerr, 2015). Additionally, unpaid internship provides an opportunity to

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apply the knowledge and practices one acquired in the classroom, thus providing a practical

understanding of the concepts and issues.

Additionally, unpaid internships provide students with an opportunity to pursue their area

of interests. The process offers a chance to explore a specific field of interest. Some career fields

are broad, and unless one is exposed, it is impossible to tell the difference. Theoretically, the

branches my look alike but practically they may totally be different, especially during execution.

As a result, getting an opportunity to intern will help to decide on the best area to major. Also, it

aids in deciding if the selected career path is suitable. This is particularly crucial in fields such as

medicine, finance as well as technology.

Furthermore, unpaid internships contribute to future employment. While under the

internships, the student meets new people as well as other crucial contacts. In some cases, one

may even make best friends. This is important after graduation since they offer advice on how to

approach working life in one’s specific field. Also, it increases the chances of getting a paid

internships with the same organization if one did unpaid internship with the organization. This is

because there is already an established relationship. Additionally, experienced gained during the

unpaid internship contributes to resume creation which can be supported by references from the

former bosses and colleagues. Kerr (2015) reported that some of her former employers had gone

beyond in trying to help her by informing her of suitable job opportunities in addition to offering

to serve as references after her internship period ended. Therefore, the process helps in

networking which is valuable during the job-seeking period; and otherwise would be hard in case

of foregoing it.

However, there are challenges associated with the unpaid internship. One of the

difficulties is financial stability. This is one of the major issues which may make the choice of
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unpaid internship seem unsuitable. In an era where tuition fee is high, coupled with a tough

economy, it is hard to work for free. This is challenging since majority of students prefer

working during summer to raise some money. In the case of Cuozzo, (2015) she had to pay for a

full tank every week for three weeks before she realized it was unmanageable forcing her to look

for another internship. This demonstrates the difficulties associated with the unpaid internship.

At times, one may get an internship offer in different city or town which would require renting

an apartment. This is an extra expenditure to incur. Unless one has full support from the

guardians, it is difficult to maintain such a life. However, if one is in a position to cater for the

bills, one should consider the position. “If you have the financial means, don’t overlook unpaid

internships for a reason as silly as ego.” (Kerr, 2015).

Also, unpaid internships decrease employment opportunities. Some organizations heavily

rely on trainees who are after gaining valuable experience. As a result, in most cases, they prefer

recruiting interns instead of employing full-time workers. They do so in order to cut production

cost from free labor. Therefore, when a student takes an unpaid internship, they risk being

exploited or locking out thousands of unemployed individuals. Cuozzo (2015) argues that “

availability of unpaid internships makes it difficult for members of lower social-economic

classes to move to a higher class.” The expert further adds that it is only those who can afford to

do internships for free gets opportunities to advance in the future. Furthermore, some

organizations have been accused of exploiting interns. This because they work on tasks which

the organizations would have hired other persons to complete the same assignment.

Similarly, the unpaid internships may not benefit the intern as expected. Sometimes the

organization offers the internship positions to the community as a PR act. Therefore, when the

interns are recruited, they are assigned roles which do not relate to one’s field of study or are
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unnecessary to the coursework. There have been reports where interns are assigned menial work,

such as serving seniors coffee for the period of unpaid internship (O’Malley, 2015).

In conclusion, although there are advantages associated with unpaid internships, there are

also disadvantages. Some of the advantages include gaining valuable experience, an opportunity

to pursue the area of specialization, and the opportunity for future employment. On the other

side, some of the disadvantages include financial difficulties during the period of unpaid

internship in addition to decreasing employment opportunities. Additionally, some internships

may prove non-beneficial.

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References

Cuozzo, H. (2015, April 13). Expert Views: Pro/Con: Cuozzon on Unpaid internships. SAGE

businessresearcher, 1-2. doi:DOI: 10.1177/2374556815584324

Kerr, R. J. (2015, April 13). Expert Views: Pro/Con: Jones Kerr on Unpaid Internships. Sage

businessresearcher, 1-2. doi:DOI: 10.1177/2374556815584325

O'Malley , S. (2015, April 13). Internships. SAGE businessresearcher, 10-15. doi:DOI:

10.1177/2374556815584321

O'Malley, S. (2015, April 13). Expert Views: Q&A: Glatt on Suing Over Wages. SAGE

businessresearcher, 1-3. doi:DOI: 10.1177/2374556815584326