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They oversee adherence to the guidelines put forth in the Fair Labor Standards Act, which Speedy posted above. I'm guessing none of you have experience interning in non-profits or government, where most interns are unpaid. And if you manage to land one of those coveted internships with the federal government, they'll want you to pay for a summer's worth of expenses in DC to boot! But since it's not for money, I guess it's ok!
It has been stated several times that there are exceptions for non-profits and when the program is for college credit (as is the case with government internships). But since OP isn't in either of these categories, the exceptions don't apply.
And the IRS is concerned with tax evasion, which is what an employer is doing when they don't pay wages or taxes on those wages. Its nothing to do with FLSA.
I worked a part time unpaid internship for my local government for 4 months. I was in the office for 20 hours a week, had around 5 hours of commute time a week (I had to walk the 3 miles each way to the office), and also had work that my boss expected me to do at home. Meanwhile, I was also taking 4 classes and working an additional 18 hours a week to feed myself.
On my internship days, I woke up at 6AM, started walking to work at 7, got there at 7:30, and was there until 4. Then I'd walk a mile to the bus stop, take a bus to my university (providing it was on time), go to class for an hour and a half, and then go to work until 9:30. By the time I got home at 10PM, my night was only beginning. I was lucky if I got 2 hours of sleep.
I was always on time, but how can unpaid internship employers expect the best quality interns if they don't even pay minimum wage? Motivated by economically disadvantaged students such as myself do all that we can, the expectations on us are much more than many of us can handle.
The internship was required for my major. I got rave reviews from my supervisor, but she can't hire me because of budget cuts.
This is not a defense of Bruce- he could just be partying and staying up late. However, the whole system of unpaid interns isn't helpful for the average student. If parents or the university offset expenses, then it can work, but I don't know how unpaid internship employers can expect the best quality students when the vast majority of people I know in such arrangements book it straight from work to a paid job so they can keep a roof over their heads.
It has been stated several times that there are exceptions for non-profits and when the program is for college credit (as is the case with government internships). But since OP isn't in either of these categories, the exceptions don't apply.
And the IRS is concerned with tax evasion, which is what an employer is doing when they don't pay wages or taxes on those wages. Its nothing to do with FLSA.
Not sure if I understand why the IRS would be involved with collecting taxes when an intern isn't being paid. And I only threw in my own example to people here who think it's crazy that people will work without getting pay (well other than college credit or whatever, but one still has to pay for those hours)--nothing to do with labor standards.
Don't people think to the future anymore or is it all about live-for-today? Even if an intern is lacking in some department but shows a willingness to learn new things and has an interest in working for our firm, usually we'll figure out a way to let him work her. He may not make $50K/ year starting out like some do but nonetheless, it's a secure and stable job.
Here's what happening. As I mentioned in my earlier posts, few would feel motivated to do a decent job to work for free for a 30%, especially in engineering.
They accepted the internship knowing it was unpaid. HOWEVER, these were likely the circumstances:
Your slacker worker couldn't find anything better for the summer due to the dismal economy. He took this job reluctantly. However, he needed "something" to do to fill in the blanks on his resume. He isn't planning on using you as a reference. I don't know any entry level grads where references were checked as far as internships went. He has little motivation to do well in your job
Quote:
Originally Posted by SpeedyAZ
Don't people think to the future anymore or is it all about live-for-today?
And you're asking our Generation Y about "living for today?" Hmmm....you may want to look a good look at your generation, particularly the people who are the decision makers. Seems like the majority of their decisions are based on how it will affect next quarter results.
The defense industry may be a bit more stable than others, but after seeing broken promise after broken promise in the workplace from managers to employees, it might be a wise idea to "live for today".
It has been stated several times that there are exceptions for non-profits and when the program is for college credit (as is the case with government internships). But since OP isn't in either of these categories, the exceptions don't apply.
And the IRS is concerned with tax evasion, which is what an employer is doing when they don't pay wages or taxes on those wages. Its nothing to do with FLSA.
Wait wait wait....how are we avoiding taxes on wages? 28% of 0 is still 0, I'm sure the IRS isn't concerned about collecting nothing.
I don't do the hiring around here, I'm told what interns I'll have for the summer. My firm has been taking engineering interns from ASU for longer than I've been here, we strictly adhere to all guidelines and laws regarding unpaid internships for our firm. The tasks we have them do are not hands-on direct tasks that involve them doing something that a paid employee would normally we do, we don't operate like that. I even posted the rules we must follow and we don't stray from that path. Please don't insult me by trying to say my firm is not following the law.
And I talked to Bruce today about his work attitude and didn't get much of a response back. I told him it may be beneficial for him to find a paying, full-time position rather than returning tomorrow. It's not something I like to do but it had to be done.
I think anyone saying an internship isn't going to help down the line is just giving bad advice. Please don't listen to these people.
True. An internship helped me get hired immediately into my first career and when I switched fields, an internship helped me get in immediately.
Of course an internship can help, it builds a network for you, it allows you to prove your worth, show them why they need to hire you.
I think when you have an opportunity like and internship you should take full advantage of it - work harder than everyone else, and learn as much as you can of the job so that you are the most confident able employee.
Instead of people believing everyone's out to get them, to take advantage of them, you should see an internship as a free education, free career assistance. It makes all the difference when you can walk into an interview and know 100% you can do the job.
True. An internship helped me get hired immediately into my first career and when I switched fields, an internship helped me get in immediately.
Of course an internship can help, it builds a network for you, it allows you to prove your worth, show them why they need to hire you.
I think when you have an opportunity like and internship you should take full advantage of it - work harder than everyone else, and learn as much as you can of the job so that you are the most confident able employee.
Instead of people believing everyone's out to get them, to take advantage of them, you should see an internship as a free education, free career assistance. It makes all the difference when you can walk into an interview and know 100% you can do the job.
I agree. I just started my internship with a pretty big engineering company and plan to work really hard and impress them. As a recent engineering graduate, these internships are very helpful. You get exposure to software used in the industry and exposure to REAL projects.
I'm glad I'm getting paid well too lol. Almost double my last temporary job.
Man, I WISH I had had the ability to work for free while in school. I couldn't afford the time - I lived at home and had a long commute, and I needed my paying (retail) job for gas and car maintenance, and I took classes over the summer to hurry and finish.
BUT, college is the only time of life where *some* (definitely not all) students, who are living on loans or scholarships or at home, can manage to get competitive, real experience by working for free. And even if you don't get a job out of it, you get 1 more bullet point on your resume that the other Engineering '11 grad next to you on stage doesn't have.
It's not fair that that not everyone afford to work for free, but it's sadly the way life works. If/When I go to grad school I am definitely going to wrangle an internship. It's instant experience + networking + college credit in just a few weeks of part-time work.
Now of course there are unscrupulous employers that just want free work. A real internship is when the employer is willing to teach the intern something in exchange for a helping hand. I do think that most interns should get paid minimum wage, except perhaps for non-profit work or something. It's not like $8/hr or whatever would bankrupt most companies, and when you're a student it really helps.
most science degrees require internships. they get credit for them normally, but if nothing else, it looks good on the resume.
I've had the opportunity to get to know and take interns under my proverbial wing and really enjoyed it. I should have been a teacher because I enjoy challenging kids. Some folks in leadership roles should NEVER be there, and I suspect the OP is at a loss for that very reason.
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