With the end of the school year just around the corner, students have become focused on finalizing their summer plans. According to Career Services, most Penn students will be paid for a full-time or part-time job or internship. But others will work unpaid internships and will have to figure out how handle their expenses when they are not generating any income.
Due to the bad economy, more and more companies are no longer paying their interns. It is precisely because of the bad economy, though, that students need paid internships now more than ever. Employers who don’t pay interns discriminate against students who want to get ahead in their careers but cannot afford to work for free. At a time when colleges are trying to offer strong aid packages so students can get a leg up regardless of their financial situation, employers should also pay attention to students’ needs.
Especially at internships where students mostly do busywork and gain little valuable experience, employers should seriously examine if there is any way in which students can partake in internships without incurring financial loss. Perhaps more internships can consider covering travel expenses or providing students with small stipends.
We appreciate Penn’s efforts to help students receive stipends when their internships don’t provide them, such as the RealArts@Penn program. But the school’s help is not enough. If possible, more of the burden should be on employers to help students afford their internships.
