
Is it reasonable to expect overtime from unpaid interns? - jontro
https://workplace.stackexchange.com/q/92965/71677
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oldandtired
The first question is to ask what does it cost to train someone? There are
always costs to having someone on site. If the return on investment in the
training program covers the cost of the training, one has a case for saying
the arrangement is fair.

On the other hand, if the compensation vastly outweighs what it costs to
train, then we have a case that this is just greed on the part of the training
organisation.

In the case highlighted above, one would say that he is not getting trained at
all but is simply being used as free labour. In which case, one would be
justified in highlighting the nature of the company anonymously to all and
sundry. One is also justified in leaving the company graciously publicly so as
to not hinder one's future.

Using the Streisand Effect can be an effective tool in improving the general
behaviour of all.

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chrisbennet
_" I am a unpaid intern at a tech company and several weeks ago I had my first
performance evaluation. While my manager told me that the code I had been
submitting was excellent and that my work was more than solid, they noted that
I had been leaving too early from work and that this called my dedication into
question.

Now, our official start and ends times are from 9:30 to 6:00 so everyday for
the past several weeks I have been working hard to finish my days tasks and
then leaving at 6:00. When I asked why this was a problem the response I
received was that I should always be looking for more work."_

The manager was almost right, that intern _should_ be looking for work -
someplace else.

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chrisbennet
The US department of labor has rules for unpaid interns. If the intern was in
the US, it would seem like his employer was acting illegally.

 _" 4\. The employer that provides the training derives no immediate advantage
from the activities of the intern; and on occasion its operations may actually
be impeded."_

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drpgq
Well that's depressing.

