A large-scale internship placement programme is yielding insights into the value and legal status of interns.
Internships – a fantastic way for bright students and graduates to enhance their CVs with relevant work experience? Or a system of exploitation which gives firms cheap labour and perpetuates elitism?
The intern conundrum is one of the many issues being considered by OU academics Dr Martha Caddell and Rosemarie McIlwhan, as part of a project team at Third Sector Internships Scotland (TSIS). The team is examining issues such as the contribution of internships to the community and to students, the value of internships, and their ethics and legality.
After analysing hundreds of interns’ experiences, they conclude that paid internships provide ‘substantial benefits’ for student and employer – but only if they are properly planned and supported.
Unpaid interns 'likely to be breaking law'
One conclusion the researchers hope to impress upon government is that those firms who expect interns to work for free are likely to be breaking the law, and this needs to be acted upon.
“We have reviewed the legislation and we believe that not paying interns is in many cases likely to be illegal under the National Minimum Wage Act 1998,” says Rosemarie McIlwhan, Lecturer in Law at the OU Law School.
“There is confusion because an ‘intern’ is not defined in law, so the question is whether they are volunteers or workers. If they are workers, they have certain rights which volunteers don’t, such as health and safety protection, freedom from discrimination and the right to be paid.
“It is for Parliament to decide what to do. They could create a new legal category to cover interns, or they could legislate to clarify that interns are covered by the existing law. Increasingly, the courts are interpreting the National Minimum Wage Act to include interns.”
The issue of payment is not just about legality but is at the heart of the debates over the fairness of the system. Critics argue unpaid or very low paid internships exclude many people who can’t afford to work for little or nothing.
Restricting the talent pool
“We are not just talking about the ‘socially excluded’ groups. Many people cannot support themselves through unpaid internships, especially as they often tend to be based in cities with higher living costs,” says Rosemarie McIlwhan. “This perpetuates the inequality of everyone except the most well-off.
“It is also detrimental to the professions because they are fishing from a restricted talent pool. Employers may be missing out on the best and brightest because they are busy working in non-career relevant jobs just so that they can pay the bills.”
“In the current job market, you have to have relevant work experience or employers will not look at you. This is borne out by our research.”
The research team are in year three of their four-year longitudinal study, which is being carried out as part of the TSIS programme, funded through the Scottish Funding Council student employability initiative Learning to Work 2.
TSIS is a partnership between the OU in Scotland, Queen Margaret University and Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations.
It helps voluntary organisations to develop high quality, paid internships that make a difference to the student intern, the host organisation, and the communities they work with. It supports interns and employers throughout the internship, from creating job descriptions, ensuring fair recruitment, to maximising the impact for all parties involved. All TSIS interns are paid the Living Wage rate.
Although the TSIS programme is restricted to Scotland, the same laws and conditions governing internships, and hence the same conclusions, apply throughout the UK.
TSIS has received over 5600 applications from students for the 221 internships advertised to date. Through the project, the research team has amassed a wealth of information as to the value of internships for interns and hosts, says OU in Scotland Learning and Teaching Co-ordinator Martha Caddell, who is TSIS Co-Director.
“Interns bring enthusiasm, new skills, fresh perspectives and different ways of thinking to an organisation. In return they gain meaningful, relevant professional experience and training which they can draw upon in the future.
“Although there is a perception in some areas that interns simply ‘take, take, take’, in fact we have found a fairly even balance between what the employer gets and what the intern gets. They are both reporting extensive benefits that in many cases far exceed their initial expectations.”
Making internships work
Tech-savvy TSIS intern George Thomas introduced Shelter Scotland to the new location-based social network FourSquare, which won an award for the organisation and is now being rolled out in all its shops. George went on to land a job with a big private sector IT company – you can read the full story here.
To make internships work, though, the organisation has to commit to giving the intern meaningful work, support and supervision. A number of TSIS interns reported previous experience of unpaid internships elsewhere where they did little more than photocopying and making tea.
The key to a successful internship is an investment of time and planning by the organisation which begins before the intern comes into post.
The benefits students report from well-conducted internships includes enhanced CVs, greater employability and more confidence.
Pete Mills is an Open University student, studying for an MSc in Environmental Decision Making. He says his internship at Community Energy Scotland gave him the opportunity to gain real world experience directly relevant to his course through providing opportunities to apply and reflect on his knowledge and skills. Read more about Peter's internship.
Gillian Dinwoodie is a mature student who returned to higher education after taking time out to raise a family. She says the experience of a 24-week part-time internship with New Caledonian Woodland has really boosted her confidence and given her a way back into the job market.“It’s good to have recent/current employment and an employer reference rather than just an academic reference.” See Gillian and other interns talk about their experiences here.
Their sentiments are shared by many interns, says Rosemarie McIlwhan. “We have read every single questionnaire on each placement, and it just puts a smile on your face. There are so many positive stories from interns and organisations.”
Find out more
Further details of TSIS, research reports and case studies can be found at here, or by contacting Dr Martha Caddell at the Open University in Scotland (Martha.Caddell@open.ac.uk) or Rosemarie McIlwhan at the Open University Law School (Rosemarie.McIlwhan@open.ac.uk).