Why won’t the government walk the walk when it comes to unpaid internships?

Gus Baker is the co-director of Intern Aware

Angry-Young-and-Poor The coalition government has comprehensively failed to get a grip on unpaid internships.

While Nick Clegg attacks a society where the “sharp-elbowed and well-connected” get the best jobs, his party routinely advertises for unpaid interns at its HQ.

While government guidelines say that “the National Minimum Wage is a minimum standard” for internships, the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills’s own portal for finding work experience has been exposed as being riddled with advertisements for unpaid work.

While HMRC are supposedly enacting a crackdown on unpaid internships, Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt’s spokesman says he is “proud” of his record of asking young people to work for free.

The failure to act to enforce existing minimum wage laws will mean that hundreds of thousands are locked out of the opportunities they deserve.

For the bright, talented young person with parents based outside of London, access to careers in the media, politics, creative arts, PR and the charity sector is almost wholly dependent on having the immense financial resource necessary to support yourself without a wage.

The problem is not just one of social mobility, but one of social stratification.

If the journalists, politicians and creatives of the future are the unpaid interns of today, what will the social makeup of the decision makers and opinion shapers be?

There is a better way.

Both employees and employers benefit when interns are fairly paid and fairly recruited. Recruiting innovative, intelligent and creative new employees is essential for modern businesses. Those young people who might be most suited to specific careers in may not be the same ones who are able to afford to work for free. If bright, talented and able graduates are stuck working in bars rather than at the top tables of their chosen fields, it is a waste for all concerned.

The political establishment needs to get its own house in order. A zero tolerance policy towards unpaid internships should be spelled out by each party leader. The government should play no part in encouraging or promoting companies who cut costs by asking young people to work for free. HMRC should be asked to use advertisements for placements which patently break the law as evidence to crack down on unlawful practices.

In June of this year David Cameron said he was “very relaxed” about unpaid internships. His government acts like it.

If ministers really care about making access to the professions more open and more meritocratic, the answer is simple. We don’t need more announcements. We don’t need more press releases. We don’t need more guidelines. We need the government to enforce the law and end unpaid internships for good.

See also:

• “Seeking Gaddafi” Tory MP demands Libya pay us back for their liberation – Shamik Das, October 21st 2011

• Don’t lets clear away aspiration for youngsters with the riot debris – Emma Norris, August 11th 2011

• British democracy is run on unpaid labour – Intern Aware & Interns Anonymous, March 30th 2011

• Support Left Foot Forward’s Living Wage Appeal – Daniel Elton, December 25th 2010

• Leadership candidates need to debate the ‘poverty of ambition’ as well as inequality – Rayhan Haque, June 26th 2010

http://twitter.com/pinkhumanist/status/133894514816454657 Pink Humanist

Why won’t the government walk the walk when it comes to unpaid internships? http://t.co/Z68nk33I by @InternAware’s @GusBBaker
http://twitter.com/clivehol/status/133894687743410178 Clive

Why won’t the government walk the walk when it comes to unpaid internships? http://t.co/Z68nk33I by @InternAware’s @GusBBaker
http://twitter.com/rob_sculthorpe/status/133894852369858560 Rob Sculthorpe

Why won’t the government walk the walk when it comes to unpaid internships? http://t.co/Z68nk33I by @InternAware’s @GusBBaker
http://twitter.com/richyfinch/status/133895900694200323 Richard Finch

Why won’t the government walk the walk when it comes to unpaid internships? http://t.co/Z68nk33I by @InternAware’s @GusBBaker
http://twitter.com/samtarry/status/133896526354317314 Samuel Tarry

RT @leftfootfwd: Why won’t the government walk the walk when it comes to unpaid internships? http://t.co/v5own61T by @InternAware @GusBBaker
http://twitter.com/janeyk_/status/133919161196871681 JK

Whitehall is one of the worst exploiters of intern labour: http://t.co/dTthkPUI
http://twitter.com/banjodog2861/status/133919221422899200 Noel Igoe

Whitehall is one of the worst exploiters of intern labour: http://t.co/dTthkPUI
inyourhouse

Internships are already in limited supply – prohibiting unpaid internships would greatly exacerbate this. Furthermore, fewer internships would makes it even harder for those without pre-existing connections to find a position.

A better solution would be to create a tax credit that provides interns with an amount equivalent to the minimum wage for every hour worked. The burden of paying interns is then be spread across society, so we shouldn’t see any contraction in internship provision.
http://twitter.com/kaschwilder/status/133922044772483073 Kasch Wilder

RT @leftfootfwd: Why won’t the government walk the walk when it comes to unpaid internships? http://t.co/3mwitVcR
http://twitter.com/fionamacmp/status/133942968896864257 fiona mactaggart

Why won’t the government walk the walk when it comes to unpaid internships? http://t.co/Z68nk33I by @InternAware’s @GusBBaker
internslave

If you are doing a long term unpaid internship (at least 3 months) for a company that is not a start-up: either you are exploited, or are working for people unable to make any money and to learn you something valuable for your career, in both cases it looks extremely bad on a CV.
http://twitter.com/cuchulaindundee/status/133953528522735617 Alan Cowan

Why won’t the government walk the walk when it comes to unpaid internships? | Left Foot Forward http://t.co/mA7Neda8
Leon Wolfson

HRMC is spineless. It needs an infusion from the IRS. Internships need to be paid, and to have the same advertising requirements as jobs.
http://twitter.com/internslavery/status/133983239172927488 InternsAreSlaves

Why won’t the government walk the walk when it comes to unpaid internships? http://t.co/Z68nk33I by @InternAware’s @GusBBaker
http://twitter.com/favstar_pop/status/133983258575769600 Favstar Pop

Why won’t the government walk the walk when it comes to unpaid internships? http://t.co/Z68nk33I by @InternAware’s @GusBBaker
http://twitter.com/benlyons1/status/134022303246860289 Ben Lyons

Why won’t the government walk the walk when it comes to unpaid internships? http://t.co/Z68nk33I by @InternAware’s @GusBBaker
http://twitter.com/jo_suherman/status/134023735756853248 Josephine Suherman

Why won’t the government walk the walk when it comes to unpaid internships? http://t.co/Z68nk33I by @InternAware’s @GusBBaker
http://twitter.com/calumsplath/status/134029147214327809 Calum Sherwood

Why won’t the government walk the walk when it comes to unpaid internships? http://t.co/Z68nk33I by @InternAware’s @GusBBaker
Mr. Sensible

Less talk, more action from Cameron would be nice…
Leon Wolfson

I’d prefer he talks. Every time he acts he does more damage. Remind me how far below out growth is below government-less Belgium again?
http://twitter.com/internslavery/status/134068723513425920 InternsAreSlaves

Why won’t the government walk the walk when it comes to unpaid internships?: Gus Baker, co-director of Intern Aw… http://t.co/EB0Zis6R
http://twitter.com/sharonatbectu/status/134219542938394624 Sharon Elliott

Govt urged to ACT to ban unpaid internships http://t.co/7hqbBbHa
http://twitter.com/marcusmason/status/134255966123339776 Marcus Mason

.@gusbbaker on @leftfootfwd says political establishment needs to get its own house in order re unpaid internships – http://t.co/VXK0TG1Z
http://twitter.com/shelleyrai/status/134362386227404801 Shelley Rai

Govt urged to ACT to ban unpaid internships http://t.co/7hqbBbHa
http://twitter.com/jotalkstalent/status/134367867960426496 Jo Taylor

Govt urged to ACT to ban unpaid internships http://t.co/7hqbBbHa
http://twitter.com/cleolittle/status/134369581757239296 Cleo Little

Govt urged to ACT to ban unpaid internships http://t.co/7hqbBbHa
http://www.leftfootforward.org/2011/11/unpaid-internships-are-wrong-we-need-action-not-words-from-clegg-and-miliband/ Unpaid internships are wrong: We need action, not words, from Clegg and Miliband | Left Foot Forward

[...] also: • Why won’t the government walk the walk when it comes to unpaid internships? – Gus Baker, November 8th [...]
http://www.leftfootforward.org/2012/01/2012-the-year-ahead-for-young-people/ 2012: The year ahead for young people | Left Foot Forward

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