This is an email exchange with the owner of Susty Party, who i attempted to do an internship with over the summer. The exchange is something i've had with numerous people, and just makes me think that people are either ignorant and retarded, are just plain assholes. in this case i think its both.The internship was meant to be work from home 3-5 days a week and coming to new york once a week to talk about the research projects i would be doing.
show details 6 Jun (2 days ago) |
Hi Emily,
I'll email you today the things we talked about on Friday. I just wanted to check with you though if you are able to pay any expenses, as I'm not able to have a job over the summer, and it will probably get a bit pricey coming into NYC.
Other than that, I'm happy to start doing some research!
Speak soon,
Sarah
show details 20:43 (22 hours ago) |
Hi Sarah,
Thanks for the follow-up. I look forward to seeing your design portfolio and reports.
We won't be able to pay expenses for you coming into the city if you are working on projects that you can do remotely. But if something comes up that we need you in the city for we could discuss covering transportation.
If this sounds good to you we can develop a summer work plan.
Cheers,
Emily
show details 13:41 (5 hours ago) |
Hi Emily,
I just referring to how we had talked about that I would come into Brooklyn once a week to meet about the projects I was working on. For me, as an Intern, I think this made the most sense, as otherwise I am just working as a freelancer but not getting paid. To be quite honest, I think that is what you are looking for, as the work is home based research, and you are asking for work but giving not even the bare minimum of compensation.
Even as an intern, it is only ethical to cover basic needs for the time people are working (and meant to be gaining new experience and support, not just working). This generally includes some kind of development, and sustenance for the person interning, as during that time they are on your clock, and transport costs when applicable.
Probably you are new to hiring interns, but probably you should learn more before taking them on. It is both entirely unethical and unsustainable to expect people to work for free and not provide them any support.
Yours is not the only company doing this, in fact its happening in every sector. The most disappointing bit, is that no one in the sustainability sector thinks that expecting interns to pay out of their own pockets while they are interning is unsustainable and unethical, because it is. These types of internships do not allow anyone who has to support themselves to survive while gaining experience to find a job, it is taking advantage of those of us who are struggling to get our foot in the door. It is essentially giving opportunities to people who have money to begin with, or receive financial support from their families, something people like me do not have.
No one should have to work absolutely for free, it is taking advantage of people.
Have a look at this document, and the 6 guidelines for what exactly is a trainee/ Intern, then consider what you plan to do for your interns besides getting them to work for free.
It would be great to work over the summer with people who are running a sustainable products business, and of coarse it would be a great experience, but I don't want to work for free, for people who have no ethics.
All the best,
Sarah
show details 16:36 (2 hours ago) |
Dear Sarah,
I am sorry for the misunderstanding as I did not realize you thought we were seeking a paid intern. Our job posting did list it as an unpaid internship, however I see that the B Corp website did not keep that on the posting and so I will make sure they update our posting.
At this stage in our growth we are not in the position to hire a paid intern. But, we agree that interns should be compensated for their work and we do work with our interns to compensate them in other ways.
We are not a good match to work with you. But good luck finding a fulfilling position this summer!
Cheers,
Emily
They're are not worth it. I did an internship as a Cartographer in the Death Valley and I am sitting here unemployed eating sausages.
ReplyDeletethat woman sounds like an ass
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