Internship / Generation i

Internship / Generation i   from The Economist sep 6th 2014 print edition

(1)   Internship booming

What kind of image do you have on “internship”?

l   The internship is now ubiquitous across America and beyond and is becoming 1st step for white-color career. Now 63% of American students do at least 1 internship before graduating.

l   Both employees and recruiters can get benefit from internship. Universities also encourage students to find their career by using internship.

(2)   Unpaid internship

Should companies pay students for their participation? Who should pay for internships?

l   Unpaid internship is becoming the norm just as hiring becoming risker, pricer and more complex. Internship has become an appealing alternative.

l   In order to be unpaid, an internship must be “similar to training which would be given in an educational environment”

l   American courts are starting to find that many internships fail these tests. More than 30 lawsuits have been brought in America. Some European countries are changing their laws and some firms are now rethinking their unpaid scheme but the change is slow.

(3) Rights of fairness to access to jobs

Can job candidates claim their “rights” to get internships if it is essential to get prestigious jobs?

Access to jobs has been restricted. The privately educated were more likely to enter prestigious professions. One of the reasons is that they