Unpaid internships – is your uni advertising them?

Recently our friends over at Graduate Fog have been criticising universities for advertising unpaid internships such as the Tottenham Hotspur position promoted by the University of Sussex.

The official body for university careers advisors’ AGCAS agree that universities should not be advertising unpaid work.

 “Current advice from AGCAS to its members is that they shouldn’t advertise or broker internships that contravene legislation.”

Despite this some unis are simply not getting the message, claims Graduate Fog.

Groups such as Intern Aware and Interns Anonymous feel the universities blatant refusal to acknowledge the law is stopping their hard work and halting their progress in achieving fair pay – or at least the minimum wage – for everyone who becomes an intern.

Where universities should be making their students aware of all opportunities that can help them gain that all important work experience, by promoting unpaid work disguised as ‘internships’ they are sending out a message that this type of position is not illegal and perfectly acceptable.

With graduates unaware of their rights (at present only 10% of graduates know that unpaid internships are illegal according to Graduate Fog) this problem and exploitation is likely to continue.