I did an unpaid internship and benefited nothing. Should I really do nothing about it??
I have been at my internship since early June. I was supposed to gain experience in banking, research, and marketing. I have not gotten any of that. I spend all day organizing phone numbers and addresses. (Literally, I am given 0 responsibility, and have gained nothing relevant).
The internship is unpaid. According to the Department of Labor, an unpaid internship is only legal where:
1) The internship experience is for the benefit of the intern.
2) The intern does not displace regular employees, but works under close supervision of existing staff.
3) The employer that provides the training derives no immediate advantage from the activities of the intern; and on occasion its operations may actually be impeded.
Nothing I have done at this firm has benefitted me one bit. I was told I'd gain valuable experience, but I haven't. The firm has benefitted, and just hired another paid intern for the fall to do exactly what I was doing.
Should I bring this up? Will saying something hurt more than help?
Don't think it'll help you in any way tbh. I know its rough and that there are actual guidelines for unpaid internships, but I think most places take unpaid interns as a way to get free work rather than a training/benefit for the intern even though its not technically legal. It works as long as there are people that will happily work for free just to have something on their resume even if they didn't gain any actual knowledge.
Thanks for your comment.
It really sucks. I networked a ton to even land an interview with them, spent hundreds flying back home to interview (the bank is in my hometown), got super excited that I'd gain valuable experience, and was really given nothing. I have to think how i'll even spin this on my resume, because I honestly don't know how to atm
I understand how you feel cause I did an unpaid internship my freshman summer(though in my hometown and no expenses) and there were many days where I just did nothing. In actuality, I barely did anything but I spun it well enough that when I finally got my sophomore paid internship, they specifically pointed out my "prior experience" showing my interest and helped be a part of my story in terms of career moves and switches through different internships. Im sure theres a way to make your internship sound better and hopefully help you out find better stuff thats paid in the future.
Your benefit was the work experience and having something to put on your resume. Spin the phone number organization as "due diligence" and add a few other bullet points
Unpaid works sucks ass, no question. Legit finance firms don't typically do unpaid internships. This sounds like a shady company, but you have nothing to gain from going back and saying this was "illegal" other than making your references very mad.
Its a legit, but small firm. A boutique bank with a few offices around the US.
i appreciate it
NGL, I know it sucks but in your shoes, I would be happy to have it during covid even unpaid. Try to get enough experience for resume bullets (even if just sitting in during meetings), and consider it a long-term investment
Had one of those types of internships as described and I'll be at GS next summer. Depends how you spin it on your resume and interviews. It is okay to exaggerate your responsibilities a bit to show how much "impact" you made
Wow, thats awesome. Congrats!
If I can ask, target?
I'm in the exact same boat. Make friends with the people who work there, tell them the industry you're trying to move into, and try to get them to leverage their connections to connect you with a buddy in a firm that is closer to something you'd be happy with.
Just quit
Ullam excepturi qui perferendis sint pariatur. Dolor odit impedit quia quis omnis optio. Maxime quis delectus natus aut. Repellat illo at placeat illo voluptas et velit.
See All Comments - 100% Free
WSO depends on everyone being able to pitch in when they know something. Unlock with your email and get bonus: 6 financial modeling lessons free ($199 value)
or Unlock with your social account...