Leaving an Internship Early
I'm currently a freshman at a semi-target with very good credentials. Right now I've been interning for the past three months in a bus dev. role, virtually, at a middle-market IB. A dream internship for a freshman of course and I'm very grateful. Unfortunately, my online work has been unpaid so far.
Very soon, they want me to start in-office so this includes a 40-min total commute each day + being in the office for 25-40hrs/wk + virtual work. Being in-person will continue to be unpaid.
I've been fine with not being paid while I've been in school for the past 3 months as I work part-time on campus. But Summer is a time when I need to make money full-time to afford college expenses and student loans. I simply can't afford to work the Summer unpaid. I understand that I should have low expectations because I'm a freshman, but I also found out that some of the junior/senior interns aren't being paid as well.
Has anyone else experienced something like this? I want to leave the internship early as I already have 3 solid months of experience under my belt, but I don't want to leave the firm burning bridges and have them possibly contact my school. I also don't want to come off the wrong way in possibly asking for a salary.
Any advice is greatly appreciated.
You should never work at a firm that doesn't respect your work and time enough to pay you. Just tell them the truth and leave. Leverage the internship to find a paid gig
I wouldn't even consider this "leaving early" as you've already been there 3 months, lot different than peacing out at 6 weeks. Did you sign on for the spring + summer or was the time frame unclear?
I would just end things as nicely as possible - say you have really appreciated the experience, but need to get paid this summer to afford your living expenses, would love to stay in touch down the road.
No one expects unpaid interns to hang around forever. Maybe they'll offer you a salary but if not you are 100% in the right to find something paid. Even as a freshman your time is still worth something, esp for such a long internship.
The time frame was pretty unclear. The contract said 90 days but I said I would stay until August.
You're good then. Just say your personal/family situation has changed and you need to pay your own expenses and thus will be pursuing a paid opportunity. No bridges burned at all
They won't contact your school and if they thought a freshman was going to just work there for free into perpetuity, then they are delusional. Internships are meant to be temporary, so this shouldn't shock them if you want to leave and the only appropriate response is "best of luck." Be polite in your approach, thank them for the experience and tell them that you are going to pursue other paying opportunities for yourself.
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