Unpaid Internships Intern People Working Students Professional Difficult

For years, many students and "recent graduates" (people who finished school not very long ago) have completed unpaid internships to gain professional experience, to learn about their chosen industry, and "network" (build professional relationships) with industry leaders. The National Association of Colleges and Employers reports that 55 percent of the "class of 2012" (the students who graduated in the spring of 2012) had internships, almost half of which were unpaid.

The "general view" (what most people think about something) is that, although working without pay is a "hardship" (something that is difficult and challenging and creates problems), it is "counterbalanced" (outweighed; made up for) by the intern's greater "potential for employment" (likelihood of being hired) after completing the internship. Supporters of unpaid internships believe that a good internship is an "incredible" (unbelievable) opportunity to "gain" (earn; get) on-the-job experience that would "otherwise" (under other circumstances) be difficult to get or would require getting an expensive advanced degree or additional training.

However, other people argue that unpaid internships allow large companies to "exploit" (take advantage of and treat unfairly) young workers. They believe that companies "pocket the profits" (save additional money) by having an intern complete "entry-level" (a job for individuals with relatively little experience) tasks instead of hiring a new employee to do the job.

Recently, an unpaid intern "sued" (took to court) a film production studio for having "violated" (broken) laws related to "minimum wage" (the minimum amount that must be paid to a worker by law) and "overtime" (hours worked beyond one's regular schedule). The court agreed, but people are still "debating" (discussing with different opinions) the "legality" (whether something is allowed under the law) of unpaid internships.