I didn't realize that the unpaid internship situation is as bad in Ireland as it is here in the U.S. My startup helps college students find entry level jobs and internships, so I'm constantly aware of what the latest trends are.
One trend that really scares me is that there are some "career experts" whom I interact with regularly who offer their own unpaid virtual internships (I've seen lots of other internships like this, but the fact that career experts who are supposed to help interns are offering these really blows my mind). These are people who don't have the ability to offer many of the benefits that do come with an unpaid internship such as making connections, learning what it's like to work in a real office, having a recognizable name on your resume, etc.
Another trend that scares me is that we're seeing more and more internships auctioned off in charity auctions. Rich parents actually pay for their kids to get some experience.
Unfortunately, interns aren't going to be the ones to stop this trend. Unpaid interns do benefit from their internships. They mostly accept it as something that they have to do, and they know that if they refuse to take an unpaid internship, there are thousands of other students who will snap up the opportunity.
Change is either going to have to come from employers or the government. I strongly believe that offering paid internships is more favorable to employers because they get better quality interns who are more motivated, and the employer has a stronger incentive to use the intern's time well.
There's actually an excellent and fair standard for determining when an unpaid internship should be allowed; however, I've never heard of an employer's being prosecuted under the Fair Labor Standards Act for having unpaid interns. And if the law were to start to be enforced, I'm not sure the outcome would benefit students in the short-term. There would be a lot fewer opportunities as many employers would get rid of their internship programs. This would result in even more competition for what paid opportunities were left.
I really hate unpaid internships, but I still haven't figured out what it's going to take to make them a thing of the past. They've become an essential part of the transition from education to employment, and messing around with that in a time when really talented grads are struggling to land jobs probably isn't a good idea. We may have to wait until the economy really heats up again.
There would be a lot fewer opportunities as many employers would get rid of their internship programs. This would result in even more competition for what paid opportunities were left.
If there are only a few internships available in a given field, having an internship would no longer be a de facto requirement for starting a career in that field (unless the handful of new employees who got the handful internships are all the new blood that's needed, in which case the unpaid internship system is just another way to string people along).
I didn't realize that the unpaid internship situation is as bad in Ireland as it is here in the U.S.
Ireland has been hit by a strong recession. Unemployment is high (~15%), and particularly high amount young people. Many are emigrating to find other work. The media is full of stories about how there are no jobs.
Which is a shame because there is a massive skill shortage if you know programming/sysadmining in Ireland. Companies spend months trying to find employees.
I have siblings working in fields which were quite dependent on the housing bubble and as such they have been out of work for some time.
On the other hand, every IT recruiter I know here is complaining about the lack of candidates and I've had as much work as I've wanted in the past few years.
Some friends of mine (first degree friends, this is verified) moved to Dublin and just, well, didn't leave.
At least in 2006 it was rather easy to get a tax identification number (I forget what it's called) with a signed affidavit and a witness saying you live at some address, and you can use that to get work. Now, without better documentation the government taxes you at the highest rate possible, and since you won't file you'll never get a penny back.
Also, they worked in card houses, so maybe the documentation requirements weren't as strict as a professional programming environment. Oh, and I'm sure it's all sorts of illegal. But just doing it is easier than it seems. :)
If you are a EU citizen you can move and live here (think there is some restriction on new accession states). If your grandparent is/was an Irish citizen, you are entitled to full Irish citizenship (and hence you can work here or anywhere else in the EU). Aside from that, I'm not sure.
I think it's more, if your grandparent was born in Ireland, you are entitled to apply for citizenship, and if your parent was born in Ireland, you are considered a citizen, and just have to verify the documents and get your passport.
I suspect, but amn't sure, that this is more felxible, and I think they include Northern Ireland aswell, i.e. they include "the island of Ireland".
(Which makes sense, the country now known as Ireland didn't exit until 1922, I'm in my 27s and by grandmother was born in the late 1920s. Someone in the 50s could have a grandparent born in what was then the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland.)
There will always be people looking to take advantage. I had a potential employer call me in for three multiple hour "interviews" during which time they grilled me on how I would handle problem X and design system Y. I was fairly naive because in hindsight it's obvious to me that they didn't want an employee just a free consultation. Smart hack on their part though, and I learned something too.
For the right job I'll offer a trial period. Usually a one-two month stint followed up by a buy or fly decision. Play it right and you have a lot of leverage. They just finished training you and you're showing a lot of promise out of the gate. In the managers head they are dreading the idea of having to go through the interview process all over again. The key is not to go looking for people offering unpaid work, but to find people who want to pay and make the buy decision easier.
When negotiating keep in mind that you have nothing to lose. If the job is unpaid you gain by leaving. The other side of the table has a lot more at stake. They lose someone they've spent a lot of time/money training, and they have to start over at square one with someone new. Don't underestimate how hard it is to find good people. Frankly if they aren't going to pay you then chances are you aren't that good, or the managers are fools for not trying to keep good people. In either case what would you gain by staying?
I had an interview where the company wanted me to produce, on my own time, a "sample" strategy memo that was obviously for a client proposal. It did it, and got the job offer, but it bothered me and I ended up turning down the job.
When Germany entered an economic slump after the Euro-introduction in 2002, companies loathed hiring on permanent positions. As a result, people who came out of college were hired on internships. An entire generation of young students were taken advantage of in this way, dubbed "Generation Praktikum" by the media (literally "generation internship"). It's sad to see the same happening in Ireland / the US now.
Having been a German Praktikant (but a British national) I have a lot to say about Unpaid/Low Paid internships. Unfortunately I doubt ycombinator could handle that many characters ;)
Unfortunately, interns aren't going to be the ones to stop this trend. Unpaid interns do benefit from their internships. They mostly accept it as something that they have to do, and they know that if they refuse to take an unpaid internship, there are thousands of other students who will snap up the opportunity.
I don't think this will always be the case. As more people work on things that scale, the importance of quality will become more obvious, and employers will be more motivated to find the best. On the intern side, as it becomes more obvious to people how vulnerable large firms are to disruption by agile startups, the knowledge of how to price, value, and market oneself will become more widespread, and fewer grads will be taken unawares.
I think part of the problem in Ireland is the government are now touting internships as a solution to our unemployment/economic problems. In some case, they might work out where there's real training and some level of compensation. It's probably good if you can take someone with _no_ experience in a field, let them still receive their social welfare perhaps with a bonus, and after a limited period they graduate on to a real job. Unfortunately, I don't think that will happen and many companies are basically looking for free labour.
What's even more galling, from my perspective, is the government is taking money out of the pensions of private citizens to pay for this "jobs initiative".
One trend that really scares me is that there are some "career experts" whom I interact with regularly who offer their own unpaid virtual internships (I've seen lots of other internships like this, but the fact that career experts who are supposed to help interns are offering these really blows my mind). These are people who don't have the ability to offer many of the benefits that do come with an unpaid internship such as making connections, learning what it's like to work in a real office, having a recognizable name on your resume, etc.
Another trend that scares me is that we're seeing more and more internships auctioned off in charity auctions. Rich parents actually pay for their kids to get some experience.
Unfortunately, interns aren't going to be the ones to stop this trend. Unpaid interns do benefit from their internships. They mostly accept it as something that they have to do, and they know that if they refuse to take an unpaid internship, there are thousands of other students who will snap up the opportunity.
Change is either going to have to come from employers or the government. I strongly believe that offering paid internships is more favorable to employers because they get better quality interns who are more motivated, and the employer has a stronger incentive to use the intern's time well.
Here in the U.S. there are already laws against unpaid internships. I wrote an article on it here: http://www.onedayoneinternship.com/blog/are-unpaid-internshi...
There's actually an excellent and fair standard for determining when an unpaid internship should be allowed; however, I've never heard of an employer's being prosecuted under the Fair Labor Standards Act for having unpaid interns. And if the law were to start to be enforced, I'm not sure the outcome would benefit students in the short-term. There would be a lot fewer opportunities as many employers would get rid of their internship programs. This would result in even more competition for what paid opportunities were left.
I really hate unpaid internships, but I still haven't figured out what it's going to take to make them a thing of the past. They've become an essential part of the transition from education to employment, and messing around with that in a time when really talented grads are struggling to land jobs probably isn't a good idea. We may have to wait until the economy really heats up again.