DISCUSSION ABOUT UNPAID INTERNSHIPS.
Last week, during interviews with candidates participating in collaboration with The Phoenix Medical Academy, I had the opportunity to chat with young Vietnamese students and doctors.
They shared with me about their previous work experiences.
Some of them became collaborators. for English teaching centers, some of you work as collaborators for non-profit organizations.
One thing you shared that makes me feel frustrated is that you work completely without salary…
And what’s even sadder is that you share this with me with PROUD.
1. INTERNSHIP EXPERIENCE AS A STUDENT
This reminds me of myself when I was a student.
At that time, my opinion was that my mother worked hard to earn money, and I just needed to try to use my skills and intelligence to make more money than my mother.
So I try to do as much as I can. There were times when I worked three jobs at once, from being a teaching assistant at school, tutoring younger students, collaborating on a short-term research course with professors, during the year and during the summer.
From these opportunities, I learned a lot of SKILLS and EXPERIENCE and helped my future a lot.
And I learned a lot of SKILLS and EXPERIENCE always PAID.
2. MY PERSPECTIVE ON BECOMING A BUSINESS OWNER
Nowadays, when I become a business owner, I always want to worry about living according to my conscience.
I used to be a poor student, so I understand the value of money and my own value.
I always tell my friends in The Phoenix Medical Academy team that if you come to work with me, I will guide and train you. And I will pay you. Because you also need food to live, you also need money to pay for school, buy books, pay tuition for extra courses, buy study and work tools.
I don’t want you to spend precious time and effort working for me but then still have to ask your parents for money to pay for school.
If a friend insists on not taking the money, I still find a way to send him a gift to thank him, and I don’t do it. long-term job with you because I don’t want to owe anyone anything.
3. DISCUSSING UNPAID INTERNSHIPS
Maybe you think:
“Oh, students work as free collaborators for organizations, to gain experience, not just money. It will make your CV look good and you will have more connections, etc.”
Maybe these things may be partly true, but you can still have these things and STILL gets paid the same.
WHY DON'T YOU PAY THE CHILDREN?
In the US, there have been many articles written about the lack of ETHICS by businesses in using unpaid collaborators and interns and calling for the abolition of this way of working.
Whether it is a for-profit or non-profit organization, there are no exceptions. (Non-profit actually also has revenue, but that money will be returned to develop the organization, so those who work for the organization also need to be subsidized!)
Legally, unpaid internships are not against the law. But the moral aspect is different.
WHAT FACTORS MAKE A GOOD JOB?
According to Professor Utpal Dholakia, Professor of Marketing at Rice University, Houston, Texas, when an individual provides labor with their time and effort (mental or physical), they need to be paid.
Of course while working there will be opportunities to learn but this does not mean it is a substitute for salary.
For example, today you go to work and the director suddenly naturally tell you: I learned a lot of skills today, don’t get paid today! What would you think?
The professor also affirmed that all good jobs, regardless of whether they are full-time or part-time, temporary or permanent, require people to do two things. One is salary and two is the opportunity to learn and develop.
CAN SALARY AND DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES BE SUBSTITUTES FOR EACH OTHER?
Another thing worth mentioning here is that if the internship is unpaid, it will be unfair.
For example, those who can comfortably work as an unpaid intern may be due to their family’s support. So what about poor students who worry about working to earn money at more difficult jobs? Don’t they have the opportunity to gain experience?
The professor also pointed out that many people say that unpaid internships are because the interns have no experience so they have to spend time on training and guidance.
But the reality is that there are many internship positions that have very high requirements, must have foreign language skills, this skill, that skill, etc. v. and most of the people who “Get” accepted into these positions are very qualified, not mediocre.
In addition, a survey in the US also shows that unpaid interns have no more chance of getting a job than their peers who have never interned.
Article “It’s Time to Officially End Unpaid Internships” on Harvard Business Reviews shared research results from the experiences of 4,000 final-year students at 470 universities in the US.
The results show that PAID contributors have a higher chance of finding a job. The reason is because companies that have positions recruiting paid interns often have long-term talent training plans.
That’s why the solution offered is micro-intership opportunities.
A micro-internship is a paid short-term project for college students.
Each project is highly specific and can range from content creation to data analysis to research work. Projects can last from a week-long assignment to a several-month commitment – and can be online or in person within the company.
This way, students can contribute to the company, learn skills, and get paid for their time and effort.
I hope to see more of this model in Vietnam so that there will be no more of this situation. “eat at home and work without pay” anymore.
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