FlippED is an ED Original style wherein two bloggers come together to share their opposing or orthogonal perspectives on an interesting subject.
Being an undergraduate student who is always on a lookout for internship opportunities, this has been one thing that I am always confused about. Should internships be paid or not?
Internships are like tradition. Every student, from all backgrounds, has to do it in order to kick-start their career.
An internship allows the student to make use of skills and knowledge in the university. Also, it provides the opportunity of building new connections and networks in your desired field of work.
But, most importantly a good internship provides a first-hand exposure to working in the real world. It helps train and provide work experience to students and recent graduates.
But, should the companies pay interns? Technically, interns do contribute to the revenue of the company in some form or another. Interns help to bring in new and unique ideas, give modern solutions and reduce workload.
Let’s see what our bloggers have to say about this problem.
Blogger Aditi’s Views
Personally, I strongly believe that all interns should be paid. At the core of it, hiring an intern is similar to buying someone’s service that you benefit from at any level.
Paid Interns Are Happy Interns
Paid interns are happy interns—and happy interns are eager to work, commit to the team, and are ready to give their best.
Contented interns also act as good PR for the company. These interns act like a “brand ambassadors” for your company and can sell your company to their friends and associates, who may be your potential future hires—ultimately saving you in the recruitment process.
Paid Interns Take Internships Seriously
Paid interns are more motivated to treat the internship like a real job, which it is.
A paid internship also gives employers more freedom in assigning projects to interns with ownership over their own work and giving the motivation to take risks.
Paid Internships Attract The Best Applicants
A good intern knows the value of their work and if the given opportunity would only go for paid internships. To get the best and most brilliant talent, companies have to start with the widest pool of applicants. Thus, an unpaid internship reduces the number of worthy applicants.
Read More: Do You Think Only Rich Kids Can Afford To Take Unpaid Internships As An Indian Student?
Blogger Aiswarya’s Views
Smelling your hard-earned money at the end of the month, after spending gruelling hours at your workplace can be one of the best feelings in the world (in case you are paid digitally, it would be seeing that notification of your account filled with money).
However, doesn’t that totally distort the intention with which one would apply for work?
I believe that paid internships may become solely about gaining money rather than gaining valuable experience. If unpaid internships abide by work ethics, then I think they may be the best solution for a student in the lookout for an enriching and learning experience.
Unpaid Internships Will Look Better On Your Resume
It will say a lot about the candidate and their personality. Those who are willing to do an unpaid internship may in general be more focused on learning and attaining necessary experience regarding their career.
They also show that the candidate takes their job seriously and would work for the company out of passion rather than a paycheck.
Encourage Students To Take Up Social Internships
Paid internships will incentivise students into a “money-making mindset,” which would not help students get out of the corporate environment that the world inhabits today.
Students need to also work at non-profit organisations that work towards a better cause and need to understand that these are usually unpaid.
If one were taught to understand social benefits rather than monetary benefits, such internships would become much valuable than they already are.
Commitment Issues With The Organisation
Lastly, unpaid internships relieve you from any commitment that you have with the organisation. It ensures that you have a say in the decisions made there while you work, and provides you with a guilt-free environment to dissent in case you are forced to be in a permanent position.
In conclusion, for enhancing qualifications and securing lucrative employment, internships are something every student desires. Internships, paid or unpaid, serve as a potential opportunity for getting a job or building a career.
Image Sources: Google Images
Sources: Investopedia, Capital Placement, Blogger’s own views
Find The Blogger: @aditi_21gupta
This post is tagged under: Internships, Paid, Unpaid, student, career, skills, knowledge, networks, work, first-hand exposure, experience, graduates, companies, pay, Happy, job, talent, applicant, hard-earned money, learning, experience, resume, social internships, commitment, guilt-free environment
