Universities fight unpaid internships
Several arts universities in the United Kingdom are backing up students who are campaigning for paid work, instead of unpaid internships. Recently graduated arts students often work for free or for very little money.
Some universities that pay special attention to the matter are Falmouth, Kingston, the University of the Creative Arts (UCA) and Goldsmiths. The career department at the University of Arts London (UAL) doesn’t advertise un-paid jobs on its website anymore.
National legislations prescribe that employers should pay interns that come in at set hours and employ set tasks. A lot of companies don’t know that or choose to ignore it. University staff sometimes stimulates students to take an unpaid internship, which makes matters worse.
For students who work for free, it is hard to get out of the cycle and obtain an actual job. Universities now develop programs to educate students about their rights and the rules around minimum wages.
