re: #333 iossarian

In theory the unpaid internship can be valid in some circumstances, if you’re not actually doing productive work but instead are learning about a certain industry or function. To me that’s the dividing line between internship and employment.

But you’re right that in practice it just opens up a huge loophole for unscrupulous actors to exploit, because the line is so blurred. It also places low-income people at a significant disadvantage because they can’t afford to take the more competitive/interesting internships.

You do make some good points. When I interned, I was doing a lot of the same work I would be doing if it was full time. The exact title of the position was “unpaid work experience.”