At one point or another, you may be faced with an opportunity to intern at a business and then hear the news that you won’t be financially compensated. Should you take the opportunity?  The answer to that is totally up to you even though the general consensus among people, especially business owners is that you should take the opportunity. Of course business owners would want you to work for free for them. Who is going to refuse free labour? Don’t let them guilt trip you. Here are some things to consider before you make a decision: 

1. Can you afford it?  Being able to work for free is a 

privilege. Let’s face it, not all of us can get buy lunch and pay money for transportation and not receive any monetary value in return. It’s simply not realistic. This is especially true because a lot of us would need our parents to give us this money and sometimes, some parents just simply cannot afford it. Among the many reasons parents may not be able to afford things, back to school expenses are usually breathing down their necks in the summer. Ask the person offering the internship if they can give a stipend for transportation, food or both. This way even if you can’t get a salary, you can at least afford to eat and travel to and from work. If they refuse and you simply cannot afford it, pass on the opportunity and find something that can compensate you. On the other hand, if you and your parents/caregivers can afford it, go ahead. People love to say these internships are preparing you for the real world, well in the real world people get paid for their labour. 

2. Is the experience worth it? It’s important that you and the person hiring you are clear on what is expected of each other. You’re expected to complete tasks and they’re expected to provide a learning environment to support your growth. Many people have taken internships and were promised to be taught important things in their fields. In reality, they were assigned arbitrary tasks such as filing, fetching coffee or sometimes they were left with little engagement and nothing to do. Make sure the experience will actually be worth your while, if it’s not, don’t be afraid to simply say no.  3. Are you able to work remotely or have a more flexible 

agreement? Ask if your employer will lessen your financial burden by allowing you to work from home some days out of the week. Honestly, a lot of the work done can be done at home however Jamaican companies aren’t always willing and open to change. I’ve done an unpaid internship for 10 weeks completely from home and it was rewarding. At the time, I got experience writing longer more researched articles as well as a by line (my name appeared with the article published). These articles are still up on the website and I’ve added them to my portfolio. Therefore, I can show them to prospective employers to demonstrate my skill. While I didn’t earn any money, I also didn’t spend any money. I could have written these articles any time of day as long as I got it to the editor before the deadline. If I was offered to do 10 weeks of unpaid labour that involved me paying bus/taxi fare and either buying grocery to make lunch or buying lunch, I would have had to pass on the opportunity. The cost would have been to high to incur for me personally. The point was, if it’s something you really want to do but the financial aspect of it is getting in the way, negotiate and if they won’t listen, pass on it. Many people do unpaid internships because they want the experience and the networking opportunity it promises to provide. However, in many instances, you can display your willingness to work and learn and still not get offered a position after. It’s a risk you’ll take but it’s not a necessary one. Here are some ways you can get the benefits of internships without the financial burden of working for free:[naviga:ul][naviga:li]

Get a mentor- Mentors should be available both in high schools and university. While some high schools may not have a formal mentorship program, you can get in contact with the guidance counselling department and they should be able to set you up with alumni in your field who will be willing to talk to you. In university, they should have a more formal system where you apply with your area of interest and they’ll try to contact someone in your field on interest. Mentors should be able to give you guidance and tips about your area of interest. In addition to that, they might invite you to come see a day in their industry. They typically won’t pay you but travelling and finding food for a day or few days is better than doing it for months at an unpaid internship. If you and your mentor develop a good enough relationship, they might even hire you in the future, with pay this time. [/naviga:li][/naviga:ul][naviga:ul][naviga:li]

Volunteer– With the right research, you’ll find businesses and organizations in your field. Once you’ve found them, offer to volunteer. Of course, you won’t get paid but volunteering tends to be more flexible. You typically choose when and how you volunteer. So no, you won’t get paid but if you can go in once a week, establish relationships, impress people and do your task well, you might be able to reap the rewards later. These rewards won’t always come in the form of a direct job later on, however, it matters who knows you. Someone could pass on your name for an opportunity later on.[/naviga:li][/naviga:ul][naviga:ul][naviga:li]

Apply to the HOPE Summer work program- They typically ask what your area of interest is on the application. While you may not get it, you do get a stipend at the end of the period. The major con is that you won’t get paid weekly like your other friends who have summer jobs and so you’ll have to sustain yourself for three weeks. However, three weeks versus sustaining yourself for three months with no financial compensation at the end of it makes a difference. You’ll have the same opportunity of networking and gaining experience with the comfort of knowing you’ll be getting money at the end. This opportunity is only for those with CSEC subjects but since not all of us have links to get summer jobs and nice 

paid internships, this is the opportunity to make the link. People also get hired after the three weeks are up sometimes. [/naviga:li][/naviga:ul][naviga:ul][naviga:li]

Forget internships, apply to regular jobs – For older teens who are leaving school and may be taking a gap year (or years for those who need to save up for university), apply for regular jobs and make the most out of the experience while collecting your coins. One way to get these jobs is to be a summer worker in the company. Companies sometimes retain summer workers and put them on staff. Knowing how to document your skills will also be of great use to you when you’re updating your resume. Maybe you help to write reports for the company and occasionally file. Make sure the resume reflects your writing and organizational skills. It’s not always what you say but how you say it. This can help you to cop other jobs. Remember, you’re still getting valuable experience but it comes with financial compensation. It’s a win-win. [/naviga:li][/naviga:ul]Don’t let anyone guilt you into taking an unpaid internship. You’re not ungrateful for not taking an opportunity that won’t benefit you the way you need it to. The guilt of not taking unpaid internships aren’t just reserved for your teenage years, it might amplify after leaving university. The truth is, many people leave university with several obligations, including and not limited to student loans. Experience, while admittedly is valuable and necessary, cannot pay back loans, buy food and pay rent. Not everyone is afforded the privilege to take that risk. People generally believe that unpaid internships will more than likely lead to employment after. While it’s a nice sentiment, research says it’s not true. According to an 

article I was reading, people who did unpaid internships were given less job offers than those that got paid work. The reason for this was that employers didn’t see unpaid internships as real work. I’m not sure how true that is for Jamaica, however, I do know that many people aren’t hired after their internships end. It is a risk, like anything else in life, one you shouldn’t feel bad or punished for not taking.  It would be nice if Jamaica had a more formal internship system. One that offered proper compensation so that people without money aren’t excluded for the other opportunities and experience an internship might come with. Instead what we have are primarily private companies offering internships, often unpaid, to people they know. Many youths will never even know that these internships are available. A temporary solution to this is to call around and ask but it doesn’t mean they won’t still hire who they know. The ones that are publicized, have this same problem and even then, cannot take on everyone who needs it.  Since nepotism is still acceptable then we will continue to have these gaps in opportunities between the haves and have nots.  

— Trevann Hamilton