Students question whether taking unpaid internships is worth it

Tap, tap, tap. Click. Tap, tap, tap. Click.

The better part of senior Jennifer Marinaro’s Friday afternoon is dominated by the rhythm of her fingers flying over the keyboard, punctuated occasionally by the click of a mouse or the squeal of a highlighter lid as it parts from its base.

Marinaro is halfway through transcribing a stack of notes, voicemails and e-mails into electronic client files when her supervisor brings in another pile.

Every contact with probation clients, every test result, every detail is entered into their files, keeping a paper trail on them at all times. Keeping their records straight is vital.

“Most of the jobs I’ve done don’t really have the power to negatively affect people’s lives,” she said. “But I feel like if I enter something wrong in here the person could stay in jail for an extra week or something.”

Marinaro, an unpaid intern at the Monroe County Probation Department, spends three days a week in the Community Corrections building, migrating from office to office.

She temporarily takes over absent employees’ empty spaces with her unimposing photocopies and manila folders.

Sometimes in the mornings Marinaro will observe as employees administer breathalyzer tests and read urine sample reports, checking for signs of illicit substances in their clients.

* * *

While internships have only come into vogue in the past 20 years, today there is an expectation for students to have experience in their field, even if their work is minimal.

This sometimes leads to fierce competition among 20-somethings for the opportunity to work for free. This mind set has sparked a recent debate about regulations regarding unpaid internships.

Anyone who meets the definition of employee must be compensated, according to the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938. However, in a 1947 ruling, the U.S. Supreme Court decided a person whose work serves only his or her own interest does not meet this definition. In lieu of this decision, the Department of Labor released an administrative letter ruling in 1974, which outlined six criteria that must be met if an internship is to be unpaid.

Patrick Donahue, director of the Career Development Center, said these guidelines, which were created more than 30 years ago, are vague given the prevalence of internships today. He pointed to the National Association of Colleges and Employers’ stance on the issue.

“Ideally they think for-profit internships should be paid, but we understand there are lots of other issues that are involved there, and especially with the DOL rules, there needs to be a lot more discussion at the Department of Labor to fine tune them and say ‘Ok, how do you actually define this?’” he said.

While many internships do meet these standards, recent debates have surfaced in regard to the distinction between internship and part-time job. Donahue said a lot of times, businesses — particularly those in the communications and entertainment industries — will call what is actually a part-time job an internship.

“The truth is, the vast majority of for-profit companies do have paid internship programs,” he said. “The ones that don’t ... they have so many people that want to intern with them that regardless of if they said we’re paid or unpaid, they’d still have 50 people lined up out the door to go do that internship.”

* * *

As the rhythm of Marinaro’s key strokes drones on, a muted conversation floats in from the hallway. The words “morphine,” “heroin” and “warrant” are audible over the computer noise.

Tap, tap, tap. Click.

The 10 hours Marinaro logs every week force her to consider things such as her plans for the rest of her life. Does she want to apply her criminal justice major to a career once she graduates, or should she go back to school for tourism and hospitality management? Does she want a job in the judicial system or at a national park?

“I have all these lofty dreams and goals,” she said. “Who knows if they’ll happen.”

* * *

For many students, an unpaid internship is a way to get them that much closer to their dreams and goals. For others, however, being able to afford to work for free is a major roadblock.

“A lot of the best internships are usually in the larger cities — New York, L.A., Chicago, D.C., sometimes Atlanta — and there are costs. For one, travelling there to interview for the internship, and then two, if you’re not getting paid anything, how do you get started once you get there?” Donahue said. “For a lot of students, from a socioeconomic standpoint, it can be very challenging.”

Junior Brandon Kaplan spent last summer working at Comcast Entertainment Group in L.A., one of the nation’s most expensive cities.

“I had a lot of money saved up because I hadn’t gone anywhere significant in awhile,” he said.

Fortunately, Kaplan’s parents were also able to chip in and help with his rent. Everything else, though, he said he paid for with the money he had saved up.

Donahue said IU is currently looking into a variety of ways to mitigate costs for students who can’t afford an unpaid internship. These range from waiving the tuition fees for internship credits, providing subsidized housing and even small grants to pay for a plane ticket.

“At least in the beginning you can’t narrow your gaze to only paid internships,” Kaplan said. “Because, if nothing else, it’ll be a resume builder. People will realize that I went out to California just to experience the music industry.”

* * *

Marinaro’s supervisor comes in again, but she’s not holding any more papers this time.

“I’m going to the jail to talk to an inmate. Do you want to come?”

She does. Marinaro fishes her  temporary-looking badge out of her bag, questions if it will work and follows her supervisor out the door, ready to listen and learn.