19th August 2013, 06:13 PM
As we move forward in this discussion I think it is important that everyone reviews the relevant UK regulation related to internships: https://www.gov.uk/employment-rights-for-interns Several of the internships that have come up recently in the UK (particularly the few that threw me over the edge) appear to be illegal under UK law. You can only offer an unpaid internship (a volunteer position) if: 1) Student internships as part of a set course 2) Volunteers for a non-profit 3) School work-placement (only folks under the age of 16) 4) Shadowing, where the intern doesn't actually do work but watches someone else work Yes, most archaeo/museo/heritage things slide in under 2 (but still skirt the line in other ways), but several unpaid "internships" that have come up have been at LTDs, not non-profits. There seems to be no legal way that they can NOT pay those workers. Just throwing that into the mix as we debate the benefits and drawbacks of the unpaid system: unpaid internships are often NOT LEGAL.