Charities told to stop exploiting interns

The union has produced a report on internships in charities, in conjunction with Intern Aware. It found that more than a third of the top 50 charity employers in England and Wales did not pay their interns.

A snapshot survey of 206 student/graduate interns revealed nearly two-thirds thought that at least the minimum wage was fair as the appropriate level of pay.

53% of those interns on expenses-only thought that unpaid internships were not justifiable

Unitenational officer for the not for profit sector, Sally Kosky, and Intern Aware’s co-director Gus Baker said:

“The UK is at risk of creating a society that discriminates against those who are unable to intern for free for long periods of time.

“With the majority of national charities and voluntary organisations based in London, those who cannot afford the spiralling rents in the capital can’t get the opportunities that they deserve.

“Structured, paid internships and training schemes are better for young people and are better value for employers, who will get higher quality and more motivated applicants.”

The report calls for an end to unpaid internships in the third sector; interns to be paid the national minimum wage, currently £6.19 an hour for those over 21; and the re-introduction of paid entry level jobs to expand the social diversity of job applicants.

The report said: “Unpaid internships in the third sector breeds elitism, and only provides guaranteed access to jobs for those who can afford to work for free for anything from three to 12 months.”

It also called for “internships masquerading as ‘volunteering opportunities’ to evade paying the national minimum wage regulations” to cease.