Argumentative essay for college students.

Unpaid internships should be illegal. Argue.

In the United States, Justin Henry, a former intern at Atlantic Records, filed a lawsuit on June 24, 2013, accusing the company and its parent company, Warner Music Group, of failing to pay him for his internship (Gardner, 2013). When such a situation arises, interns lack the motivation to perform adequate tasks, which could impair the organization’s reputation and productivity. Today’s job market demands extensive experience, which can only be obtained through internships and training. However, unpaid internships do not prepare individuals for long-term employment. According to Perlin (2012), 63% of individuals who completed paid internships were recruited for a job before graduating, and 37% with unpaid internships remained idle. One whose work is not rewarded and appreciated with an incentive must be unlawful. Therefore, an unpaid internship should be illegal because it is exploitative, promotes inequality, and results in unspecified job offers with indistinct pay scales.

Firstly, the practice of unpaid internships should be unlawful because it is exploitative. The exploitation of unpaid internships is classified into two categories, specifically financial and physical exploitation. The first kind, financial exploitation, utilizes unpaid interns as a substitution for full-time workers without incentives while gaining revenue through their work. On the other hand, paid interns are respected for their jobs and are often considered for a permanent position at their respective companies. According to Wilson (2013), paid interns are also referred to as remarkable interns who offer a tremendous amount of energy to the office, due to which they are valued and given promising employment in the future. Physical exploitation, the second kind, fosters an atmosphere that disregards the intern’s hard work, and their skills are wasted without compensation. Instead of working as an unpaid intern just to combust energy, working for a paid internship would offer greater incentives (Braun, 2011). Usually, unpaid interns are directed to perform unnecessary tasks, draining their energy and preventing them from improving their employability. Therefore, unpaid apprenticeships must be outlawed, as the interns are exploited financially and physically.

Secondly, internships without compensation should be unlawful since they perpetuate inequality. Firstly, benefits and social security are available to paid interns. For instance, simply applying for a social security number will enable paid trainees to receive their payment at the same scheduled time as full-time employees. On the other hand, unpaid interns are not eligible for social security. To illustrate, three-fourths of the interns from the USA claim that their internships were not covered by a formal contract, leaving them vulnerable to unstable working circumstances (Durack, 2013). Second, affluent interns can take advantage of the experience opportunity without the expenditure barrier. However, unpaid internships are unfair to needy students as they become a cost barrier. For instance, the cost of a three-month internship, excluding travel costs, was $4050 (Thomas, 2016). As a result of such barriers, moderate-income students will have a difficult time, as they need to support their families. Finally, it creates non-financial inequality for poorer individuals, leading to an increase in stress and anxiety, thereby affecting their mental health due to excessive working hours without any benefits. Hence, the concept of unpaid internships should be discouraged, as it creates inequality.

Thirdly, unpaid internships should be illegal as they create indefinite job recruitment with unclear pay structures. To begin with, paid interns are offered specific employment opportunities. However, unpaid interns are not given access to concrete career options. Coco (2000) found that just 34.6% of unpaid interns in the United States were hired, compared to 65.4% of paid interns who received job offers immediately after completing their internships. Moreover, when paid interns enter the job market, they have the potential to get a specified salary range, unlike unpaid interns. According to Hurst (2023), when people apply for jobs after finishing an internship, the salary ranges from $100 to $150 for unpaid interns, which is approximately half the amount of the income provided for paid interns, which ranges from $300 to $400. This substantial disparity in salaries not only fails to adequately reward unpaid interns for their time and effort but also jeopardizes their financial security and opportunity for advancement in the workplace. As a result, paid interns not only gain practical experience with the regular tasks and responsibilities but also acquire a huge amount of earnings. Hence, interning without remuneration should be unlawful as it promotes unpromising employment with incomprehensible salary ranges.

In conclusion, unpaid internships should be illegal due to the financial and physical abuse of the interns, which depletes their energy without compensation and hinders them from enhancing their employability. Additionally, it creates an environment of inequality where paid interns are subject to greater incentives and benefits, while unpaid interns are under physical and mental pressure. Interns without compensation are not provided with particular job prospects in the market. However, paid trainees have the opportunity to receive specific income ranges with definite career paths. Therefore, unpaid internships should be illegal.