Sun, 1 May 2011

Unpaid internships foster inequality

Informal internships in the civil service will come to an end by 2012, under proposals announced by deputy prime minister Nick Clegg.

Clegg said the practice of unpaid work experience must stop in the civil service and insisted the coalition would take action on the ‘tacit conspiracy’, where professionals in a privileged position place their own children with their contacts, giving them an advantage.

The announcement followed revelations that a former intern working for the Lib Dem leader did not receive out-of-pocket expenses to cover lunch or travel while working for free.

Subsequently, the deputy prime minister announced he would ban all members of his party from the practice of hiring unpaid work experience staff. However, at the time of going to press, Payroll World was aware of at least two Lib Dem MPs advertising for unpaid positions.

Ben Lyons, who launched the campaign group Intern Aware, said the announcement on the proposals was not something new. ‘The paid internship scheme in the civil service is the only substantial proposal under discussion, but this is a rehashing of what was already planned from the last government.’

Lyons agreed it is difficult to formally legislate against someone who will use their connections, but that paying interns ‘would create a meritocracy’ as they would be forced to take a real interest in employees because it would cost the company.