Skip to main content

Advertisement

Advertisement

Thoughts of an unpaid intern

How ethical are unpaid internships in Singapore, and should Singaporean students take them up?

How ethical are unpaid internships in Singapore, and should Singaporean students take them up?

From the perspective of a dogmatic and unwavering neoclassical economist, unpaid internships are the perfectly logical outcome of institutions seeking labour at its lowest cost engaging students willing to offer their labour for nothing in return. In this view, the rational homo economicus willingly enters into a transaction that he expects to also benefit from.

Indeed, there may be certain cases wherein industry experience is so valuable that students expect long-term rewards for their short-term losses, and the unpaid internship – sometimes more positively referred to as a “non-stipendary attachment” – is a minor, negligible sacrifice in these students’ larger career plans.

However, opponents of unpaid internships in North America and Western Europe have argued that this creates an effective barrier to entry to certain industries for students from lower socio-economic classes – after all, only students from relatively affluent backgrounds are able to afford the luxury of unpaid internships without having to worry about rent, living costs or supporting one’s own family. That some of these coveted internships are in expensive cities like New York or London further underscores this point.

In Singapore, many local students continue to live with their parents even after graduation, which relieves them from the harrowing spectre of having to pay rent. This greatly assuages the financial pressures for local students who wish to do an unpaid internship. No so, however, for the many foreign students in our local universities, who will have to find some way to make ends meet.

MY PERSONAL EXPERIENCE

I was hired on a ‘non-stipendary attachment’ this school holiday by a research institute at a local university, and despite my initial misgivings, I have found that there are ways to make an unpaid internship work. With the right mentor and the right attitude, one can manage to gain valuable experience, and also obtain a modicum of financial income on the side.

Indeed, sometimes unpaid internships exist not because institutions are profit-driven, corporate entities, but because of unfortunate bureaucratic oversights. When I had enquired as to the possibility of receiving a salary for my internship, I was told by a very kind, very apologetic professor that unfortunately university policy “does not have good provisions at all for such things, and thus does not allow us to use any budget for intern stipends.” He apologised profusely.

From his reply, I found the professor to be sincere, humble and to be caught in circumstances beyond his control. Considering, too, that my area of research overlapped with this professor’s, I figured that an opportunity to work for such a person was a valuable one, and agreed to be a non-stipendary intern working under him.

During the internship, the professor I worked for constantly expressed gratitude for the little administrative tasks I did – a simple “thank you” goes a long way – and also chatted with me about my own research interests and plans for the future.

Through organising his personal library, I was also exposed to critical literature in his field, and such bibliographic knowledge is crucial for a young, largely ignorant, graduate student. Most importantly, the research institute was a stimulating, intellectual environment – I was able to attend various seminars and informal book reading sessions moderated by senior research fellows.

A LITTLE ON THE SIDE

At the same time, I also took care to procure paying jobs that would ensure some form of financial income. Through various personal contacts, I managed to get paying gigs reviewing short film scripts for production houses in Beirut, as well as minor copywriting jobs for an online company. In addition, I also tried writing commentaries for local newspapers, such as this one.

Much of this extra work was done in the office, in between the tasks assigned to me, the unpaid intern. The moral economy of unpaid interns works in such a way that one’s mentor or supervisor, cognisant of the fact that everything you do benefits him and his organisation tangibly but benefits you intangibly, is more likely to close one eye and let things slide.

Nevertheless, the money earned hardly covered all of my living costs – and I am very fortunate too, to be still living with my parents who are still able and willing to give me “pocket money”.

Returning to the question that began this commentary, I would, in response, default to the adage that life is what you make out of it. Reform needs time, mindsets are slow to change, and the question of ethics invites lengthy debate rather than practical solutions.

This does not discount the importance of engaging such ethical issues – rather, one has to, at the same time, find some way to realise one’s career dreams with limited means.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Koh Choon Hwee graduated with first class honours in Philosophy from the National University of Singapore, and is currently pursuing graduate studies in Beirut, Lebanon. She is interning in Singapore during the university holiday.

Read more of the latest in

Advertisement

Advertisement

Stay in the know. Anytime. Anywhere.

Subscribe to get daily news updates, insights and must reads delivered straight to your inbox.

By clicking subscribe, I agree for my personal data to be used to send me TODAY newsletters, promotional offers and for research and analysis.