Should Interns Be Paid or Just Be Grateful for the Experience?

Hello learners

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Before I dive into today’s topic, whether interns should be paid by the companies where they are learning, let us first understand the term intern.

An intern is someone who is still learning a job or profession by working under supervision.

This usually happens during/after university studies or after an ND program in a polytechnic, so students can gain practical knowledge. For example, in my school, Industrial Training (IT) is compulsory for anyone who wants to proceed to the HND program. Without completing IT, you won’t be eligible.

Now, back to the main discussion: should interns be paid?

Personally, I disagree.

An internship is a period of training. Why should interns be paid when they are still being taught?

It is similar to asking employers in every profession to start paying their apprentices while they are still learning the craft.

I understand that some people may not like this idea and will argue that interns deserve payment. But if the roles were reversed, many of those same people might not be willing to pay someone who is still learning under them.

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Moreover, most companies do not necessarily need extra workers. Interns are either posted there or apply because their school requires it. So, it may not seem fair to expect payment from organizations that agreed to train them.

I had a cousin who benefited greatly from her IT experience. She learned shoe-making during her internship, and after school, she ventured fully into the business. Today, she is successful in it. There are many similar success stories from people who used their internship period wisely.

Some companies even retain interns after their service period if they are impressed with their performance or how quickly they understand the work. At that stage, they officially become employees of the organization, and that is when they truly deserve to be paid, because they are no longer just learning, but actively contributing their skills to the company.

I even believe bosses at our places of internship should be appreciated when we are done, rather than the other way around. In some cases, we should be grateful enough to gift them for sharing their knowledge with us.

I know some people will disagree with this because they feel they were “used” by the company. But we need to understand that most of these companies didn’t actually need us; we are the ones who need them for exposure and experience.

That said, internship policies also vary. Some companies don’t pay interns at all, some give a small transport allowance, while others pay full salaries. I think this depends on the type of company and how valuable the intern is to their operations.

In some organizations, not much training is needed for workers to perform effectively; they only need a brief introduction, and they can continue on their own. Such companies may choose to pay interns.

However, in cases where interns require heavy training to understand how things work, they are already benefiting greatly from the knowledge gained. In my opinion, additional payment is not necessary in such situations.

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