More than 40% of students and graduates on work experience are not paid, according to XpertHR’s 2011 work experience and internship survey.
The online survey was carried out online by XpertHR earlier this year, with 74 organisations across all sectors and of varying sizes taking part.
A typical organisation offered placements to students and graduates lasting between eight and 21 weeks, with the longest lasting 60 weeks. Of those surveyed, 38% did not pay expenses and 27% paid neither wages or expenses.
When asked for their views on the payment of internships, less than half (45%) of respondents agreed that taking on unpaid students to carry out work, under the guise of work experience, is unethical and should not be allowed.
Among the 29 organisations that paid some or all of the interns a wage, 16 paid all their interns, while 13 paid only in some circumstances. Of those:
- Three paid the national minimum wage
- One paid less (£2.50 an hour)
- 13 paid more than the minimum wage
- 11 respondents paid depending on the type of work/placement
- Three paid the highest wage of £10 an hour
XpertHR training editor and report author Charlotte Wolff said: “Under national minimum wage legislation, anyone who is a ’worker’ for an organisation must be paid at least the minimum wage. However, it is not always clear to employers how this applies to people on work experience placements as there are some exemptions for certain types of work experience, and, according to guidance on the Business Link website, each case is different.
“Our research indicates that employers have differing views on the payment of interns, and little uniformity in terms of why they might choose to pay some individuals and not others.”
The XpertHR survey report on payment arrangements for work experience and internships covers schemes for school pupils, students and graduates, and others such as the long-term unemployed.
A follow-up report, to be released shortly, covers the content, structure and benefits of work experience and internships. A key finding is that although work experience is considered to bring many benefits, efficient recruitment is by no means top of the list.
