For-profit companies are putting graduates at a disadvantage by offering unpaid work
By: Michelle Ramos
Tags: Internship, Toronto, College

Photo by Studio Republic on Unsplash

Since entering the final semester of my undergrad in September, I’ve been feeling what I can only describe as a creeping panic that only grows as I get closer to graduation. Leaving post-secondary as a journalism major was already terrifying with the current media landscape, but the possibility of being stuck doing unpaid work is leaving me, along with other graduates, feeling very restless.

Unpaid internships are extremely common in college career development, with approximately over 60% of students participating in unpaid work within each graduating class. Instead of paying students, for-profit companies are offering class credits and experience in exchange for labour. Despite being more prevalent in post-secondary settings, unpaid work isn’t just exclusive to students anymore as more entry-level jobs are now requiring months, sometimes years of experience, making it harder for graduates to find jobs after graduation.

Back in January, I reached out to the features editor of a local music magazine. In the email, I introduced myself, showcased my bylines, and went off to pitch just like how I was taught in school. The editor emailed me back and asked me for my top five albums of 2019, I responded quickly and easily as this was something my friends and I talked about often.

In his response, he tells me he’s impressed with my list and to reach out once I gain more experience in publishing my work. As someone who was hoping to start earning money and get my head start in ‘adulting’, I was disappointed.

Nevertheless, about two months later I was surprised to find an email from the same features editor. In the email, he asks if I would be interested in writing album reviews for their website. I was excited at first but as I was getting to the end of the email, I saw the catch… The catch being I’d be writing for free.

Again, I was extremely disappointed. I had prior knowledge that not monetizing your work just to gain experience and build a portfolio was common in the media landscape. Although, there was a part of me resentful at the fact I spent five years of both time and money grooming myself to do unpaid work, which I had already done for over six months at a previous internship.

The culture of unpaid work does not consider that not every student or young person can afford to work for free, and it’s unfair that they’re expected to. Students and their families choose to make the very costly investment into post-secondary education in hopes of gaining a rewarding and promising career in return. Instead, young people are finding themselves working for free until somebody decides they’re experienced enough to be paid. In fact, a 2016 study by the National Association of Colleges and Employers showed that unpaid internships were negatively correlated with salary and employment outcome.

The idea of ‘getting your name out there’ at the cost of a paycheck is simply inequitable in today’s economic climate. There is no doubt that experience holds value, but it’s impossible to translate that value into rent and groceries.

On top of doing unpaid work and the GTA’s cost of living climbing rapidly, students are also leaving school with huge debt — and thanks to Premier Doug Ford’s elimination of the six month interest-free grace period, young people really can’t afford to do unpaid work.

It’s important to note that there are instances where companies acquire interns and hire them after graduation, but the recession has made those chances slim, and even more so with the COVID-19 pandemic.

Overall, the ethics behind not paying for labour is immoral and greatly puts students, especially those belonging to marginalized communities, at a greater disadvantage. For-profit companies offering unpaid work continue to exemplify the culture of privilege that already exists within educational and corporate institutes, creating opportunities only made to benefit a certain and select group of people.