Know your rights about working and interning abroad

Posted date: 13 Oct 2020

The rights of an intern depend upon their employment status. If an intern is treated as a job, then the National Minimum Wage of that country is generally due. Internships are referred to as 'job placements' or 'work experience' occasionally. The privileges they have depend on the position of the job and whether they are listed as an employee, volunteer or an employee. If an intern does an employer's daily paid job, they can qualify as an employee and be qualified for certain rights of employment.

If you work for a company as a worker, you are entitled to be paid and there is essential legislation, most importantly the minimum wage requirement, which is in place to protect you as an employee. Your employer would not have to pay you if you are a student and have to do a placement as part of your higher education course or if you are a volunteer. You will, however, be entitled to be paid in nearly all other circumstances.

Latest press reports and numerous complaints have been made to governments regarding the issue of unpaid internships. Unpaid internships and work experience placements are being highly sought after, usually by students or those just leaving higher education. They have also become more appropriate and therefore more commonly offered by a variety of organizations. The growing number of people graduating from university and the ever-decreasing work prospects due to the current economic climate has been one of the reasons for this. This has allowed students who leave university in debt to work without any pay whatsoever for long periods of time. By making young people work long hours with no pay, some businesses are simply taking advantage of this situation. As students frequently have no choice but to take these positions (in practical terms if they are to get ahead), a vicious spiral has begun with some companies now finding it much more cost effective to simply recruit free interns than give out paying jobs. This has contributed to demands for action by the government.

With the legal position that you are supposed to be paid if you work (apart from volunteering for a charity or government institution), it is clear that the ever-increasing period of internships will come under further scrutiny. Although a number of businesses have attempted to address this issue by covering travel or lunch costs, this is also not in accordance with the minimum wage. Practically speaking, there would be a number of individuals legally eligible to be paid in voluntary programmes across the county. It remains to be seen if these individuals would bring cases against companies at a time when they are eager to please them.

Posted By

GSP Admin