Should Interns Be Paid?

Somehow, I find this topic interesting. Maybe because I've seen similar situations and felt that this needs to be talked about. The world of service internship is an important one. This is because it allows the interns; who could be students or graduates in professional fields or individuals with some skills, to learn and have experience of what there is in that field or industry. And for some courses or fields, this is necessary. Not just for the sake of the accolades but for gaining relevant industry practical knowledge and experience.

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The purpose of an internship is to learn and have the needed knowledge and experience. But here comes the conversation: Should interns be paid or not? Well, it's a relevant question because we're looking at the fact that this is an internship, and the interns are gaining from the firm's or organisation's pool of knowledge and expertise. We can say it's a gain for the interns, to have access to such. But when I look at things critically, especially in relation to my own country, I consider that it won't be a bad idea to pay interns a stipend.

While I speak on this, I do it from the perspective of things in my country and part of the world. We're a people living in a financially disadvantaged situation; for the most population at least. Virtually everything people do here are expected to bring some monetary reward. Well, I don't applaud the totality of that ideology because of cases like volunteerism, which we don't see much of. Yes, because we have to be making some money. You can't blame anyone here for thinking that way, not when more than half of the population struggles to live a basic life.

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Looking at all these, I consider that some stipend could help. Some firms and organisations are so demanding that interns do the work of staff even. They do work out of their scope and yet the workers take their salaries while the interns receive not even a little allowance. If the system is working well here, I might not be so on this. Consider how much it would cost for transportation and feeding. This is someone who's interning and doing it for their future, and who is basically not earning any income. Yet, they have to cover these expenses.

Some stipend or allowance won't be bad. Even if not much, but for the time and energy interns expend in the course of delivering their duties, sometimes beyond their scope of work. If an organisation can't cover the basics to sustain interns for their feeding and transportation, it should think twice before requesting or taking them. In the case where interns don't mind, then it's fine. Looking at the national service program, we see why this is necessary for interns. If they are delivering their skills, time and energy, they should be appreciated. This will serve as a boost and encouragement as well.