One of the things I've been hoping to compile is a Point-of-View on internships. We have many great firms that look to our students as interns — and when the balance of time-commitment, compensation and expectations are in line, this is a fantastic opportunity for both student and mentor. Hopefully, as a department, we'll get some consensus on this and be able to post it soon.
In the meantime, as a personal take: an unpaid internship is neither good for the student nor the long-term health of any industry and simply devalues efforts across the board, especially at entry-level. Here's an interesting turn in the saga of "Unpaid Internships" worth reading:
"In August 2011, when Diana Wang began her seventh unpaid internship, this time at Harper’s Bazaar, the legendary high-end fashion magazine, she figured that her previous six internships – at a modeling agency, a PR firm, a jewelry designer, a magazine, an art gallery and a state governor’s office – had prepared her for the demands of New York’s fashion world..."
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