garywood
Chumono
Rather than Hijack the thread about Ryan I thought I would start a new thread. Si raised concerns about internships being illegal. In general they are but as in most things there are exceptions. My research into the law is a little different than Si's.
Wood
So, what are the general laws outlined by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division regulating unpaid internships? These six criteria must be met in order for companies to lawfully offer unpaid internships:
The training, even though it includes actual operation of the facilities of the employer, is similar to that which would be given in a vocational school;
The training is for the benefit of the trainee;
The trainees do not displace regular employees, but work under close observation;
The employer that provides the training derives no immediate advantage from the activities of the trainees and on occasion the employer’s operations may actually be impeded;
The trainees are not necessarily entitled to a job at the completion of the training period; and
The employer and the trainee understand the trainees are not entitled to wages for the time spent in training.
To find out more about the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) and other laws that apply to interns and work-based training, please visit the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division at http://www.dol.gov/whd .Or, call WHD’s toll-free helpline at (866) 4US-WAGE, (866-487-9243).
Resources:
The Register Guard: Firms’ Intern Policies Probed
U.S. Department of Labor: Employment and Training Administration Advisory System
New York Times: The Unpaid Intern, Legal or Not
Wood
So, what are the general laws outlined by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division regulating unpaid internships? These six criteria must be met in order for companies to lawfully offer unpaid internships:
The training, even though it includes actual operation of the facilities of the employer, is similar to that which would be given in a vocational school;
The training is for the benefit of the trainee;
The trainees do not displace regular employees, but work under close observation;
The employer that provides the training derives no immediate advantage from the activities of the trainees and on occasion the employer’s operations may actually be impeded;
The trainees are not necessarily entitled to a job at the completion of the training period; and
The employer and the trainee understand the trainees are not entitled to wages for the time spent in training.
To find out more about the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) and other laws that apply to interns and work-based training, please visit the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division at http://www.dol.gov/whd .Or, call WHD’s toll-free helpline at (866) 4US-WAGE, (866-487-9243).
Resources:
The Register Guard: Firms’ Intern Policies Probed
U.S. Department of Labor: Employment and Training Administration Advisory System
New York Times: The Unpaid Intern, Legal or Not
Last edited: