How to Handle Internship Pay

If you are considering an internship program with a company, the question of internship pay is a tricky one. Many companies pay very little or nothing to interns, who generally work for a limited period of time - often a year or less as part of what is often a recurring program. Make sure you do your research when you apply for the internship so you know whether the position is unpaid.

What to do if There is No Internship Pay?

• Take the job if you can. Internship programs offer a number of valuable benefits and job experts agree they are great for your resume as long as you can find some way to get through a summer, or whatever the length of the internship period is, without pay. In addition to the experience gained at a company in an industry you hope will be your life's work, an internship can net you a valuable reference and will look impressive on your resume.
• Internships can lead to full-time jobs. If you are indispensable, the company may find a way to put you on the full-time payroll, even if you are told over and over none of the interns are kept for full-time positions. The company can always bend its own rules, as long as it's to the company's advantage.

Don't Rule Out Jobs with no Internship Pay

• Are there other perks? If the job is unpaid, does the company help in other ways such as company carpools to work or referrals to company employees who rent out living spaces cheaply to interns? A few perks could make a free job a little more affordable.
• Try to be creative. If you've been offered a free internship, but don't think you can survive without a salary, see if company officials are interested in a compromise. Perhaps they will reduce the time period of the internship to something your savings can handle - that way you still get an impressive addition to your resume. Or, ask if they are opposed to you working a second job so you can afford to take the internship. Whether you can find a nighttime paying job is problematic, but the request alone should impress company officials.
• Don't walk away empty-handed. If the company has no flexibility when it comes to internship pay, ask if the company will at least provide a reference to help you as you search for a paying job. If you were impressive enough to win a job, that should be enough to compose at least a brief reference for other employers to see.