When I was an engineering student I worked during my degree at GEC-Marconi Research Center and was paid for this work. Although the money wasn’t great, being paid not only recognised the contribution I was making but also motivated me to work hard and be professional. Back in the 80s neither engineering employers nor the interns even thought about asking students to work for free.
When I entered the PR industry I was shocked to find that unpaid internships were commonplace. Its a bad idea – both for the company and the intern. So at Napier we decided to always pay our interns.
I’m really pleased to see that there is strong momentum in the industry to stamp out unpaid internships, and we’re all delighted to be amongst the first agencies listed as supporting the PRCA in demanding all interns receive at least the National Minimum Wage.
