So you sent in your resume, got the interview and scored that killer internship you wanted. But when you got to work on the first day, you realized it was not at all what you bargained for because you:
A) Were sent to fetch coffee and do mindless office labor
B) Realized you weren’t going to be paid
C) Already sensed a bad relationship with your boss/peers
D) Were ignored and not assigned any tasks
Bear in mind, the US Department of Labor created the Fair Labor Standards Act Fact Sheet #71 to protect students from being taken advantage of by employers. The fact sheet uses the following rules to discern an internship from a job:
- The internship, even though it includes the actual operation of the facilities of the employer, is similar to training which would be given in an educational environment.
- The internship experience is for the benefit of the intern.
- The intern does not displace regular employees, but works under close supervision of existing staff.
- The employer that provided training derives no immediate advantage of the activities of the intern; and on occasion its operations may be impeded.
- The intern is not necessarily entitled to a job at the conclusion of the internship.
- The employer and intern understand that the intern is not entitled to wages for time spent at the internship.
With these six points in mind, if you selected choice A and are doing mindless office labor, you must know if you are being paid or not. If you are being paid, sorry. You are being paid for your time and if your employers want you to fetch coffee and bring dry cleaning, you need to. However, don’t hesitate to ask your boss to do more of the kind of work you were looking for. If you want that hands-on experience—don’t be shy. If you don’t ask, nothing will change. If you are not being paid, this is not okay. You are to be receiving an educational experience for your personal benefit. Bring this issue up to your supervisor and be clear that you are not being paid to do these menial tasks and should be doing work that directly benefits you. All in all, you can make this a learning experience. Learning how to make coffee can be useful and interacting with baristas is also useful life experience.
If you selected option B, then you must know all internships are not created equal. Some are paid and some are not, it varies on the employer and it varies on the industry. However, it must be clear that you are not being used as temp labor to replace the work of a full-time employee (so that the company can get free labor to do normal work). Again, this internship should be an educational experience for you. If you can, take this unpaid internship and see if you can get course credit for it. BU offers that opportunity to students in many colleges and programs on campus. Obtaining credit for an internship is great—you’re essentially getting free credits to count toward graduation. Also, most companies allow you to receive credit for an internship—you just may need to fill out some paperwork.
Option C is a little more tricky. Sometimes you and your boss don’t click. Maybe you sense some competition or even hostility from your peers, whether they are employees or other interns. Building relationships is hard, but keep everything professional. Be polite and respectful, but don’t allow yourself to be walked over. Talk to the person with whom you are having an issue. Make it apparent that you are offended by his/her behavior. Maybe this person doesn’t realize how he/she is acting. If you cannot resolve this issue, speak with your internship coordinator to have the problem resolved. You should not be in a workplace where you feel uncomfortable or unwelcome.
If you gravitate toward choice D, chances are the office you’re working in is busy and your supervisor didn’t seem to have time to talk to you and give you a run down of basic tasks. This happens sometimes where employees get so wrapped up in their work that they forget about interns—this doesn’t mean they don’t need any help. It usually means they need more help. Approach your supervisor and ask for some tasks. Ask for a brief tutorial on how to do the work and be clear that is so that you can do a better job. Your time should be respected.
The truth is, not all internships are great, but you can learn from every experience. You now have the tools to make the best of an everything-but-ideal internship. However, if you can’t resolve any of these issues and you feel that quitting is your best choice, notify your superior that you can no longer work at your internship. Be professional, respectful and honest and try not to burn any bridges. You need to keep in mind what is best for you at the end of the day.