Paid v/s Unpaid Internships — The main Internship debate

First things first, What is an internship?

An internship is a professional learning experience that offers meaningful, practical work related to a student’s field of study or career interest. An internship gives a student the opportunity for career exploration and development, and to learn new skills.

Paid Internships — Pros and Cons

Cons

Most of us dive into paid internships as they pay. So, regardless, first, we’ll look at the disadvantages to eliminate the misconception about the paid ones.

• Deviates the career path

Most of the interns opt for paid internships for the sake of money, overlooking the field that they are going to contribute. Lots of students are in your shoes, with promising paid internship opportunities lined up and career paths designed.

• Wages are capped

It’s hard to get the experience that many people crave when your time is limited, and your payment is fixed. Companies are trying to save money while they try to get the most out of you. The companies make the best use of skills among the youth.

• No job guarantee

In paid internships, employers may not try to keep you for long. Many of the paid internships are offered as short-term assignments. When an employer feels that there is no requirement for a permanent employee, they offer it as a paid internship which is a win-win situation for both employee and employer. You will only be considered for regular employment when you have extraordinary skills.

Pros

• Wages

The wages or salary will motivate you to work harder than if it was a volunteer position. There’s no denying how empowering it can be. Money opens up avenues where there were none before. Likewise, ULead offers an online paid internship program for students who want to upskill themselves. Leadership is the most sought-after skill by all companies, here is the place to be if you see yourself as a corporate leader in the future. To know more click here https://www.ulead.in/ .

• Opportunity to work abroad

One of the biggest benefits of getting paid as an intern is that it can be the first step on your journey to a long-term job in another country. You can use the experience abroad to make connections that will help you in your future career path.

• Acts as a motivational factor

An unpaid internship can make you feel like your time and work are not worthy of pay, which can further lower your self-esteem. It can do wonders for your sense of self-worth and will motivate you to work harder to be successful in your career.

• Resume construction

Paid and unpaid internships both look good on your resume, but this is especially the case with paid internships. When you apply to work somewhere in the future, the employer will take you seriously.

Unpaid Internships — Pros and Cons

Pros

• Networking

Networking is extremely important in your job search, and having an unpaid internship will give you many opportunities to network and make friends.

• Learning beyond your chosen field

You can use the skills learned in your area of ​ ​ expertise in a completely different industry, and vice versa. Exploring the new fields.

• Opportunity to grow professionally

These unpaid internships help you explore the additional aspects of the company which is to be fulfilled by the interns. Unpaid Interns are used for this role extensively and it’s an advantage to learn many things. It helps you to grow professionally.

Cons

• Affects future employment

Having an unpaid internship on your resume doesn’t always sound like a paid internship. When you apply for a job somewhere, the employer may be impressed by your work experience. But then they will see that you didn’t get paid.

• Increases stress

Without minimum payment, you may face difficulties to cover your basic expenses like food, housing, transportation cost, etc. Many students cannot afford to work for free, even if it is only for a short time. This can cause great stress.

• Challenges our Self-respect

This is especially true when “real” employees look to them to be unpaid interns. As an unpaid intern, your work experience with employers is likely to be limited. When some low-experienced people join unpaid internship positions, it can be detrimental for them when there is not enough scope for learning professional skills.

Conclusion

It is debatable whether a paid or unpaid internship is worth your time and hard work. Unpaid internships provide invaluable experience for young professionals starting in the workforce, but such internships exploit students or young professionals from disadvantaged backgrounds. Conversely, if a company offers to pay for your time, it will certainly motivate you to give your best. Even though a paid internship may provide some benefits for a young professional, it is also vital to consider how much value you get from the experience. Therefore, this type of choice should be made with care and consideration.