Raekwon and Method Man of the Wu-Tang Clan were right – cash rules everything around me.
Yet for many students who struggle to find summer jobs, an unpaid internship must suffice. And due to labor laws, many organizations force students to earn course credit for free work.
It costs $1,000 at GW for each credit for an internship. That’s right: $1,000 just to work for free. I gave up hope of accepting unpaid internships I applied for after learning about the fee. But then I did some digging – well, a lot of digging – and found a way out.
The Columbian College of Arts and Sciences offers a zero-credit option for a mild $35 fee. If you have not heard of this policy, you are not alone. The zero-credit option allows students to work with permission from the University without receiving credit. But many students do not know about the zero-credit option, and that is a shame.
GW should promote and better advertise these policies to students. I have to applaud the effort to make internships more accessible to those who cannot afford $1,000 per credit, but the fact that I felt like I had to journey to find out this information means others might have as well. Students should not have to worry about turning down opportunities due to affordability.
I was passed around from the Career Center to advising offices within the Columbian College of Arts and Sciences and the School of Media and Public Affairs. Finally, I was rerouted to CCAS advising, where I learned about the zero credit policy.
The zero-credit policy is designed to help students. Advertising it more so students can actually use it is the next step. No matter how beneficial or innovative a policy, it can only be effective if students know about it.
This lack of communication between Career Services, CCAS and the student body could be remedied by establishing a more open dialogue between the different groups. Whether the answer is a University-wide email that spreads news about important policies or a pamphlet within each school explaining internship options, there needs to be a better way for students to become educated on the University’s internship policies. As unintentional as it may be, the disconnect creates a barrier between the university and the student body.
Having to pay the University for credit for an unpaid internship is something that not all students can afford. Living in D.C. for the summer is already very expensive and students must figure out other costly factors, including living arrangements.
Cash rules everything and unpaid internships are not going away any time soon. The University has to do a better job of advertising policies like the zero credit option so students can look out for their futures.
Ryan Carey-Mahoney, a sophomore majoring in journalism, is a Hatchet columnist.
Or you can take an internship for the experience/connections without going through GWU.
If you are getting no credit why even pay the $35 fee?
Agreed.
I worked in a paid internship for 3 summers that was part of a management candidate development program (that was sadly cancelled during my senior year) and never went through GW for that, as I was referred into that program by people I knew at that corporation.
Likewise, I worked unpaid for my Member of Congress for about 12 hours a week for one semester, again, obtained by meeting one of their Legislative Assistants.
What is the advantage of paying for/ registering these internships through GW if there is no credit? One can certainly put the experience on their CV/ resume and receive letters to confirm their accomplishments from the given organization. For career development this seems more important than having it on a transcript. The only benefit, not stated in the article whether it is the case, would be if the University offered internship search and referral under this program.
If you read the article closely, he’s not discussing the issue of getting credit or not getting credit. He’s talking about jobs that legally should be paying him requiring that he get credit or a waiver from GW so they can avoid paying him.
Otherwise, if he failed to do so, he would not be able to work there for free. To put this to you another way – the Hill and NGOs and the government are exempt for paying volunteers irrespective of whether or not it is for credit. Private employers are not.
Hence this student’s dilemma.
Having graduated some years ago, I am not aware of this setup at GW and I appreciate you clarifying it. However, to me, the article did not adequately explain the issue to someone like me, who has not recently dealt with this program or the Career Center.
You are also right, the Congressional internship was not paid, and not associated with GW. Just did it for experience and personal educational enrichment. I never looked for an unpaid summer private sector internship.
The point of zero credit internships is because some places will only let you intern if you’re getting academic credit and if you don’t want to pay 3000 dollars for an unpaid internship, you can just pay $35 in administration fees to have it show up on your transcript.
That’s what the article was trying to say and I agree they should advertise it more.