An internship is an avenue where fresh graduates and prospective workers undergo training to gain valuable knowledge and experience that broadens and shapes them for their field of profession. It's an important phrase in the life of many, as it grooms them in a way where they get to learn valuable skills and grow in knowledge beyond what they're taught in schools, as they finally get to experience all those teachings and put the knowledge to good use. But given the amount of work interns are usually tasked with in the organization where they're doing their internship, should they be paid or shouldn't they since they're gaining knowledge and skills in return for their services?
when it comes to internship, we've come to know that paying depends on the company the intern is interning in. Take for instance some companies offer full payments to interns, while others give interns stipends or transport fare, and others don't even pay anything at all. The majority of organizations that tend to pay interns are big organizations like tech and refineries, while average organizations like schools might give stipends, and small ones such as NGOs and small local businesses like shops might not pay anything. But which is right between all? Personally I can't explain why one is right, and I'll explain why I say so below.
The reason is because all fingers are not equal. Even though that phrase is mostly used for individuals, the same can be used for companies; everyone doesn't earn the same amount, so you can't expect everyone to behave in the same way. But then, regardless of if an organization pays fully, partially, or nothing, I think an intern should still be pleased with the situation, and that should be the case if they're gaining skills, knowledge, and experience during their time interning; if they're not gaining anything, then there's no point wasting their time there. An internship is meant for gaining skills and experiences, and when that isn't met, then I don't know what you're doing there.
If an organization is paying you for an internship, I think you should count yourself lucky because you're not yet an expert in that field, so them training you freely without charging you and yet still paying you should be seen as a double blessing, and if it's stipends you're being given, you should also count yourself lucky because there are people who aren't being paid anything for their internship. Take, for instance, during my undergraduate days, I went for teaching practice in schools, which we can also call an internship, because I was being groomed on how to be a good teacher. During those periods, I wasn't paid anything, not a salary or stipend; only that at the end of my training, I was given some gift as a thank you for the services I rendered while interning there.
Now a teacher, the same is the case for undergraduates who come to my school for teaching practices. To be honest, I know it's not easy being a student, doing an internship, and not getting anything at all, even if it's transport fare. And for that reason I believe it'll be nice and better if organizations can at least pay interns stipends that'll be enough to at least cover their transportation. Yes, we know they're not employed and that they're only there to learn, but then we can't neglect the fact that we benefit a lot from their presence in our organization, so we should be willing to at least go a little further by not only impacting them with skills but also meeting their financial needs that will be enough to cover their transportation to and from their home and the company.
All photos are taken and edited on canva.