Should fresh grad interns be paid?

Question

This is a huge question especially with the job market already looking being pretty tough to crack through.

Ujjwal sukheja · Accepted Answer

Always pay every interns if you want them to grow your company.

David J. Kim · Answer

If you're not financially compensating them you have to be prepared to teach them things they won't learn elsewhere. And the learning has to be SUPER valuable.

Dillon Peterson · Answer

@between_team Agree with this David. 🙌 If you can, pay. If you can't, learning has to be super valuable, as you say.

Adrian Cole · Answer

If they add value to your company. Then, yes.

Carlo Thissen · Answer

100% agree with @ujjwal_sukheja here. As founders we should treat interns with the same level of respect like fixed employees. I got paid in all of my internships and felt incredibly motivated and empowered. If you want to attract and keep great minds: pay them, let them have real impact, and allow them to grow.

Nik Hazell · Answer

If we have people for less than 2 weeks, we just cover costs. They often wont be able to contribute much in that time, so the "exposure" seems (sort of) fair. Anything more than 2 weeks, they need to be paid a living wage IMO!

Fred Melanson · Answer

With the scarcity of talent in today's market I would say you have to.

N Chandrasekhar Ramanujan · Answer

Of course they should! As a hirer you want the best possible candidate right? With unpaid internships you're self selecting for people who can afford to work for free as opposed to someone who might be the best possible candidate.

Should fresh grad interns be paid?

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