Well said I have simply told my son - no way no how no internships with out pay or fair compensation.
Its simply a way to pimp the young and impressionable.

There are some internships that offer significant experience but no pay (mostly non-profits). Often there are funding mechanisms through your school or state work study programs that can be tapped for these. I agree that the numbers of for-profit companies that no longer pay for internships is disgraceful.

Point taken but if others are being paid so should they - I obviously have a hang up with free work. *Smiles.
Volunteering I have no problem with but don't misuse the moniker - "internship".

Granted, I work for a non-profit. However even when I've worked in for profit organizations interns were treated very differently to staff members. As an organization we are not aiming to get any work done for free. In fact we are told that an internship should not benefit the organization in any way. These are training experiences. We offer two types one that is paid minimal wage and one that provides college credit. In both cases we also offer a contribution toward commuting costs. Don't dismiss all internships as the same. Look carefully at what is being offered and how the program is managed. Help you children learn how to differentiate between valuable experience and training and free labor.

We just hired the last three interns as F/T employees. When I worked my internship in college (back in the 80s), I didn't get paid, but got valuable experience. Our interns get paid and are considered for full time employment. I think you do a disservice to young people entering the job market by dismissing internships...could be a foot in the door for many.

Paid internship should be the rule and would just be as benificial - these should be created as win win situations.
Let's ignite their spark and imaginations learning how to earn a living.
Help the youth if you want to - just don't use a loop or loophole to free labour.
Trust me on this - they will get the same valuable experience when paid.
Get volunteers from the paid staff to do the free work *Smoles

Dismissing unpaid internships as a scam is too general. Many provide college credit, all provide experience. Those that pay are great, don't get me wrong, but future employers are looking for experience from college grads, which paid and unpaid internships provide.

Personally, I spent last summer as an intern for a member of congress. I worked hard, I wasn't paid, and it was perhaps the best experience I've ever had.

You think you would have liked it less if it was paid - I am sure you don't.
The experience gained is integral - where the problem originates is in the paradym that associates internships with unpaid or lowpaid endevours. Internships ought to be as big as the word implies - no free boat rides paid for by the sweat and even tears of the minions on deck.
Let's all change the paradym and do for all what we thought we were doing in the first place - helping the upcoming generation.

I completed my internship in the office of an elected official in Congress. While it was unpaid and I had to cover transportation expenses and the cost of the required internship course (which is the real joke here), it provided valuable work experience, networking opportunities and led to my current full-time position due to a professional relationship I developed during my tenure. In my particular case, the unpaid internship was indispensable. However, when my private sector company decided to implement an internship program last summer, I encouraged our CEO to make it a paid program, due to the nature and intensity of the work they would perform. Based on my experience, I would say that a true internship is not where one works, yet one where one learns. If youth are being asked to perform work that contributes to the company/organization's productivity and/or profit, then they should be adequately compensated for those efforts. However, if the internship is providing the worker with a valuable skill and learning experience, then I think you can place a value on that as well.

I worked in finance for quite a few years and we often used summer interns. I hired many myself, and here are some thoughts.

Many companies do not benefit greatly from the direct work provided by interns. Most interns are untrained and do not have significant professional capabilities. The time spent training interns and bringing them up to speed is generally a wash with how much productivity that they provide. And since many interns are only with you for 8-12 weeks, the training that you invest in them walks out the door at the end of the summer.

So, why then did we hire interns? Interns allowed us to deepen our relationships and extend our brand with universities and students, improving our ability to recruit at schools that we liked. Internships are extended interviews - we gave full time job offers to some but not all interns. Making the mistake of hiring the wrong person is costly in terms of organizational time and expenses, so even though internship programs are short term money losers for many companies, over the long term they can be a good strategy if managed properly.

When I hire full time candidates right out of college, I look for people who have taken internships in my industry. To me, it shows a commitment to the industry and at the very least some exposure to the work environment.

As a young adult not far removed from college, I can certainly relate to what you're talking about here. I did two internships during college, both completely unpaid, not even reimbursement for my commute. I even temporarily relocated for one of them during my last year at school. I agree that it is ridiculous that they don't compensate at all. Minimum wage should at least be provided.

Unfortunately, it's not as simple as just "saying no" to internships these days though. Most undergraduate programs require at least one internship in order to earn your degree. When job-hunting after college (which is difficult enough these days as it is), even entry-level positions typically want to see some sort of internship on your resume. So unfortunately, in many cases there is no way around it for college students. Something needs to be done to require that interns be paid.