问答题

Getting employed is no longer an easy task for undergraduate students. That is why some have taken the initiative to work for free internship, to beat against the odds of finding a job. Some experts say this only does more harm than good to undergraduate students, because they are actually selling themselves short. The following article provides detailed information about this issue. Write an article of NO LESS THAN 800 words, in which you should: 1. summarize briefly the article; 2. give your comment. When Does Internship Become Labor Exploitation As the "intern economy" grows, young adults, unions, and other workers are starting to ask: When does an internship stop being a mutually beneficial experience and start being free or cheap labor So why are younger workers increasingly willing to work for free Unemployment among workers 16 to 24 is over 20 percent. That’s the official unemployment rate which means it’s only accounting for young adults actively looking for work. It doesn’t include folks who have given up. It gets worse. Youth unemployment has been exceptionally high since 2008. By your early 20s, most employers already expect you to have had some meaningful work experience. But what if the employment opportunities simply didn’t exist for most of your adult life It’s important to realize that 21- to 25-year-olds out there have spent most of their adult lives in a crippling recession with very limited job opportunities. It shouldn’t be too surprising that we’d see a growing number of twenty-somethings, and even older, willing to work for free just to gain work experience that may lead to employability. And that is what we’re seeing. Internships can be exactly that: a means to gain real world, professional work experience and make contacts in a chosen industry. However, employers can also easily take advantage of this source of free work. Mikael Naramore, owner of Terrestrial Media, a media company in Muskegon, Michigan, has worked on both sides of the internship experience, as an intern and as an employer with an intern. "When I interned, I could dig in and explore my chosen career, learn on-the-job skills, and be exposed to top people in the field, which for me was way better than sitting in a classroom. I truly feel I’m the better for it." When talking about exploitation of interns, Naramore said, "The point of interning is exposure to a professional environment. Including the professionals! Without that experience, it’s just good old fashioned exploitation. It goes too far in my opinion when there’s no oversight and the internment period is open-ended." Some unions would agree with the comment about exploitation as they are turning their attention to the overuse of free labor, often from young workers eager to get into the workforce with their skills. Most notably, Huffington Post has been criticized for its widespread use of "interns" or unpaid writing and design staff. The U.S. Department of Labor has created a handy, informational page with updated rules and regulations regarding internships, particularly unpaid internships. This is useful for employers who want to make sure they are acting both ethically and legally. And, it’s helpful for workers who want to protect their own interests.