Really interesting video – it’s great that Interns Anonymous are helping young people to work together to stop this pattern, especially since the job-seeking environment itself can so easily turn peers into competitors. I also completely agree that the current internship system needs to end. It’s really important to remember that the internship phenomenon is a relatively recent thing- before that, the work done by interns would be done by paid staff (it would be interesting to find out whether the numbers of admin staff in the average office have decreased since internships became so popular.) The benefits to organisations of the current popularity of internships are two-fold: firstly, they have an intelligent and capable free labour force at their fingertips to do the work which would otherwise have to be done by either a paid member of staff or divided up between other staff members; secondly, companies can now demand far more experience from their graduate or entry-level staff, because they can reasonably expect such candidates to have done work experience themselves. The organisations therefore cut costs on both salaries and on the costs of training up new young employees. I genuinely think that if the government produced some sort of legislation which required interns to be paid minimum wage, many companies would stop hiring interns, which would make the obligation to have an internship on your CV redundant.

I really like these two, they actually did something about the situation of graduates not only not finding jobs and having to take internships - basically working for nothing - but actually finding they can't even get good internships . How absurd is that. We have got to the point where there is so little jobs available, so little opportunities out there, that graduates are competing fiercely just so they can work for nothing! I like the 'spat' they have at the end where Rosie says demanding good internships isn't the end goal but creating a society that provides jobs for everyone is and Alex quizzes this and says you can't just magic up jobs. I am with Rosie on wanting to demand a society that provides the jobs for all, this is the bare minimum isn't it - jobs for all or at least a living wage for everyone. Far cry from what our coalition government is working towards.

I think that the survey these two have done is exactly what we need. I think that this issue has only just begun, and will continue to impact the job market as an increasing number of young adults complete their studies and look for a career only to end up as an unpaid intern. I’m in my early twenties and everyone i know around my age has been affected by this exploitation of labor. In a way i think that the friends of mine who chose not to attend university made a smart decision, because they have four-years more experience than most other people.

Indeed, as Rosy Rickett says in this piece “Internships don’t get you jobs. Jobs get you jobs”. She’s right of course, but I do have a problem with anti-internship campaigns demanding that interns be paid national minimum wage, because not only does that justify a paltry sum which is in any case not enough for anyone (intern or not) to live on but if you expect so little, then that’s the small amount you’ll get. We should be demanding more jobs and shouldn’t be looking to education, training or NMW to fill that gap.

With the increasing number of young people going to university in the last few years, the competitiveness for jobs increased, which meant that now having a degree is not enough to get you a job. So internships are seen as a great opportunity to learn more about the field you have chosen and gain valuable experience which (many believe) will kick-start your career. However, if the number of jobs available is less than the number of graduates, internships as Rosy Rickett has said, are not going to get you a job.

Furthermore, many companies are exploiting graduates by employing them on unpaid, long-term internships, taking advantage of the tough jobs market. Although under the National Minimum Wage Act, interns who work rather than observe should be paid, employers have taken advantage of the willingness of young people to get work, to pay just expenses, or nothing at all. As such, the government should not only establish clear guidelines on internships, but should also impose tough measures on companies having abusive behaviour, because with Britain facing the harshest employment conditions in a generation, it will only get worse for interns.

As Interns Anonoymous states it is simply not possible to do an internship if you are not paid, especially if you are doing it in a expensive city as London. So how can somebody afford life without money? I mean you cant live from fresh air? But you have to collect work experiences to get some furter qualification for a future job. So the only way to get work experience is to ask ypu parents to help or you have to save money during your studies to get work experience. And this is definetly the wrong way.

I mean internships are a good thing and really helpful to improve your work skills. But the employer sees the interns simply as cheap or even free workers which is leading to a further discussion on unempolyment. As the students are unemployed as they dont get money and as the is simply a a lack of jobs.