Unpaid internship AFTER graduation Forum

[Void]

Would you accept an unpaid internship after graduation, with the understanding that you would have a good shot at getting an offer once you passed the bar? Or would you decline and hold out for something better, which might never come?

[Princethedog]

What does your schools home market look like?

[Void]

What does your schools home market look like?

A nuclear wasteland. Some 3Ls have midlaw offers (like 10-12 maybe) but the rest of us are basically marching towards graduation with no prospects whatsoever.

Forgot to add that the above internship situation would be for a job I would absolutely love to get- basically a dream job- BUT would require that I relocate to an entirely different state.

[Aberzombie1892]

I'm aware of a fair amount of people that take unpaid "jobs" post law school from a handful of different schools. I'm glad I didn't face that or unemployment post graduation, but if I had, I certainly would have taken the "job".

My advice would be to take it if you can afford it and you don't have better options.

[09042014]

Only if you continue your job search 100% because you are still unemployed.

[bobbypin]

It is disgusting how employers are flouting employment regulations.
I agree with the above poster, consider yourself 100% unemployed.

[A. Nony Mouse]

It is disgusting how employers are flouting employment regulations.
I agree with the above poster, consider yourself 100% unemployed.

Well, a lot of offices that do this that I know of are non-profit/public sector - PDs and DAs. If so, they're not flouting employment regulations (and I would take the job because it seems to be a common path to this kind of job). However, if it's private sector, disapprove away!

[Anonymous User]

It is disgusting how employers are flouting employment regulations.
I agree with the above poster, consider yourself 100% unemployed.

Well, a lot of offices that do this that I know of are non-profit/public sector - PDs and DAs. If so, they're not flouting employment regulations (and I would take the job because it seems to be a common path to this kind of job). However, if it's private sector, disapprove away!

Minimum wage laws apply equally to the public sector and tax-exempt orgs as to the private sector. Hiring unpaid interns with no educational motive or benefit may be less morally reprehensible for such entities, but it's equally illegal.

[romothesavior]

Only if you continue your job search 100% because you are still unemployed.

I agree.

I also think you need to talk to this prospective employer and ask what the realistic probability of an offer is. Just be frank and say "look, I really, really would love to do this, but this is a huge commitment and I want to know what my long-term prospects with your firm/company/agency/whatever are going to be." I also think you should see about working out some sort of deal with your school to give you a stipend, or see if your employer will let you bartend or wait tables or something in the evenings. How are you going to live on no pay?

[romothesavior]

It is disgusting how employers are flouting employment regulations.
I agree with the above poster, consider yourself 100% unemployed.

And +1 to this. Goddamn shitboomers and their unpaid inTTTernships

[A. Nony Mouse]

It is disgusting how employers are flouting employment regulations.
I agree with the above poster, consider yourself 100% unemployed.

Well, a lot of offices that do this that I know of are non-profit/public sector - PDs and DAs. If so, they're not flouting employment regulations (and I would take the job because it seems to be a common path to this kind of job). However, if it's private sector, disapprove away!

Minimum wage laws apply equally to the public sector and tax-exempt orgs as to the private sector. Hiring unpaid interns with no educational motive or benefit may be less morally reprehensible for such entities, but it's equally illegal.

Everything I've found distinguishes non-profit from for-profit institutions in terms of unpaid internships. E.g. --LinkRemoved--, http://www.dol.gov/whd/regs/compliance/whdfs71.pdf. So feel free to disapprove, but it's not illegal for non-profits.

[Void]

It is disgusting how employers are flouting employment regulations.
I agree with the above poster, consider yourself 100% unemployed.

Well, a lot of offices that do this that I know of are non-profit/public sector - PDs and DAs. If so, they're not flouting employment regulations (and I would take the job because it seems to be a common path to this kind of job). However, if it's private sector, disapprove away!

The internship is for a government position. My understanding is that this is the typical path to an offer- they are just "unable" to fill attorney positions unless applicants are appropriately licensed to practice. Still, it isn't a sure thing by any means. Even though my home market is disaster, I would be nervous to move to a different state where I have absolutely no potential professional connections.

As for how I could afford to live without pay: I'm married and my spouse works (but would have to find a new job if we moved) and this would also only be from the beginning of August (post-bar) until around November (post-swearing in).

I share the frustration of others on this thread about the exploitation of unpaid interns, but I think in the context of government jobs the idea is that they sometimes just do not hire anyone pre-bar, but offer the "opportunity" to work for free (and to prove your worth) up until you are officially elligible to apply.

[Anonymous User]

A relative is currently working an unpaid internship with the hopes of jumping ship. She took it because she had nothing else lined up. I think her internship ends in the near future so I'll have to see how it all works out. Her anecdotal experience was that there wasn't any real prospect of it leading to a fulltime offer.

My approach would be to take it, beats nothing. However, I would have no loyalty whatsoever and would call in sick to go to other interviews, etc. Like above posters have said, keep the job search up 100%.