'You're literally being exploited': Unpaid internship asks young employee to work 12 hours with just a 30 minute break, lashes out when she refuses

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JR Atkinson • Writer and Editor
Nov 7, 2024 3:00 PM EST

Unpaid internships are one of the biggest scams of our current work culture. We all agree that internships are valuable to young people who want to get a taste of a certain field, gain some practical experience, and start collecting references for their resumes. Moreover, interns are valuable to companies to train prospective hires, gain some new insight, and build their programs. But where, in all of that, does it say that it doesn't need to pay? You're doing real work, after all, and work should be paid. Otherwise, that's volunteering, and that's different. 

But alas many workplaces love to exploit this little loophole and get some labor for free. And for certain kinds of young workers, it's worth it to get the experience. But in this case, the expectations of unpaid work went far beyond the regular call of duty, and the intern had no choice but to stand up for herself. Read on for the story. 

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    Cheezburger Image 10424899072
    via Unsplash+ (Getty Images)

    This image is for illustration only, and the subjects are models; the image does not depict the actual subjects of the story

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    Unpaid internship wants me to work a 12hr shift with a 30min break?
    via u/s**ymail00
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    I've been interning for this small business with a woman who is demanding, entitled, and ride but I've put up with it because I thought the experience has been worth the inconvenience of dealing with her. She's condescending and unappreciative of the labour I've contributed to her brand but I could
    via u/s**ymail00
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    add it to my portfolio. Anywho, she's asked me to work a 12hr and 10hr unpaid shift today and tomorrow with a 30min break. I initially agreed, which I know I shouldn't have. But a part of me was p ed that she seriously expected that of me and also I couldn't sleep so I sent her this:
    via u/s**ymail00
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    "I still haven't been able to fall asleep, but I've also been having a hard time as I don't feel comfortable working a 12hr unpaid shift with only a 30min break. I was unsure of how to explain that this expectation feels unfair. However, I'm more than happy to continue with my current PR-related responsibilities.
    via u/s**ymail00
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    I realize this is coming up close to the shift, and I apologize for not bringing it up sooner. I understand that I agreed to the unpaid nature of the role but this is not manageable for me. I hope you understand my position."
    via u/s**ymail00
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    And she basically replied saying that she only has 4 people, it's extremely unfair to her, and we don't have the printed guest list (I agreed to print it for her). Then she offered to pay me for the day but honestly I still don't want to. AITA for this? I don't know how to feel.
    via u/s**ymail00
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    jjjustseeyou ⚫3h ago • The most demanding people are always the most greedy and selfish.
    via u/jjjustseeyou
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    Lendiniara 3h ago • • you're literally being exploited, and the fact these things happen and people go along with it are why they keep doing it unfortunately.
    via u/Lendiniara
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    • sarcasmismygame 3h ago NTA and you are being taken advantage of OP. "Brands" like this usually go under because of twats like your boss. And it's an unpaid internship so don't let her push you around or past your boundaries. If you're doing the internship through your college or university let them know what she is doing. No internship is worth that.
    via u/sarcasmismygame
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    Froyn • 2h ago If you're doing work that would normally be paid, you might be misclassified as an "unpaid intern". I would consult your state's department of labor just to make sure.
    via u/Froyn
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    divinejay 2h ago • • Unpaid? That's slave labour tell her your more than to happy to work IF she pays you for work carried out otherwise
    via u/divinejay
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    Noxonomus 1h ago • If you are that critical to operations I'm not even sure you fit the definition of an intern. Do you have an advisor or some sort you can talk to?
    via u/Noxonomus
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    Starfury_42 · 1h ago. If her business model requires unpaid labor then it's not sustainable. Stick to the letter of your internship agreement.
    via u/Starfury_42
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    Vegetable-Fix-4702 1h ago • • Unpaid? I'd take as many breaks as I wanted to. Paid? I'd still take as many as I wanted to, just to return her energy straight back into her face.
    via u/Vegetable-Fix-4702
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    xibeno9261 · 1h ago. • AITA for this? I don't know how to feel. You are not the a h le, and you should not feel guilty at all. If anything, you should be angry that you are being exploited. Your company will not feel the least bit of guilt if they had to fire you, and you ended up homeless or hungry. They don't care about you, so why do you care what happens to them?
    via u/xibeno9261
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    iclimbnaked . 1h ago • Not the a_h_le. It'd have been better to say no earlier but like whether she knew it or not she was trying to take advantage of free labor and it was likely illegal. Honestly I'd just quit this internship. You don't want to work for these people anyway. Still put it down on your resume if you think the experience was valuable. If anyone asks why it ended you could just be truthful in this case.
    via u/iclimbnaked
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    . Etna_No_Pyroclast · 1h ago That's not an internship. That's an unpaid job doing real work, and most likely highly illegal in certain states. She offered to PAY you for the day because it IS real work.
    via u/Etna_No_Pyroclast
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    PupsofWar69 · 56m ago I don't understand in this day and age why anyone would be or could afford to be an intern... Do not work if you're not being paid. also I don't know what country or state you live in but 30 minutes for a 12 hour shift is nothing and it's probably not legal.
    via u/PupsofWar69
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    NoMoreMonkeyBrain 30m ago. This is definitely exploitative and possibly illegal. The experience isn't worthless, but it isn't worth very much. Breaking your back for someone else's passion project is just setting yourself up to be further exploited later. Pull back and stop working so hard. I promise you, no job is going to look at this and think "wow, we need to give them a job because of this internship."
    via u/NoMoreMonkeyBrain
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    lonsdaleave 13m ago. • tell her this: you are not special, nobody cares what you think or how you feel, be kind or I will leave. and then see how she responds. but do it sharply.
    via u/lonsdaleave
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    C64128 · 11m ago . She could have always paid you, but you agreed to an unpaid internship. She probably does this kind of thin a lot so she can avoid paying people for their work. I'm sure she's no paying the going rate for the work. You were never going to be considered for this job. You are NTA.
    via u/C64128

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