'He hires 10-20 unpaid interns and gets them to do all the work': Manager refuses to give a recommendation letter for unpaid intern, claims it's against policy

Author image for JR Atkinson
JR Atkinson • Writer and Editor
Jul 22, 2025 10:00 AM EDT

In the words of Bo Burnham, "Who needs a coffee? 'Cause I'm doing a run, I'm writing down the orders now for everyone. The coffee is free, just like me. I'm an unpaid intern." These are the familiar blues of anyone who has even worked in exchange for "school credit." I put school credit in quotation marks because you never really need the credit, do you? You're just taking it instead of money because they don't want to pay you. In the opinion of many, this type of deal should be illegal. 

Firstly, it goes against the whole axiom of getting paid for your work. Plus, it puts people who can't afford to take an unpaid internship at a disadvantage. It's also a tool for certain kinds of bad people to get free labor that they would otherwise have to pay someone a lot for. It's not a good system, top to bottom. 

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  • 01

    Manager is refusing to give recommendation letter for unpaid internship...

    I did an unpaid internship for 6 months, basically built the whole MVP for a guy who exclusively hires unpaid interns and now that I'm asking for a recommendation letter he refuses to give it to me.
    via u/lvalue_required
  • 02
    MOON VALLEY NURSERIES
    via Arcade Arena

    The image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models.

  • But one of the advantages that it claims is that it helps you form skills and connections you can leverage later in your career. But what good is this if you can't get a reference out of it? That's what happened to one former intern, and some other workers tried to help him make sense of it. Read on for the story. 

  • 03
    When I asked why, he said I don't think I have to explain our policies to you. What should I do in such a situation? He hires 10-20 unpaid interns and gets them to do all the work, all he does is hosts a daily stand-up meeting for 30 minutes in the morning. I would appreciate any help!
    via u/lvalue_required
  • 04
    S skola ssko
    via Doğu Tuncer

    The image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models.

  • 05

    Other workers had some ideas about how he should approach this situation.

    ForkingAmazon • 3d ago All you can do in this moment is to detail what work you did in your resume, and move on to the next experience. You cannot force anyone to do the right thing.
    via u/ForkingAmazon
  • 06
    smellslikebigfootdic · 3d ago . Could you report him to the the schools he gets interns from?
    via u/smellslikebigfootdic
  • 07
    drj1485 3d ago . report it to the DOL, because it sounds like he's not hiring unpaid interns, he's just not paying regular fixed term employees.
    via u/drj1485
  • 08
    CogentKen⚫ 3d ago Unpaid interns are not allowed to do work that's actually part of making money. They're there to learn, strictly. That's why it's allowed to be unpaid. If they're illegally churning misclassified employees, yall have an opportunity to get paid....
    via u/CogentKen
  • 09
    Labradawgz90 · 3d ago I would send a warning out to wherever you're coming from, a school? That this company doesn't give recommendations to it's interns and isn't a good a good fit for people looking for work experience.
    via u/Labradawgz90
  • 10
    LeagueAggravating... • 3d ago Check with your state or muni if unpaid internships are illegal then report this company and person.
    via u/LeagueAggravating595
  • 11
    MinuteOk1678 · 3d ago . Although I realize they still exist, unpaid internships are and should be a thing of the past for any reputable company. An internship that is unpaid is a big red flag unless you know the individual and/ or company.
    via u/MinuteOk1678
  • 12
    Your work performed vs wages received (local minimum wage) might be out of balance in the companies favor but that is a different story. If they are refusing to give you a recommendation take that as a blessing as should they be contacted, their confirmation/ review with a prospective employer would likely be far worse.
    via u/MinuteOk1678
  • 13
    Bogmanbob • 3d ago . Some companies have policies against sharing more than employment dates to avoid potential litigation. I'd think you could check with the hr department to see if such a rule exists and at least share that info when interviewing elsewhere. If that's not the case then he's either a j or has some issues with your work.
    via u/Bogmanbob
  • 14
    Used_Mark_7911 • 3d ago . Despite your manager's jerky response it sounds like this is actually a firm policy - many firms will only validate job title and dates of your employment (or in your case internship).
    via u/Used_Mark_7911
  • 15
    If they have an HR rep or campus recruiting rep there, you could probably ask them to explain this in a more helpful way. They might also be able to advise you on how to handle it for future job applications.
    via u/Used_Mark_7911
  • 16
    Was the internship arranged through your school? You could also ask the internship coordinators or campus career center staff how to handle this. You should still highlight your accomplishments and the experience you gained there on your resume. You don't need your boss' permission to do that.
    via u/Used_Mark_7911
  • 17
    Roam1985 · 3d ago . It's a freaking unpaid internship. Just ask another intern to recommend you and claim. they were the "Senior Intern" and your direct supervisor.
    via u/Roam1985
  • 18
    Rhomya •3d ago You can't require that someone provide you a letter of recommendation. And realistically, unpaid internships are completely legal if they meet all of the requirements to qualify under the rules. Just put the experience in your resume and move on.
    via u/Rhomya
  • 19
    Cherveny2 3d ago . While this employer sounds scummier than most, a LOT of companies these days will not provide recommendations, per policy. Instead, they will only confirm dates of employment. This, of course, makes it a real pain to get relevant recommendations early in your career. This happens less for intern postions, but does still happen.
    via u/Cherveny2
  • 20
    Have had this happen with my prior employer. Had to reach out to fellow employees I kept in touch with, to get recommendations.
    via u/Cherveny2
  • 21
    SnoopyFan6 • 3d ago Document everything you did, take pics of or print off any documentation of your work. If you have anything in writing. with manager stating he will not write a recommendation, print that off too.
    via u/SnoopyFan6
  • 22
    Let whoever helped you get this internship know what happened. If it's through a school, then they should stop sending interns there. If there's a way to let other students know to avoid this place, do it.
    via u/SnoopyFan6
  • 23
    COTimberline • 3d ago . If he's hiring through your university, let them know that it's a scam. Don't let anyone else fall into this trap if you can help it.
    via u/COTimberline
  • 24
    . Hawaii_gal71LA4869 • 2d ago Many companies have a no recommendation letter policy. A coworker asked me for one and I didn't do it because it was against written policy.
    via u/Hawaii_gal71LA4869
  • 25
    Wyshunu 2d ago . Because of the possibility of being sued, many employers will only confirm dates of employment and duties performed.
    via u/Wyshunu
  • 26
    high_throughput • 3d ago 1, what a scammer. Does he do this to everyone? I would get some other interns together to be each others' references, each sign each others' documents, and if any future employer asks, simply and truthfully say that
    via u/high_throughput
  • 27
    unfortunately the guy ran his business on unpaid interns with no intention of providing training or references which you were not aware of when you started, but that you can provide references from the other dozen interns.
    via u/high_throughput
  • 28
    And obviously you should all post this on Glassdoor, both to help other victims, and to be able to add "just check out their Glassdoor page" to whoever asks about it.
    via u/high_throughput

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