Interns Anonymous

It should come as no surprise that in the same month that thousands of graduates are jettisoned from university into a fierce recession companies like ‘InternStar’ are being launched. Their reason for being: to find unpaid work experience for graduates without any prospect of work/ to find cheap labour for struggling businesses.

“InternStar connects quality interns to internship opportunities in small- and medium-sized British businesses with exclusive access to some of the most ambitious and talented university candidates, young graduates and postgraduates.”

How much of this work is unpaid?

I bet that InternStar will also be connecting a raft of poor unemployed twenty-something’s with small businesses desperate to shelve £20,000 off the cost of a basic administrator – who see a 3 month unpaid intern as a viable alternative in tough economic times.

It goes on:

“InternStar is an innovative approach to recruiting:

• We offer qualified, motivated personnel at a fraction of the cost of a full-time employee.

• We are a better alternative to direct recruitment – mitigate your risk by trying out candidates first.

• We help companies bypass hiring freezes, so that your projects are properly staffed.”

By “innovative” do you mean illegal and an abuse of basic minimum wage laws? A burglar doesn’t have an innovative way of making money – he cheats the system.

Next:

“Hiring an intern now helps your company to meet immediate operational needs, save on the cost and lost opportunity of bad recruitment decisions, and tap into talent from among the next generation of achievers to stay ahead of the competition.”

And abuse a generation of graduates, saddled with university debts – unable to pay their way in an economy fucked by people like you. F-u-c-k you.