There has been a slew of articles and posts lately about unpaid internships, and it appears this topic is only snowballing. On Friday, there was a thoughtful article in the New York Times questioning whether the growth of unpaid internships in the past few years has been legal. It’s a discussion that has been occurring more frequently, especially within the public relations industry.

To fully disclose, I’m not a fan of unpaid internships and wish there were more paid opportunities for students, though I know some companies just can’t make an extra paycheck happen. I have not worked in an unpaid internship. Like the businesses I’ve worked for, I have tuition (which has been increasing since I arrived on campus) and rent to pay.

This section of the article is what I read several times over:

“Ms. Leppink said many employers failed to pay even though their internships did not comply with the six federal legal criteria that must be satisfied for internships to be unpaid. Among those criteria are that the internship should be similar to the training given in a vocational school or academic institution, that the intern does not displace regular paid workers and that the employer “derives no immediate advantage” from the intern’s activities — in other words, it’s largely a benevolent contribution to the intern.”

While I’ve read a couple of posts (Bill Sledzik and Heather Huhman come to mind as authors of this subject), this article reinforced my thoughts about how this directly impacts the public relations industry.

First, hundreds of agencies across the country utilize unpaid internships and many of these internships are essential to the business. However, if that unpaid intern is billed to clients for their hours work, is this illegal? The law appears to enforce this assertion. If this is true, this will have a huge impact on how many agencies run their business. Unfortunately, now isn’t a good time for this discussion to be happening. The recession hasn’t treated small shops well and I know many agencies have had to cut staff and benefits. By the way, many paid internships are among the victims of the recession.

Second, I wonder how this will impact public relations. How will the industry respond? Will this increase the number of paid internships? Reduce the number of unpaid internships? Will the quality of unpaid internships decrease? Right now, the answers to these questions are guesses at best. I think this topic will be discussed in the coming months.

My thought is that if this law is enforced, the quality of agency internships will decrease. If an unpaid intern can’t work on anything billable, interns will have to go back to fetching coffee and making copies. I find it hard to believe that every single unpaid internship out there now will immediately become a paid position. With more competition to find paid internships, this will then translate to a less prepared entry level.

So, should this law be enforced? It’s a tough question that’s part of an even larger discussion. The most important part of the discussion will be the task of trying to provide students with the right learning opportunities, yet making sure the right kind of compensation is returned. I know there are agencies out there who need the extra help and enjoy providing students the opportunity to learn, but should they be punished for their efforts?

What are your thoughts? Do you think this will have an impact on the public relations industry?

Photo by dborman2 on Flickr.

Last week, I was on a panel with some fellow students in the College of Communication Arts & Sciences at Michigan State University. The topic started off on paid vs. unpaid internships, but it spun off in several directions, one of those being the difference between big city and local internships.

Personally, I’ve done both. I interned at both a small and mid-size agency during the summers of 2007 and 2008 respectively, and last summer I ended up at a huge global agency in their Chicago co-headquarters. Between these internships, I was able to work on all sorts of clients, ranging from volunteer nonprofits to Fortune 500 companies. I can’t say which internship was the “best,” but each did provide me with very different opportunities for growth.

So, is there an easy answer as to where you should be looking for internships? Are big city internships better than local internships? The way I see it, there isn’t an easy answer to this question. It all boils down to what you are looking for. While there are many professional opportunities in larger cities, it doesn’t necessarily mean you’re going to have a great experience in your internship. It’s easy to be attracted to the bright lights and seemingly endless opportunities of Chicago and New York, but you have to be realistic when you’re looking for a job.

When I was searching for internships around this time last year, I was looking for not only a great professional opportunity, but I wanted to be part of a new town, meet new people and see new sights. I was looking for the complete package and to me, I found that in Chicago. Some people might find it in New York. Some might find it in Lansing, Mich. The point is to really have an understanding of what you’re looking for.

When looking for the big city job, it’s really important to consider the finances. Especially in the public relations field, many internships are unpaid, even though they are in a city. My personal opinion is that from a financial standpoint, it’s not worth it to spend a summer in a big city, pay more than $1,000 per month in living expenses and be broke the entire time to work for free. I’m sure there are many exceptions and there are some opportunities that are probably worth it. However, unless you have the financial means to drop thousands in one summer, I don’t recommend it. No matter what you choose, Mint will help you keep your budget under control.

I’m going to highlight the pros and cons I used in my decision when I was searching for internships in the big city setting:

Pros:

• New opportunity to meet new people and try out a new lifestyle
• Work for a global agency with clients across the world
• Experience a new setting and learn many new things
• Easy to network with industry leaders and pioneers
• Young professional groups are large and diverse; most are welcoming to students

Cons:

• Cost of living is much higher
• End up not making any significant cash after the summer
• Far away from friends and family
• Not able to bring my car — must rely on public transportation for everything (can be a pro, too)

All in all, I found my experience in Chicago to be completely worthwhile. I didn’t come out of the summer with a lot of money, but the experiences I gained, both personally and professionally, were definitely worth it. If you are considering a summer in a big city, make sure to look for those opportunities and to take everything under consideration.

What do you look for in an internship? Have you found differences between internships locally and in the big city? What’s your take?