Interns – the employers’ “free stuff”

I am an exceedingly busy person.  I'm possibly the world's busiest person.  Ask anyone who knows me – I'm known for juggling multiple balls, working around the clock to get things done and always having a pipeline of task waiting to be completed.  Project after project, family, work, volunteering; it comes from all directions.  However, I am not a busy fool anymore; I am very clear why I do everything I do and how it adds to my overall strategic objectives. 

The issue I have is time.  There doesn't seem to be enough time to do everything I want to do in the timeframe I want to do it.  I do know that there is enough time for me to do everything I can do in the time available BUT I want to do more.   

Worse still, it seems as if time isn't worth as much as it used to be worth.  There appears to be a kind of time inflation in operation, where time has been devalued over the years.  I can remember when I was little, the six weeks holidays seem to last forever.  Now they are gone in a wink.  No sooner than they've started, the kids are complaining that they have to go back to school in two weeks time. 

 

When I first started working, I was able to complete a colossal amount of things in a single day and still have time to sit in front of the TV and watch my then favourite soap.  Today, even if I was minded to spend my time being drip fed brain eliminator, I wouldn't have the time to do it. 

I estimate that time inflation has taken more than 60% off the 1960’s value of 24 hours, which would mean 24 hours is now only worth 9.6 hours today.  Is it any wonder that I'm always rushed off my feet?  9.6 hours isn't even enough time to sleep, let alone squeeze in a day’s work; quality time with the family; my daily workout; my daily meditation; time for personal development; business planning and writing my blog!

What I need more than anything is another pair of hands, or even several other pairs of hands, so I could hand off the things I do which could easily be delegated.  Now if I could afford a VA I would have one; I can't so I don't.  Definitely the first thing on my list, but at the moment I need another solution. 

I guess I could join the ranks of many of the U.K.'s top employers.  They have hit upon a simple but wonderfully cleaver solution to not being able to afford to pay staff: recruiting graduates interns and not paying them anything!  

What a great strategy for the struggling business – get people to work for you for nothing in return for the valuable experience that working for you will give them.  Experience they need to get a paid job doing the same thing.  What a great scheme.  Why stop with graduates?  Why not exploit the unemployed as well?   

With unemployment as high as it is, with a bit of imagination the really shrewd employer could replace their entire workforce with interns: All highly skilled, all 100% committed to working their socks off in the vain hope that they will be blessed with a glowing reference. Then they can repeat the process with another FTSE 250 company who clearly needs to save every penny for their shareholders. 

Paid staff could become a thing of the past.  Paid jobs would be like the Holy Grail; a mystical, magical object with the power to change your life.  The mere pursuit of a paid job via an internship would be worthy in its own right and would confer on pursuers noble qualities.  The fact that you never found a paid job as a result would be neither here nor there - it would be the quest that is important.

I can't wait to get started.  The only issue is how long will I be able to get away with it?  Surly such a heinous, immoral system like this must be high on the government agenda to outlaw.  I've seen just how tough they can be on people who think they are entitled to take things for nothing. Look at their tough ,no excuses, stance on the rioters who thought they were entitled to “free stuff”. I'm sure it will be only a matter of weeks until the use of unpaid labour will be made illegal with huge fines for the employers who persist with this evil practice.  Oh well, I guess I've missed the boat.  I'd better come up with another strategy!

Do the long term benefits of working for nothing to get experience justify the use of interns? Should the government crackdown and enforced the minimum wage legislation? I look forward to reading your thoughts.