This is a short post about exactly what the title says - working for free. I can't say I often thought about whats it like to work for free (probably because I've never done it), until a couple of weeks ago. Our intern asked me to help fill out his hours in the new reporting system, and voila, my eyes wander to the "RATE" field. I don't know if I could contain my surprise (as well and disappointment and bitterness) when I saw that the guy's rate was a grand of $0.00/hour. Yup, for four months he was putting in good work for us, for FREE. The funny thing is, whats the point of putting in the hours if you're not getting paid for them?! Oh well...I guess someone else gets billed for them and somebody higher and mightier gets paid for them.
How is it even possible to to live in Toronto, go for coffee breaks and for drinks with your coworkers while not getting paid. You have to be really well off to afford to do that. And yet I wonder, how many other people are here in this city, getting
fucked up the ass their work experience this way. Doing work and hoping that after they'll be able to land a real job here or elsewhere. But what are they gonna fill out on their job application?
Shitty Corp. Sept/12-Dec/12 $0.00/hour, requested rate: x/hour?
Is the recruiter really gonna consider giving them that x/hour, or say - "aha, another sucker! We'll start this one on the bottom."
Maybe its just that I believe that people should be fairly compensated for their work, and its not part of the neomodernist thinking (yeah I made that term up), but I can't understand this system. How can this fraud just continue going on and on, people giving their time, and hence their life, for "experience". Unpaid internships/volunteer positions demand real effort, dedication and time but give back no real compensation. Such scams just should not exist in this day and age.
