"For me personally, I am fine without pay, as long as I am given a fair deal. For example, if I am given opportunity to do actual investment banking, then I believe the experience justify the cost. However, if I am just doing admin work, then I think it's unreasonable because I can always find admin job elsewhere that pays. There is nothing I value in dmin job.
In essence, the pay I forgo is an investment, and that investment must be a worthy investment, ie it must add experiences that I might otherwise not receive, be it good or bad." ~~ Joshua Tan Si Kai
"I have always thought of internships as a cornerstone of higher education. In the classrooms, we are introduced to various theories, concepts and case studies. However without the necessary application in spaces outside of the classroom, our knowledge will not be tested and our awareness is constrained by our lack of first-hand experiences. After all, the best way of learning is really by the doing. Doing entails the entire process of comprehension, critical thought, experimentation, problem solving, failing, succeeding, receiving timely and direct feedback and then internalizing these critical personal lessons. Doing anchors the learning.
With such beliefs, I have completed five internships over four years of university studies with the objectives of applying my classroom knowledge as well as to discover my interests, strengths and weaknesses. Without doubt, these internship experiences have greatly enriched me and taught me valuable lessons I would never have learnt within the classroom like that of professionalism, handling expectations, communicating with people of authority, relationship building and management, self management and maturity.
That said, I personally do not believe in taking on unpaid internships. Granted that companies are mostly on the “giving end” in that considerable manpower and resource costs have to be incurred in the training and development of interns, interns themselves are likewise investing their time and energy to deliver value to their organizations. If anything, the internship stipends are not meant to be in-principle remuneration but allowances minimally enough to alleviate the financial burdens of the students lest they suffer burnout from taking on additional part-time work to make ends meet. When that happens, it could put both parties on the losing end and potentially sour relationships. Such situations are uncalled for and definitely avoidable with better human resource management practices. " ~~ Benjamin Loh
"Internships can be a good way for people to discover their strengths and weaknesses which could help them perform better in their workplace in the future.My friends did internships ranging from big multinational corporations to non-profit organisations say that it really opened up their minds to both global and community issues.
Personally,I would like to take up an internship without a single cent because I want to contribute by adding value to the organisation that I work with.Besides,I feel a satisfaction when I cause a change rather than being rewarded through money for my efforts.Though it sounds idealistic as we are in a materialistic society,I think we need youths who are more interested in driving the impact they believe in.
Recently,I was happy to note that Raffles Institution(Sec) is giving students a gap semester to do internships and projects.This will definitely allow them to learn skills that needs to be acquired in the work.Besides,interns from universities and polytechnics are trying their best to impress their employers so that they can get jobs even before graduation.However,not many people are willing to do it for free as we live in a materialistic society.
I would argue for better wages for interns.This is to attract more young talent to get a feel of the working life.They need better remuneration so that they will be motivated to work harder.This will encourage them to take their own initiative for what they get.Then,companies can decide to hire them if they impress.I feel a minimum wage for interns will see a fall in the number of interns.
In conclusion,my own principle of working for the good actually clashes with proposal for better wages.The proposal for better wages in Singapore is more practical in Singapore's context. " ~~ Vikaraman Rajaratanam
" Personally, I feel that when one commit to an internship, one must have certain goals in mind and make sure that the internship is able to offer one with relevant take-aways. Money should not be the main factor affecting the internship process.
I have been through a no pay internship for six months in NUS. Throughout this period, I spent quite a significant sum of money travelling, not including the lost income that I could possible earned through working like the rest of my friends. But to me, this sum of money is unsubstantial compared to the invaluable experiences that I gained in this period.
During the internships, I learnt to work with state-of-the-art technology to profile cells and also got to work with stem cells that cost USD$500 for a few micro-litres. I also got to interact with senior professors, laboratory technicians and PhD students and understand the career progression of a researcher. Therefore, while I am not paid, I have gained much in non-monetary terms. The knowledge and technical skills that I picked up in the internship allowed me to gain better appreciation of experimental designs and also reaffirmed my passion in clinical research.
Ultimately, this internship experience also put me at an advantage when I applied for an A*STAR Scholarship, which I successfully received. In conclusion, I feel strongly that the value of an internship does not have to be always measured in monetary terms. Sometimes, non-tangible gains like experiences, networking and discovery of interests may more than outweigh the satisfaction from filling up one’s wallet. However, I believe that Singapore university undergraduates have already distorted the ‘market’ for internships, resulting in the prevalence of no-pay or low-paying internships and for those who are not as financially well-off, universities should discuss with their industry partners to construct a framework to monitor wages for interns. " ~~ Andy Tay