Intern Nation: How to Earn Nothing and Learn Little in the Brave New Economy PDF
Preview Intern Nation: How to Earn Nothing and Learn Little in the Brave New Economy
INTERN NATION ROSSPERLINisagraduateofStanford,SOASandCambridge.Hiswork hasappearedintheWashingtonPost,NewYorkTimes,andtheGuardian. Hehaswrittenonforgottenhistoriesanddisappearinglanguagesinthe U.S., China and the former Soviet Union. I N T E R N N AT I O N How to Earn Nothing and Learn Little in the Brave New Economy Ross Perlin London(cid:1)New York This updated paperback edition first published by Verso 2012 First published by Verso 2011 © Ross Perlin 2012 All rights reserved The moral rights of the author have been asserted 1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2 Verso UK: 6 Meard Street, London W1F 0EG US: 20 Jay Street, Suite 1010, Brooklyn, NY 11201 www.versobooks.com Verso is the imprint of New Left Books ISBN-13: 978-1-84467-883-9 British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Perlin, Ross. Intern nation : earning nothing and learning little in the brave new economy / by Ross Perlin. -- Updated paperback ed. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-1-84467-883-9 (alk. paper) -- ISBN 978-1-84467-906-5 (alk. paper) 1. Internship--United States 2. Internship programs--Economic aspects--United States. 3. Interns--Economic aspects--United States. 4. Conflict of laws--United States. 5. Experiential learning--United States. 6. Business and education--United States. I. Title. HD58.7.P463 2012 331.25'92--dc23 2012001190 Typeset in Minion Pro by MJ Gavan, Truro, Cornwall Printed in the US by Maple Vail For my parents, who taught me how and why to work. …theprocessesofexclusionweareabouttodescribeemergedattheend ofanaccumulationofmicro-alterations,micro-displacements,involving anabundanceofgoodwill,withpeoplewhooftenbelievedthatwhatthey weredoingwasforthebest. —LucBoltanskiandEveChiappello,TheNewSpiritofCapitalism Experienceisthenameeveryonegivestotheirmistakes. —OscarWilde,LadyWindermere’sFan Contents Preface: The Rules of the Game ix 1. The Happiest Interns in the World 1 2. The Explosion 23 3. Learning From Apprenticeships 43 4. A Lawsuit Waiting to Happen 61 5. Cheerleaders on Campus 83 6. No Fee for Service 99 7. The Economics of Internships 123 8. Futures Market 145 9. What About Everybody Else? 159 10. The Rise and Rebellion of the Global Intern 185 11. Nothing to Lose but Your Cubicles 203 Afterword to the Paperback Edition 225 Notes 235 Appendix A: Intern Bill of Rights 249 Appendix B: Internships and the Law 251 Acknowledgments 255 Index 257 PREFACE The Rules of the Game OnesteamySaturdayinlateAugust—Imusthavebeenaboutseven yearsold—Iopenedastore.LikesomanyAmericankids,Iwanted toplayatbusiness.WithtraysofPillsburycookiesswellingintheoven,a pitcherofsicklysweetlemonade,andpriceslistedonasignhand-drawn withMagicMarkers,Iwasinbusinessunderthecherrytrees.SoonIhad my first bank account, urged on by a friendly dinosaur who promoted special accounts for kids. I longed to make the printed numbers in my littlepassbookgoup,soIfoundworkpullingupweedsinaneighbor’s garden, sold off old toys and unwanted football cards, and begged my parents for advances and raises on my $1.20 weekly allowance. A few years later, I was followingthe dailyjitters ofthe Dow Jones Industrial Average,mesmerizedbythemysterioustickersymbols,bytheideaoffor- tunes won and lost overnight. I still didn’t know what work was really about,butIbelievedinfollowingtherules,tryinghard,andreapingthe benefits. I believed in a simple equation: work brings rewards. Atcollege,peoplenolongerasked,“Whatdoyouwanttobewhenyou growup?”withapinchofthecheekoratouslingofhair.Fromthelec- ternsIheard:Dosomethingmeaningfulwithyourlife.Givebacktothose whoarelessfortunate.Fromrelatives,familyfriends,andassortedadvice- givingadults,Iheard:Getpaidtodosomethingyouenjoy.Fromthosea fewyearsolderthanme:It’satightjobmarketoutthere.Beflexible,control yourowndestiny.Andfromtheprofessionals,thecareergurussponsored x INTERN NATION bycollegesandplunkeddowninthecenterofcampus,Iheardthenitty- grittyaboutrésumés,networking,breakingintodifferentindustriesand fields. And I had thought college was about road trips and reading Homer. Therewasatleastonethingtheyallagreedon:getaninternship.And afteryearsofavoidingthequestion—Ispentthesummersstudying,trav- eling,andworking“regularjobs”—Ifinallygaveintothepressureand gotone.Iwastwenty-three,enrolledinaMaster’sprogramattheUniver- sityofLondon,andIworriedthatmyrésuméwaslookingincreasingly impractical. Inmuchofthedevelopedworld,thesubtle,relentlesspressuretodo aninternshipisnowsimplypartofbeingyoung.Alreadyinthefirstyears ofhighschooltheywereahottopic;Idimlyunderstoodthatitwasapriv- ilegeoranecessaryhumiliation,Iwasn’tsurewhich.Wasitarealjob,or justadressrehearsalforajob?Whywasitthatscholarshipkidsworkedin the cafeteria or shelved books in the library, while rich kids name- droppedtheirinternshipsatprestigiouscompanies,famousnewspapers, high-mindednonprofits?Aparentgotthemin,anuncle,afamilyfriend, orperhapsitwasjustacasualwordexchangedatthecountryclub.Igrew nervousthatIwasclosingmyselfofffromthisloftierworldofwork—did myworkexperienceasacampcounselor,ababysitter,oratutorcount? WhenIfinallymadetheplungeandtookaninternship,Ihopedtoputa long-festeringanxietytorest.Ihadbeeninsecureaboutinternshipsfor years, I realized—probably for as long as I’d been watching friends announce their life’s passion and then maneuver, by whatever means necessary, to score the matching internship. The office was located in the Borough of Islington, an NGO (and intern)ghettoofsleeklittleofficeshiddendownnarrowstreets.During the dampest half of a London year, I spent two days at the NGO each week, unpaid except for a basic lunch stipend and transit costs. Often barelynoticed,I’dlookupfrommylaptop,broughtfromhome,tothe raindrippingdownbeyondthewindow.My“desk”couldbeanywhere in the hip disarray: interns shifted spots depending on the day’s con- figuration of regular staff. I translated material on the NGO’s website fromChinesetoEnglish.Whentherewasn’tanythinglefttotranslate,I wrote comments in the online forums, did image searches, or finished
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