to think interns should at least receive travelling expenses?

[GettinTrimmer]

My niece is commuting to London from Sussex every day for her internship working for the fasion industry.

They have made it clear she is not part of their team - they ignore her apart from telling her what to do - and have her running about all over London returning items, etc.

She gets nothing and saves them hours of work, I know internships are ways of getting into some industries such as publishing, journalism, etc, but they should at least refund her travelling expenses

I think it must be degree dependant, depends on what area/field you will be working in.

All the internships done by my son paid more than I earnt in two weeks in one week.

Fashion industry is extremely competative and what you put on your CV does go a long way at the end in helping you secure a good job.

DS is doing a Physics degree and he won't be paid for his summer internship - he's only Year 1 though - maybe he'll earn a fortune next year

YABU - its her choice to accept the internsiip - so many people covert them, she'll be better in the long run for it

Might not be fair, but its a hell of an industry, and is the least of the issues she'll encounter if she choses to go into it...

FWIW there are many fashion companies who require temps - through agencies, doing similar work, but paid, just ask which agency they use

also - look outside london, often better conditions!

I did an unpaid ten week internship during the summer holiday of my third year at uni. I spent over seventy quid travelling into central London each week, worked shit hours and did a lot of arse licking.

When they knew I was graduating, they emailed me and offered me a job with an excellent starting salary and an immediate start. Without a doubt, if I hadn't done the internship the summer before, I would be in the same position as most of my uni mates - i.e. spending my days filling out job applications and being disappointed.

In my opinion, internships (and work experience) are an excellent opportunity to make contacts, boost your CV and get good experience. It's not as if you're not getting anything out of it. It's a case of paying your dues and fingers crossed it's all worth it in the end.

I think that companies should be forced to pay the minimum wage in these circumstances. The previous government would often talk about helping social mobility: this change is the one thing that would really help that.