Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Recruitment & retention
    • Wellbeing
    • Occupational Health
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise

Personnel Today

Register
Log in
Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Recruitment & retention
    • Wellbeing
    • Occupational Health
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise

ApprenticeshipsLatest NewsLearning & developmentPay & benefitsInternships

Employers breaking the law on unpaid internships, report claims

by Personnel Today 2 Aug 2010
by Personnel Today 2 Aug 2010

Employers are “almost certainly” breaking the law with unpaid internships, according to a new report.

Unpaid internships are common in sectors such as politics, media and the fashion industry. But the report from the thinktank Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) and campaign group Internocracy warns that employers mistakenly believe that there is a grey area around internships in minimum wage legislation – allowing them to take on unpaid interns so long as both sides know it is a voluntary position.

However, this is simply not the case: the National Minimum Wage Act 1998 states that anyone doing work for an organisation must be paid at least the minimum wage. This is regardless of how a job was advertised, what the job title is or whether there is a contract in place. Charities, voluntary organisations and statutory bodies are able to employ unpaid voluntary workers but private companies are not.

The Why Interns Need a Fair Wage report says private sector firms are offering unpaid, expenses-only internships that almost certainly could not be described as “work experience”. In its 2010 report to Government, the Low Pay Commission said there was evidence to indicate “systematic abuse of interns, with a growing number of people undertaking ‘work’ but excluded from the minimum wage”.

Last month the CIPD said employers should pay interns a minimum of £2.50 an hour to prevent exploitation. Research by the institute found that more than one-third (37%) of internships are currently unpaid.

Kayte Lawton, report co-author and research fellow at the IPPR, said: “Too many employers don’t understand the law when it comes to hiring interns. There is a mistaken belief that employers can take on people on a voluntary basis if both sides agree – but that’s not what the law says. If an intern is doing work for a company, then they need to be paid – it’s as simple as that.”

This confusion among employers leaves them open to claims for back-dated pay from former interns, she warned.








Resources on internships


Internships: key considerations for employers

Sign up to our weekly round-up of HR news and guidance

Receive the Personnel Today Direct e-newsletter every Wednesday

OptOut
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Legal Q&A: Managing interns

Tips on using interns

Personnel Today

Personnel Today articles are written by an expert team of award-winning journalists who have been covering HR and L&D for many years. Some of our content is attributed to "Personnel Today" for a number of reasons, including: when numerous authors are associated with writing or editing a piece; or when the author is unknown (particularly for older articles).

previous post
Working hours on the rise after employees endure enforced ‘detox’
next post
Older workers look to shift careers and stay in employment longer

You may also like

Day one rights to make 86% more cautious...

14 Sep 2025

Barclays Bank boss warns Reeves over public sector...

12 Sep 2025

MPs probe Asda financial links with workplace lender

12 Sep 2025

Companies named for failing to report gender pay...

12 Sep 2025

Business rates rises could put 100k retail jobs...

12 Sep 2025

How to steer EDI through a ‘permacrisis’

12 Sep 2025

Immigration: ‘Hyundai factory raid is threat to US...

12 Sep 2025

Sainsbury’s manager awarded £60k following colleague’s aggressive behaviour

11 Sep 2025

Slightly shorter working week could reap big benefits

11 Sep 2025

Immigration: record number of sponsor licences revoked

11 Sep 2025

  • Workplace health benefits need to be simplified SPONSORED | Long-term sickness...Read more
  • Work smart – stay well: Avoid unnecessary pain with centred ergonomics SPONSORED | If you often notice...Read more
  • Elevate your L&D strategy at the World of Learning 2025 SPONSORED | This October...Read more
  • How to employ a global workforce from the UK (webinar) WEBINAR | With an unpredictable...Read more

Personnel Today Jobs
 

Search Jobs

PERSONNEL TODAY

About us
Contact us
Browse all HR topics
Email newsletters
Content feeds
Cookies policy
Privacy policy
Terms and conditions

JOBS

Personnel Today Jobs
Post a job
Why advertise with us?

EVENTS & PRODUCTS

The Personnel Today Awards
The RAD Awards
Employee Benefits Live
Employee Benefits
Forum for Expatriate Management
Whatmedia

ADVERTISING & PR

Advertising opportunities
Features list 2025

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Linkedin


© 2011 - 2025 DVV Media International Ltd

Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Recruitment & retention
    • Wellbeing
    • Occupational Health
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise