Interns 'shouldn't be used as cheap labour'

Businesses need to make efforts to ensure they are not exploiting interns, it has been suggested.

Johnny Rich, publisher of realworldmagazine.com, emphasised that such recruits should never be viewed as cheap labour.

"We need a system whereby you can ensure that an internship does deliver a real result for the intern. It is illegal to take on an intern and not to train them," he advised.

Mr Rich believes that an intern should be gaining skills or money - or even both - in return for their efforts, which may mean that firms make use of time billing software.

He claimed that MPs and the media are the two worst employers when it comes to exploiting interns, mainly because they are given set hours and expected to perform duties that would otherwise be paid.

Employers should be forced to pay interns a minimum of £2.50 an hour to prevent exploitation, the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development recently said.

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