Practicum students in a plethora of studies work hundreds of hours for free in the state of Washington. This should be considered wage theft.Â
Washington State Department of Labor and Industries says “The test for determining whether an intern is paid as an employee depends on who benefits from the work completed.” Because so many students are the ones who are “benefitting” from this training, they don’t meet employee standards.Â
“Employees have to be paid for the work they do. When employers are offering training or experience to an individual as an intern, apprentice, trainee, or volunteer, different standards may apply.” This again is a quote from the Washington State’s Department of Labor and Industries website. This quote basically says that people working under the pretense of intern, apprentice, trainee, or volunteer are not to be held to the same legal standards as an “actual employee.”
In the education world, mentor teachers living in college towns have their job tasks lessened by the frequent turnover of student teachers and practicum students constantly assisting in their classrooms. While the ongoing support from eager student learners lightens the workload for mentor teachers and brings fresh perspectives and energy into the learning environment, these students are commuting, working and planning for a minimum of 10 hours a week on top of classes, real jobs, and life. Education students at Central Washington University are required to obtain over 400 hours of field experience before they can become certified in the state of Washington. This is all unpaid.
In other fields, Masters students and therapy program students are working under the same conditions. An anonymous student says, “So much free labor is required in order to graduate when Masters students aren’t eligible for any sort of aid/grants or affordable housing programs.” Another student says that her practicum/internship commitment is 16 months – hundreds of hours of unpaid work. She says “It is unreal to me how most people even do this. I have a husband who makes it possible for me, but that is not the norm.”
I think in an era that champions equitable opportunities, the persistence of unpaid practicums and internships should be questioned regarding the ethics of professional development. As students invest their time, energy, money and resources into honing their skills through these programs, the lack of financial compensation becomes a horrifying issue. Why do we continue to uphold a system that totally undervalues the contributions of student workers? Unpaid practicums perpetuate socioeconomic disparities by limiting access to those who can afford to work for free. This needs to be reformed today.