Anyone else feel unpaid internships should be illegal?

Yes. I am currently doing an unpaid internship/practicum 40h per week, while working 10-20h part time on the side. I live in a city that makes it very difficult to survive on such little income, and these past few months have taken a major toll on my mental and physical health. Not only do we have to work unpaid for 3-4 months to fulfill the degree requirements, we also have to pay tuition while on placement, despite not having any institutional access during that period. Additionally in most places, student status makes you ineligible for welfare/financial aid, so you pretty much have to rely on savings, part-time employment, or scholarship/grant funding. Unfortunately there isn't much funding available in my department/discipline, so despite obtaining several scholarships this semester, the $1500 that I was awarded is merely a drop in the bucket considering that tuition costs are $4500 plus living expenses for that period.

If I had known how hard it would be to complete my master's degree I might have reconsidered.

/r/CasualConversation Thread