In Pakistan, where job competition is tough, internships have become essential for everyone applying for jobs. Still, many internships don’t pay, which makes it harder for those who need money to gain workplace skills. Although the benefits of an internship are exposure, skill-building and networking, it costs underprivileged students money, feelings and effort they cannot afford.
The issue of unpaid internships is being discussed more around the world. Out of everyone who answered the European Youth Forum Internship Survey, 34% said they did two unpaid internships and 15% said they did three. An overwhelming number of global internships are unpaid, more so for those from poorer communities. Things are even more serious in Pakistan. Though there is no central data, reports and postings on Rozee.pk and Mustakbil.com show that over 60% of internships in these fields do not pay their interns.
For a lot of students, mainly coming from rural areas or less privileged cities, travelling to work at internships in Lahore, Karachi or Islamabad puts a heavy financial strain on them every day. Eating out, going places and other daily incidentals typically add up to about PKR 600 to 1,000 per day, so monthly you can expect to pay PKR 18,000 to 25,000. This pay is about the same as Pakistan’s minimum wage, but students still have to manage it for “experience.”
People try to justify it by saying “it’s a good way for students to gain exposure” or “you’ll get really good study experience”
How Much Do Our Aspirations Cost?
Unspoken in unpaid internships is the idea that young people should cover their training costs. But this idea is largely influenced by what class you are. While some commuters into these internships enjoy comfort and coffee on the metro, others have a tougher route, making long journeys in full buses and sometimes going without regular meals. Far too often, the need to show your competency puts a bigger challenge on the poor.
“Being on the night shift at the call centre meant I could afford my unpaid internship during the day,” said a sociology student in Faisalabad, who did not sleep much during the semester.
Not only do unpaid internships limit earning money by working, but they also keep people from having certain career options. Students who don’t have the money for internships miss out on post-graduation work opportunities. Anyone who gets through suffers from strained finances, mental anguish and dropping grades.
A Gap in Policies and Inaction by Institutions
The real issue is that there is almost no overseeing body for such operations. Because there is no direct rule from the Higher Education Commission for internships, universities in Pakistan can either require students to do them without pay or not include them. A lot of NGOs, media houses and startups ask young people to undertake varied tasks such as research, content creation and event management, without any pay.
By example, France and Germany have laws requiring employers to provide paid internships after some time. In the United States, unpaid internships must satisfy certain rules and the main benefit must go to the intern. In Pakistan, nothing is done to protect vulnerable person groups.
People try to justify it by saying “it’s a good way for students to gain exposure” or “you’ll get really good study experience.”
A Case for Change: Let’s Reform the System
For Pakistan to help youth, it should first see that unpaid internships are a barrier to achieving social mobility.
Reforms might consist of:
- Laws that demand internships over four weeks offer stipends to the participants.
- Sponsoring travel and food for students from less privileged backgrounds by the university.
- A single internship platform managed by HEC that monitors how fair, open and well-paid internships are.
- Offering tax savings or CSR credit to companies that choose to give interns paid opportunities.
As long as these reforms have not been made, unpaid internships will help maintain, rather than break, economic barriers. People who can afford to do work without pay will keep getting selected, while those who lack that money will be left out.
Internships should act as a way to connect, not as a way to separate. A country that pledges meritocracy and better chances for advancement cannot let unpaid work thrive in its education-to-work system. It is now important for policymakers, teachers and employers to start asking: Which individuals have learning opportunities, and how much do those opportunities cost? No matter how passionate about success a person may be, they shouldn’t need more than others to follow their goals.
“If you really want to check if a student is ambitious, don’t make them spend their own money.