Hi Joe,
You asked how unpaid internships are inequitable if everyone is making the same. While it is true that everyone is making an equal amount, they are inequitable because not everyone can afford to spend their time for no monetary compensation. I personally remember during my undergrad years seeing friends take on unpaid internships and being confused about how they could manage to do that. The fact that I was working four part-time jobs while being a full-time student probably played a part in why I couldn't. It was later in life after my financial circumstances had changed that I was able to start getting museum experience and "working my way up." Without that financial support, I would never have made it into the field, even though many of the skills which have led me to where I am now came from that time juggling jobs.
You are right that currently the alternative to an unpaid internship is a lost opportunity for valuable experience. That and the fact that many people like younger me can't afford to work an unpaid internship mean that unpaid internships effectively provide opportunity to those that have the financial means to work without pay and they are lost opportunities for those without. That leads to a workplace, both at the museum and in the larger field, that has less diversity and is less effective at understanding the needs of a large portion of their potential audience.
If a museum's purpose is to obtain labor for as low a cost as possible in the short term, then unpaid internships are a brilliant idea. However, by definition, an internship is supposed to be to the primary benefit of the intern and should not displace the work of paid employees. My personal hope is that internships can be available for people to help them get experience they might not otherwise have the chance to get. There are some great internships out there now, but the vast majority are not real opportunities for many people. Having been on both sides of the issue, I don't begrudge people who could afford the opportunity to work unpaid, but I do lament that many people cannot. The reliance on unpaid internships makes the field poorer as a whole.
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Timothy Rhue II
Senior Informal Education Specialist
Space Telescope Science Institute
Baltimore MD
He/Him/His
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Original Message:
Sent: 09-20-2021 12:00 PM
From: Joe Elliott
Subject: National EMP Network is Fundraising for the month of October as part of the Death to Unpaid Internships Initiative
Yes, I know you and many disagree.
That's why I offered a rare voice of disagreement.
Your ad hominem attack is disappointing, but not surprising.
But you're correct: I worked some unpaid internships early in my career. They were beneficial, and would not have been available to me if the entities that granted me the opportunities had been influenced by a chorus of self-righteous crusaders.
I'm the one with the prerogative to comprehend that I profited in ways other than monetarily, not you.
I'm sorry if you got short-changed at the start of your career.
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Original Message:
Sent: 9/20/2021 11:43:00 AM
From: Sierra Van Ryck deGroot
Subject: RE: National EMP Network is Fundraising for the month of October as part of the Death to Unpaid Internships Initiative
Hi Joe,
We disagree.
Unpaid internships perpetuate inequity in the museum field, from gatekeeping museum careers from individuals who are unable to pay for unpaid internships (because believe it or not, for-credit internships do require payment for many schools) to keeping starting salaries low because of the lack of pay or incredibly low pay for interns and part-time staff.
The privilege you are exhibiting by not comprehending the need to be paid for your labor, regardless of your title, is disappointing, but not surprising.
Just because you or I didn't get paid well or at all at the start of our museum careers, does not make it okay nor does it make it an acceptable practice to continue in this field or anywhere else.
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Sierra Van Ryck deGroot
Assistant Director of Education
Poster House
New York NY
Original Message:
Sent: 09-20-2021 11:31 AM
From: Joe Elliott
Subject: National EMP Network is Fundraising for the month of October as part of the Death to Unpaid Internships Initiative
First: "exorcise;"
2nd: How are unpaid internships "inequitable" if everybody is making the same (0)?
3rd: The alternative to an unpaid internship is a lost opportunity for valuable experience.
Life is a process of working to earn our way 'up,' thru sequentially improving levels.
Joe Elliott, PhD
Original Message:
Sent: 9/17/2021 9:36:00 PM
From: Jesse Dutton-Kenny
Subject: National EMP Network is Fundraising for the month of October as part of the Death to Unpaid Internships Initiative
From the National EMP Network:
NEMPN presents Sweatober!
Exercise your demons and pay interns! We are moving all October to raise money to stop unpaid internships in museums through our Death to Unpaid Internships initiative.
Unpaid internships are unjust and inequitable. We demand better for the future of museums. This Sweatober, we are moving to put an end to it. National EMP Network's Death to Unpaid Internships initiative puts our words into action and we need your help. All funds will be used to fund internship stipends in 2022 and pilot our Dream Weavers intern coordinator program.
You can learn more and join the fundraising effort here: Support Sweatober
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| Unpaid internships are unjust and inequitable. We demand better for the future of museums. This Sweatober, we are moving to put an end to it. National EMP Network's Death to Unpaid Internships initiative puts our words into action and we need your help. |
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