Wednesday, September 11, 2013

THE INTERN SHIP TO TORONTO

Something that's in the air right now, in Toronto especially, is the subject of "unpaid interns", or "unpaid internship". Quite frankly, it's an out-of-control disease... a malady. Companies, many of which are hardly one bad quarter away from bankruptcy, are literally taking advantage of people (recent university and college grads) who are looking for experience and that "first job in my field of study". It's sickening.

Toronto film and television and media firms are way up on the abuse list. One such company, Juice Productions, has converted many of their previously paid positions into internships. As a matter of fact, anyone who tracks the 'media' job boards on a fairly regular basis -- myself, and a close friend of past film and television glories -- can tell you which companies are now looking for bulk free labour; a high percentage of their payroll no longer pays.

To be brutally honest, a lot of companies in the Toronto film and television business have had to change over to the internship method just keep their doors open -- they are so ineptly run, that already slight margins are quickly and continually vapourized.


The Toronto Star...
Problem of unpaid internships in Ontario is ‘massive,’ says student group
http://www.thestar.com/news/queenspark/2013/09/10/problem_of_unpaid_internships_in_ontario_is_massive_says_student_group.html

1 comment:

Dominic M said...

This kind of greedy behavior seems to rear it's ugly head whenever worker's rights are subdued. I get into screaming matches with anti-union folks all the time over crap like this....