Are unpaid internships still considered work experience?

Are unpaid internships still considered work experience?

I was late to the internship game this summer. I found a firm that is willing to offer me an internship but can’t pay me. I’m fine with it because I really want the experience, but if I don’t get paid or get school credit, can I still claim it as work experience on my resume?

I thought you were going to ask a different question — like, is it legal for them not to pay me if I am not getting school credit? Because in most cases the answer is definitely no. But here’s the catch 22. You value the experience more than the money, yet the law says you can’t have the experience unless they pay you or you get credit. But they may not be able to pay you, or the experience may not qualify for credit, so what to do? As for whether the experience can be listed on your resume, the answer is definitive — yes, of course you can. Whether or not you get paid or credit has zero relevance to the experience. Petition your school for credit, but even if it doesn’t agree, take the job. There is no risk to you, only to the firm. You should ask them to at least buy you lunch and a MetroCard — they can afford that.

My boss is just a jerk who’s very rude. I don’t take crap from anyone and told him off in the same manner that he speaks to me and everyone else. And what did I get? Fired for insubordination. And the company says I can’t collect unemployment. How can I get fired for the same behavior that he gets away with every day?

Because he is the boss. There is no law against being a jerk, and there are degrees of being a jerk that don’t cross the line into unlawful behavior. So yes, your boss can get away with certain behavior that you can’t, or at least not without consequence. As for unemployment, it’s not their decision whether or not you are allowed to collect. If I were you, I’d file for unemployment, tell them about your boss’s inappropriate behavior and that when you complained, they fired you and said you aren’t allowed to collect. Those are all truthful statements and I am confident that the state will find in your favor.

Gregory Giangrande is a chief human resources and communications officer in the media industry. E-mail your career questions to gotogreg@nypost.com. Follow Greg on Twitter: @greggiangrande. His Go to Greg podcast series is available at iTunes.

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