Over this past great American weekend, I had the pleasure enjoying the glorious July day by grilling out with family and friends. Hamburgers, pasta salad, chips-n-dip! Mmm-mm. It was the kind of day I usually dream about at my desk. You know who didn’t enjoy? My best friend who is working an unpaid internship.

It’s not that I am frustrated that she is working an unpaid internship, because I’ve had my own share of interning without compensation (Disclaimer: I did receive ipod speakers, a leftover company Christmas present). In fact, I encouraged her to come and stay in my apartment for the summer to pay forward the welcoming treatment my brother gave me during my undergraduate years of interning. Ideally, an internship is the perfect way for her to get hands-on experience in her field of study for graduate school. However, it is utterly alarming that she is working well over 60 hours a week, averaging 3-4 hours of sleep a night. Oh, and that she gets hassled when shes asks to take a day off of work.

Since one of the random responsibilities at my day job is “Internship Coordinator”, I have had my fair share of managing interns. In the past year of organizing the internship program in the office, I’ve learned that hard working interns are usually taken advantage of the most. It’s just so easy for people to pass along their work to someone else. I was in shock when I learned that a coworker was screaming her interns for not completing a task that goes along with her job description.

So this is a reminder to all you unpaid interns out there: never forget you are working for free. If you aren’t feeling up to par, take a day off. If you feel like you are being mistreated, speak up.

While are you worried that saying something might mess up future job opportunities, you’re better off finding a place that supports human dignity.

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