Interns : why do people act foolishly?
Having explained how our office has treated well the two 'interns' we have had, it failed to penetrate the wisdom of one Internet blogger.
For those on catch up I employed my first intern, my second intern was a student on an educational placement from the US and I could not pay him. His visa was not a work visa. He came from an established educational programme by the University of Iowa who have halls of residence here in London. You would have thought common sense would have arrived at these revelations.
Obsessed right wing bloggers tried to paint a picture of a Labour MP
taking advantage of free labour. Their mistake of course was not ringing
up to find out the facts and endlessly pursuing a lost cause. It is
illegal to pay people not on a work visa.
Rather than contact the office, an offer made several times, my office answerphone and blog are the recipients of more wild conspiracy theories. Ed M will be informed, HMRC will be informed, an American working illegally for a Labour MP in the UK.
Ask yourself this, how many students go on educational placements in other countries? Plenty. There are plenty of other points too however but it doesn't need discussion, it's obvious.
It's laughable but highlights how the Internet provides a platform for the intelligent, the unintelligent, the conscientious and the discourteous.
Mr Jones, as a freshly graduated Haslingden resident looking for internships, I have read your two articles on the matter with interest. You mention that you have only employed two interns, and that at least one was based in London. As well as the issue of pay, or no pay, surely your critics ought to devote more attention to the imbalance of opportunities based on geographical location. As a constituent looking to gain more political experience, and willing to work for little or no pay, it is frustrating that the majority of opportunities are based in London, and that the majority of opportunities are unpaid, since it only enables London graduates to beenfit. Location, rather than the question of pay, ensures that the internship system remains unfair, and elitist.
ReplyDeleteBlogger is playing up. The current intern we are paying the living wage to for two days.
DeleteI would welcome the opportunity to take you on. If you email me I will see what is possible.
Thanks Graham
In a previous post on this issue I mentioned that we have had three interns from the constituency. The problem is Accomodation.
ReplyDelete