David Hyde, a 22-year-old from New Zealand, became an international media sensation this week after a Swiss newspaper described how, as an unpaid intern at the United Nations, he couldn’t afford a place to stay and was living out of a tent on the shore of Lake Geneva.
More than any number of previous attempts to call attention to the U.N.’s unpaid internship program, Hyde’s story launched a worldwide conversation about the implications of only hiring people who can support themselves in high-cost cities like Geneva and New York — and whether that essentially makes access to a key stepping-stone to a career in diplomacy and international policy available only to the children of the wealthy.
Hyde, who quit the internship this week, didn’t allege that he was forced to live in a tent. But he also didn’t fully describe his motivation. Here is his story:
Like so many others across the world, I have always believed that unpaid internships are unjust. But for many of us it feels like doing an unpaid internship (or two) is necessary in order to get a real job. Internships have fallen through the cracks in our moral codes and legal systems. But because it is known that there is a group of young people who have the ability to work for free, the system continues.
I have always wanted to pursue a career in the international field, and to do so it seemed that an internship was necessary (or at least highly desirable). At the same time, I strongly believed that unpaid internships are unjust because they further perpetuate inequality.
The hypocrisy was so clear to me — here are organizations like the United Nations, dedicated to human rights and fighting against inequality. Yet, the U.N.’s internship policy seemed to clearly contradict the values it claimed to stand for.
Seeing no possible alternative, I tried to ignore my qualms and began to apply. After a long night spent writing cover letters and searching job websites, I gave up. It is somewhat degrading spending hours trying your best to convince people to let you work for them for free. For six months. In some of the most expensive cities in the world.
Frustrated, I talked to my girlfriend (who is Swiss but unfortunately does not live in Geneva) who was also in the process of applying for many similar positions. And we started brainstorming what to do to try and change this.
The idea we came up with was simple. I would take an unpaid internship and do the job. But at the same time we would work to raise awareness on the issue and make a documentary about the subject.
After months of applying, there was some positive news. I had been accepted for an internship in Geneva … but not entirely based on honest terms. When interviewed for the position, I was clearly asked if I would be able to fully fund myself in Geneva for the six-month duration. I said yes, but my bank account clearly said no.
I looked up some studios and room shares to see the sorts of prices I would be paying in Geneva and it was clear that it would be too expensive for me.
I needed a solution. The answer was fairly simple. I would live in a tent.
It seemed that in doing so I could hit two birds with one stone: It was an affordable way to live in Geneva with my limited funds — and the fact that a U.N. intern was living in a tent could help to raise awareness on the issue.
When I started the job I had no idea that little over a week later I would be international news.
On a personal level, I truly enjoyed working at the U.N. I had nothing but warmth from those I worked alongside and many people that I spoke to shared my beliefs about internships.
After a week, I began to think of what I could do to raise awareness. And so I arranged for my situation to be leaked to the media. The intention was to spark a small discussion in Geneva on intern rights and get the media reporting on the issue. However, the response was more than I could have ever planned for or expected.
At work, I felt terribly compromised. Because of the scale the story has reached, I became increasingly worried that my actions would have repercussions for those I worked alongside who had been nothing but supportive. And so I made the decision to resign.
I would like to comment on the outstanding support that the people of Geneva showed me through all of this. I was truly touched. A reporter told me that a New Zealander had been in touch and was offering me a place to stay. The reporter gave me the email address and, still unsure of what to do about this generosity, I said I might follow it up. In the end, I decided to decline these kind offers and go and stay with my girlfriend, 100 kilometers away.
What I think the outpouring of support showed was that people feel a responsibility to help interns — a responsibility that should not lie with these kind people but rather with the organizations and companies who employ us in the first place.
The entire situation had become a million times bigger than I ever intended. And I was terribly conflicted.
I was happy to see that after my resignation, the media moved their focus from me to the wider issue of intern rights. And I was worried that if I came clean with my intentions right away, it would take the spotlight away from the real issue and compromise the opportunity for interns across the world to have their problems publicized and addressed. The bigger picture is what’s really important.
However I feel that now is the moment to state these things clearly. Yes, I worked as an intern at the United Nations. Yes, I lived in a tent in Geneva. Yes, I could not afford to support myself for the duration of the internship. Yes, I wanted to raise awareness on the subject. Yes, I chose to live in the tent because of the powerful imagery I knew it would provide.
Could I have ever imagined that this would become what it has? Absolutely not.
Ban-Ki Moon’s spokesperson has made a clear statement denouncing internships as a form of economic discrimination. International organizations have approached interns to discuss the possibility of introducing some form of remuneration. And many articles that examine the wider issue have been published in the media. I’m sure that intern organizations across the world will now be working to turn this talk into action.
I know that in the coming days I may be criticized for what I did. Some may try to discredit me and make me look like an extremist. But there is nothing extreme about what I hoped to achieve: a recognition of the rights interns deserve.
Was what I did justifiable? Perhaps it is too soon to tell. The fact is that a story like this has not come up before for a key reason: People from lower socioeconomic backgrounds are unable to do these internships in the first place.
In its response to my story, the United Nations office in Geneva shared a report that found its internship program was “positive for all involved.” My story has helped to show the side of those ignored by this report who cannot afford to be involved.
My intention was to do an internship and call attention to the issue of intern rights. I am no longer doing an internship, but intern rights have certainly been put in the spotlight. Whether what I did was justified should only be answered by young people who are affected by the current internship reality. Let them be the judge.
It doesn’t appear that there is much to take away from this article. David Hyde voluntarily signed up for what was clearly labeled as an unpaid internship. No one forced him to do so, he lied that he would be able to sustain himself. He attempted to make a mockery of the UN, garnering support from locals in Geneva willing to take him in, only for them to later find out it was all a publicity stunt. All there really is to be gathered from this article is that he is a horrible person, he lies on applications, and then wants a bit of fame afterward. Not sure what job would want him now…
unpaid internships amount to free labor…free labor is slavery…period.
Uhh…. not when someone willingly signs up for one, and especially not when they lie and tick the box that confirming that they will be able to sustain his or herself during one…
He sounds like nothing more than an opportunist.
Not sure who would willingly congratulate a cheat and a fraud. This guy David is a real loser!
David – I applaud you! Yes he lied when asked if he could support himself during the internship…if he hadn’t they wouldn’t have given it to him. I think many are losing sight of the point this makes. If you don’t have alot of money (or if mom and dad don’t have alot of money to support you) then you can’t have the job! AND this is the way into getting paid positions in these organisations….so what does that tell us about the people working paying positions in these NGOs? Unfortunately the majority (clearly not ALL of them) are the 1% born with the silver spoons in their hands. Pat yourself on the back David and ignore the haters!
How nice that you congratulate a cheat and a fraud! Is that the better alternative? I’ve met many people who have taken out student loans to afford their internships, even those from developing countries and low-income families can do that if they are really determined to take part in one. He is lucky is comes from NZ and can study for free, than from the US and would have likely amassed a lot more debt too. Life is not so black and white. This guy is a lying fraud. If it was not the UN he lied to but instead that he lied on a government application, I would make the argument he should go to jail!
This guy is clearly an attention seeking fraud. Who would want to hire the lying cheat after this? Willingly applied to an organisation, defrauded it, and then lambasted it. Loser!
David Hyde is a fraud, he lied on his application (he selected he could afford to sustain himself during the internship), he actually could afford to sustain himself. This was not about the greater good, he was merely creating a name for himself. Well congrats David, you were successful! Only now you have zero credibility, and this should be considered when you apply to future jobs. David doesn’t have morals, he is immoral. He is an egocentric fraud!
Also, in terms of resume-padding…
…what new employer is going to consider someone who openly lied to their previous internship-sponsor, and then cravenly used the media to try and damage their reputation?…. for so-called “activism” which was largely self-promotion?
They’re not qualities that speak to the integrity and work-ethic of the candidate.
Oh I don’t know. Maybe a newspaper will hire him. You’re commenting on an article written by him.
Not every one of us is fulfilled with living a sanitary life so that an employer will “consider” us. I will readily admit that I am such a coward. It would appear that Mr. Hyde possesses none of my dastardly qualities.
It’s just supply and demand. It would appear that there is a ready supply of youngsters who are prepared to suck it up so that they can get on the gravy train that is the UN (these guys don’t pay tax https://careers.un.org/lbw/home.aspx?viewtype=SAL).
And is this really the only route into the UN, or is it just the quickest/easiest?
To be honest, if he has a very strong sense of ethics, he’s probably best staying away from the UN.
You clearly have no idea how the UN works, the majority of employees do pay taxes. Upper level (directors) don’t, nor do Americans, but as stated, the majority do, though there are plenty of benefits to offset them.
Labour not paid, even an internship, has a name: slavery.
Go David, a lot of people is with you.
Uhh… not when someone voluntarily signs up for what is clearly described as an unpaid internship.
I was offered to interview for a internship with a person who was in the world of finance/investment. Since I had no background in finance doing the work unpaid was a key item I had to offer. I wanted to learn and that was how I paid for it. I felt it was way better than classroom experience and it was, because I got the internship. I had to open this persons office at 6:00 am to make sure that when the market opened at 6:30 am calls were answered, coffee was ready for clients of they came in and all the unglamorous stuff that needs to be done. I worked at night in a restaurant until 1 or 2 am to pay bills. It was hard but the experience could NEVER have been duplicated in school, NEVER!
For example, a client wanted to convert bearer bonds, a significant amount, into cash and the brokerage firm we were in told our client it would take 90 days to clear legal? Bearer bonds are as good as cash to whom ever is bearing them, they just needed conversion so why 90 days? The firm wanted to float the money. Here was a person who worked hard for the things he/she had and he/she was being swindled under the guise of looking out for his/her best interest. So, I took the bonds to a transfer agent in San Francisco and walked out 5 minutes later with a blank check with a lot of zeros. That day I learned the world circling the stock market is a dishonorable one. Soon after I left the internship.
Unpaid internships are good. Living in Silicon Valley where a 1,000 sq ft 2 bedroom apartment rents for $3,000 a month minimum, minimum wage is equivalent to unpaid!
I fail to see any wrong doing on David’s part.
There is nothing wrong in telling the UN that you can support yourself, and then going out and supporting yourself – in a tent, a car, a crappy boarding house or in a 400sqm palace – it doesn’t matter – you are supporting yourself, period. Define “support”!
The fact that it is unjust that interns are not paid still stands and it is an issue that requires exposure. Bravo David!
“”There is nothing wrong in telling the UN that you can support yourself, and then going out and supporting yourself – in a tent, a car, a crappy boarding house or in a 400sqm palace – it doesn’t matter – you are supporting yourself, period. Define “support”!””
Well, i’d agree with you up until the point that he used his optical self-imposed impoverishment as a theoretical reason to criticise the UN’s horribly unfair policy (to which he had contractually agreed to)
The irony is that, like the minimum wage, that this ‘activism’ (I hesitate to grant it as such, given that he lied to receive the opportunity to claim *he* was being misused) will likely produce good-feeling rule-making which simply serves to reduce internship opportunities overall by increasing their cost and creating potential liabilities for sponsors.
What do you base that horse shit on? I especially ask because your premise about the minimum wage is indeed nonsense, and so I would safely guess that you have nothing at all to base your prediction about the the internships on. Posting trash that has been debunked for decades is really not a fruitful method for attempting to get people to believe the lies that you tell or the downfalls that you hope will come to them.
The “irony” is that your entire comment is a lie.
Prices are determined by supply and demand.
All mandatory artificial price hikes do is reduce supply.
If you don’t understand this, blame your own failure in Economics 101
As a simple thought-experiment
How much internet content would you consume if you had to pay for each site separately?
You’d narrow your consumption to the very few you deemed ‘worth’ your expense. Goodbye Youtube, despite all the Youtubers willing to post their content for free.
Nothing is sadder than people who don’t understand the most basic economic principles, or even their own behavior, then run around screaming insults at the people trying to point them out.
Go tell HBO about your brilliant Econmic theory. The youtube business model is based on advertisement, and that is why it’s “free.” HBO and the WSJ is based on other models, or combinations of models. It’s not just about supply and demand.
Before you lecture people on economics, maybe you should get a degree in it.
There are also dozens of careers that have similar “grace periods” where the employees are ‘barely paid’ in their initial phase of training, if at all.
1 in 100 candidates actually ends up being qualified and successful. See: insurance sales, or many other sales-oriented roles.
Similarly, if NGO insitutions like the UN are suddenly required to pay anything other than a token salary to interns… then they’ll simply raise the requirements of these internships (aka “jobs”, now) to only apply to those who have demonstrated the capability/experience necessary *elsewhere*.
Its basically making access more and more restrictive, rather than what Internships are actually supposed to do, which is provide people who are interested in a career path the opportunity to ‘test out’ a field to better understand its possible value to them.
I know a lot of people who didn’t realize they didn’t want to be lawyers until after law school (and $100,000). I spent a summer in a law firm for free, and saved myself the expense.
Internships should not be paid because what interns generally do is less-than-useful. They are a drag on existing employees, who need to take time out of their day to babysit the intern and give them busy work. But they do it because they see value in sharing their time with potential new applicants, and want those potential new applicants *to know what they’re getting into* and want to pursue that life further.
It’s amazing, the number of people accusing Mr. Hyde of lying, and telling him he therefore deserved what he got. Give me a break. You people lie every year to unlawfully save 5 bucks on your taxes. You probably lie for a lot less. So get off your high horses already.
The UN actually pays it’s employees quite handsomely, and in many cases pays for the schooling of the children of diplomats in private schools. It’s a ridiculous suggestion, that they can’t finance their internship programs, or cover even living costs of the interns. They’re doing it for the same reason Walmart is. Cause they can get away with it.
The UN needs to embrace Mr. Hyde and ask him what drove him to go to this extent, to cover this story. That’s what he was doing. He was covering a story. He was trying to document his experience. He should be commended for it.
Good luck to you David. And congratulations to the All Blacks and all New Zealanders on winning the Bledisloe cup. Hope you got to watch the game :)
Andrew’s is the perfect example of the mindset that allows this.. “survival of the fittest.” Works great until you are the one who has become vulnerable, and we all at some point become vulnerable whether it be through change of circumstance, accident, illness or old age. Make fun of the person trying to speak out about injustices, in order to make yourself feel impervious. I agree with Stu.
Clearly someone(s) sent out an email saying the tactic to be used against Mr. Hyde is the accusation of “wanting attention.” ALL activists, save those operating covertly, want attention by definition. If anything, Mr. Hyde is to be commended for being above-board in his goals and messaging.
The famous Universal Declaration of Human rights states on Article 2: “Everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration, without distinction of any kind, such as race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, PROPERTY, birth or other status. “. SO I wonder how many young people from poor countries can become interns at UN. Are there some statistics?? The same question is valid for other international organisations as WTO, WHO, etc… How many people from poor countries work there?
The 1998 film, Without Limits, tells the story of Steve Prefontaine, the great Olympian runner who fought this same battle against the Anerican Athletic Union (AAU) and the exploitation of amateur athletes in the U.S. (1970’s). The organized resistance by athletes led to the dismantling of the AAU, and opened the way for athletes to have greater financial security as they devote themselves 100% to their passion for athletic performance. The film (and the story) are exemplary and worth looking at for positive successes. Interns, athletes, and WallMart employees – such examples are abundant regarding exploitation of individual talent and effort by corporations, governments and institutions.
I know who’s the idiot and it’s not the author of the article.
Exploiting the interns is useful, as noted in the preamble to the piece, to narrow the field of candidates down to those from a wealthy background. But more important is the experience of being exploited. There is nothing like having suffered a bit of injustice to help rationalize doling out injustice. Training people to exploit others is, after all, the whole point of the system.
Wow, I find it disturbing that so many comments here are so totally unable to ‘get it’. Several people talking about how ’30 years ago..’ or when they ‘started out’ they ‘worked hard’ and found affordable situations… if you haven’t been paying attention, or don’t understand, the economy and what is possible *NOW* is VASTLY different from what it was 30 years and even 20 and 15 years ago. While it was possible to ‘work hard’ and ‘save money’ and ‘get by’ then, it is impossible now. The cost of living at even a very basic level is prohibitive even for those with full time and more jobs who are making less than $20 an hour. Forget if you have no resources or family support being able to work a full time job for FREE and then trying to live on nothing. For someone trying to make it from a place of no resources, there isn’t an option of just ‘working hard’ to save money up anymore.. you just can’t make enough money to ‘save’ unless you already have skills which qualify you for the kind of work that pays enough to have anything beyond survival. In the 70’s and 80’s you could work and then take time off to travel or do an unpaid job, today you cannot. It is a very different world. People who are not getting this are living in a bubble of their own privilege. They think they made it on their own, but they did not; they cannot recognize the support they had by living in a world where college was affordable for most people, jobs paid a living wage, and housing was affordable. YOU DON’T GET IT!
As for his ‘lying’ being an issue… all you people are living in glass houses… I don’t believe that you didn’t ‘lie’ about something in a job interview: your confidence in your ability to do some particular skill, or the level of experience you had… thinking that you could figure it out. People today can’t even honestly look at their own behavior. This guy, David Hyde, is more honest and ethical than 99% of the population, and based on how projection works, I’m guessing 100% of the people ‘calling him out’ on this are far less honest in their lives.
“The cost of living at even a very basic level is prohibitive even for those with full time and more…” Do people understand why this is so? You can raise wages, but what will that do, but only exacerbate the reason. The real issue is that our dollar is worthless, we no longer have a gold standard, so we’re only given IOU’s with constantly changing values. Am I the only one on the planet that suspects food inflation is a direct result of so many Americans getting a free food stamp debit card/EBT? Simple logic says it is so. There was a time, early 1980s, when a teenager could actually work in fast food making minimum wage AND have his own apartment. The United Nations loves the phrase “income inequality” as if it’s a wrong that needs to be righted, by force. They’ve already implemented it through their Global Community by demanding 1st world nations take in 3rd worlders and other schemes such as: forcing taxpayers who work to fund the ones that can’t or don’t. If you care to read the UN’s own goals, available freely on their website, they have evened up the score quite a bit by bringing in low-paid workers from those poor countries to get what they “deserve” in highly paid USA, but replacing US workers in the process. Just evening up the score! Income inequality! The United Nations is the epitome of contraries.
I would have to disagree with your very misguided belief that supporting those who are in need is the cause of ‘food inflation’. Simple logic doesn’t dictate that at all. I wouldn’t even know where to start in addressing the deeply flawed logic and lack of understanding here. The healthiest cultures/communities are those that not only reward talent and hard work, but also support those in the population who are vulnerable. Our current trickle-up policies have degraded the country as a whole, and created a highly individualistic and everyone-for-himself atmosphere which foretells the downfall of a society as more and more of the population are thrown into survival mode. You’ve mixed up so many different issues in your comment, are you a Fox News watcher?
Gen, I couldn’t have said it better myself. Thanks for your insightful comment
I always made sure that the people who interned for me left their internships with marketable skills. Some of them started knowing literally nothing and had to be taught everything. It was gratifying, over the years to run into them and hear they were doing well, and be thanked “for giving them their start in the business.”
Amelia, I think it’s wonderful that you were able to provide such a great experience for people working for you under unpaid internship. There is no doubt that having such an opportunity is incredibly important in starting a career. The point isn’t that you didn’t provide someone with a huge benefit, it’s that the people who do not already have resources that enable them to take such an opportunity are left behind, and that this represents another way that inequality sustains itself; only the privileged are able to take advantage of such a great opportunity.
Yes, I’m aware. I got an unpaid internship out of college at Christie’s and they only gave me that because it came up during the interview my family had a winter home in Hobe Sound. Which did not make me rich, BTW. I was starving. They gave me a $5 a day lunch stipend which was enough to buy 2 hotdogs and a papaya juice for lunch. I got so fed up running into old classmates on the subway pulling in $60K salaries at their entry level Wall Street jobs, while I was starving, that I just stopped going into work. So then I got fired from my unpaid internship, LOL. I didn’t care. All I did there anyway was scan the obits looking for wealthy people that had just died that might have valuable art to sell… I felt like a vulture. An unpaid vulture.
I also did an unpaid internship with the UN in Geneva nearly 30 years ago. It was required for my BA degree in international relations. Everyone was kind and helpful and I got to see a lot of Europe. Accomodations weren’t overly pricey. I spent the first 3 weeks in a youth hostel where I met a guy (on paid internship) who is one if my best friends. I stayed in a university dormitory for the other 8 weeks. Neither were that expensive. I did graduate studies in New York City (there on Sept. 11, 2001) where I stayed 2 semesters in a college dorm, and 8 months in an inexpensive apartment in Spanish Harlem. Lower cost alternatives are available if you search them out, though I did need student loan funds like most university students in the USA. I definitely agree that internships should be paid whenever possible. And I do like David’s kind of activism, though I couldn’t rough it in a tent. However, his quiting the internship– why exactly? Another friend of mine became a cause celebre in Washington DC for refusing to resign from a US government agency on moral grounds. I’m interested, David, in hearing more about the circumstances surrounding your decision to quit, besides moving in with your girlfriend.
What more are you expect or needing him to tell you? He explained that decision about as fully as one should need or want.
A lot comes down to David feeling compromised and quitting. It doesn’t say anywhere that his actions actually compromised his position within the organization. My feeling is that he could have stayed there if he wanted to. He had offers for help and the organization would probably not fire him over activism.
The one point he could be fired over is the lie as to whether he had the financial capacity to accept the internship. He knew it was unpaid. I don’t agree with unpaid internships, but as Amelia points out there is a cost involved in nurturing / mentoring interns. Still, there should be some level of (financial) support.
You are either not understanding his explanation or you aren’t accepting his explanation. What you’re saying about him being fired wasn’t something that he even mentioned as a possibility. And so, that non-issue had no bearing on his decision to resign.
This friend of yours- who refused to resign from a US Govt agency, was he also a U.N. worker? If so, he *should* have resigned, for moral grounds (in that it would have been unethical to belong to both) The U.N. is diametrically opposed to American principles.
You’re replying to a quote from “Scott,” not from me.
You lied to go there, having been refused other internships, now you moan publicly.
Be careful what you wish for with your attention seeking here and in China, no employer will consider touching you for any sort of job. Perhaps take up a role as a professional agitator.
What is it with this “attention seeking” bullshit? As I stated below, all activists necessarily call attention to themselves unless they are engaged in covert activities such as sabotage.
the fact that the internship is unpaid is only relevant to people who are applying for these internships. And since this is made clear in the contract, this guy is only working for himself. Nobody else gives a shit about unpaid UN internships. there are thousands of unpaid voluntary jobs for those who want to really work and not simply get their picture in the newspaper, which we know now was evidently the ONLY goal of this guy. I see him very well doing politics. He already has all the defects of a politician.
Unpaid internships are not the worst injustices in the world but they still are bullshit, I’m happy to work for a place that doesn’t screw over young people trying to make it into the workplace
Yes, I agree with you here. What about students who can’t pay the 40,000 USD/year tuition of a university? My feeling is that the uncontrolable growth of tuition in the US creates more of a divide than these internships do.
Still, some level of support would be welcomed, and in the end a happy intern is a more productive intern.
I lived in my tent in Death Valley for 3 months in the winter when I had nowhere else to live. I was 65 years old.
So if I understood well all this was planned from the beginning? Now I really start doubting that he actually looked seriously for any accommodation in Geneva as it seems he came with a hidden agenda! I also started my career with an unpaid internship at the UN (it was a field mission) and they even didn’t help for the visa thing and kind of recommended me not to mention OCHA at the airport… It’s part of the game. I don’t have wealthy parents. I just worked my ass off during 5 months!
What about applying for a job at Médecins sans frontières or other similar organizations and do some practical act of humanity in Tibet , Africa, greater middle east, etc.
Or what about a trainee program or graduate program, financed through grants or scholarships if you are looking for a white collar job.
Have you ever seen university students living in tents in Europe due to the housing shortage and high residential rents that is a well known problem in all major European cities.
Although going for a ride in a Ferrari is much more fun , it still doesn’t mean that you can’t get around on foot. And that’s what a lot of people are doing on a daily basis.
The problem isn’ the UN as an organisation but the member states that RUN the organisation. They provide the funds for all kinds of budgets in ALL sectors, this means they call all the shots. They also decide on all the policies within the organisation meaning the regulations and criteria for internships is in THEIR hands and it’s up to them to make a change – NOT the UN as an entity!! It’s time to stop slamming a respectable organisation like the UN whose powers are severely limited by 194 other countries. Why isn’t any media outlet explaining what really goes on behind the scenes when it comes to funding? It’s a desperately complex system powered by countries around the world – call out those countries instead, they’re the ones responsible. Otherwise, fair play to you, Mr. Hyde – you’ve got balls “kid” but you’re a bit of a jerk.
Some great points here – however something which I think is interesting is this.
On Tuesday a UN spokesman said “the answer to that question is very simple… we don’t pay interns because there is a general assembly resolution which prohibits us from paying it..”
However, he recently announced on twitter that there IS NO general assembly resolution to this effect… ( https://twitter.com/ahfawzi )
There is an ‘Administration Instruction’ which describes the rules – this Instruction has been changed multiple times in the past without consulting the General Assembly. Perhaps they would still need the member states permission – but the fact that they are so unclear on this issue shows that the answer to why they are not paying interns is far from simple…
Perhaps the UN should apologise for the way they have misled the media on this point by lying about a non-existent resolution.
They actually do. It is Resolution 51/243 endorsing Report A/51/688. You can read it here: http://www.un.org/ga/search/view_doc.asp?symbol=A/51/688
The fact remains that until member states don’t approve a budget for interns, there’s no resources for change in that criteria, thus making even the ’96 resolution on the matter redundant. In any case, there’s the Young Professionals’ Programme (funded by govts) for clever individuals such as yourself – so there are paid alternatives, it’s not all evil.
Anyway, much respect to you and your reasons for doing all this. If you’re ever in Geneva again, I’ve got a place where you can pitch your tent sans problèmes.
Hi David,
As a fellow Kiwi, I say good on ya for raising awareness. Unpaid internships are indeed ridiculous. Unpaid internships at the UN is surely taking the piss.
I hope that it works out for you in Switzerland!
Cheers,
Mark
(Pardon me if this is a repeat–not seeing the comment)
“After months of applying, there was some positive news. I had been accepted for an internship in Geneva … but not entirely based on honest terms. When interviewed for the position, I was clearly asked if I would be able to fully fund myself in Geneva for the six-month duration. I said yes, but my bank account clearly said no.”
I stopped reading the article right there. You don’t begin marching on the road to moral high ground with a lie. Go back to your tent.
Under other circumstances his behaviour would be called forward thinking and entrepreneurial. Who hasn’t been overly optimistic to get a job ?
I’ll bet you didn’t read this.
How an Undocumented Immigrant From Mexico Became a Star at Goldman Sachs
Julissa Arce went from selling funnel cakes in Texas to derivatives at Wall Street’s most profitable securities firm
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-02-25/how-an-undocumented-immigrant-from-mexico-became-a-star-at-goldman-sachs
But then no one has the right to fib on their resumes or during their interviews in an attempt to succeed. Right?
But then this immigrant didn’t stop working after few days complaining that it was too harsh, did she? the plan for this immigrant was to lie and then work her ass off to get a position, wasn’t it? So where is the link with a guy screaming mum because he had to “live” in a tent for few weeks (only because it was his plan right from the start) and because his internship was not paid (which was clear right from the beginning?) I am pretty sure that the immigrant had to go through much worse and she was an added value. An intern at the UN is hardly an added value during his/her internship. It’s more a=of extra work for the supervisor.
“After months of applying, there was some positive news. I had been accepted for an internship in Geneva … but not entirely based on honest terms. When interviewed for the position, I was clearly asked if I would be able to fully fund myself in Geneva for the six-month duration. I said yes, but my bank account clearly said no.”
I stopped reading the article right there. You don’t begin marching on the road to moral high ground with a lie. Go back to your tent.
Manifestly, this is not always true. Mr. Hyde decided to assume the role of journalist:
It’s not especially unusual for activists and journalists to go “undercover” to report on a matter.
Hahaha no worries. :)
Excellent work. This is the type of experience required for IndyRadio. Unfortunately, I don’t always have a tent, but some projects must be done. If we wait for money to come, our dreams will never be realized.
https://indyradio.info
I think you did the right thing in raising attention to the issue of intern rights. Well done you.
Good luck riding the media wave and for the future.
In one of my many jobs…I reviewed the applications for a luxury apartment in Manhattan. To my shock, I discovered fully 50% of the accepted applicants had co-signers that made 40%-80% times the rent in a building, where the apartments cost $2,600-$6,300. The ONLY people who were actually paying their own way worked in corporate law, finance or Big Pharma. The others…well one occupant actually held my exact same mid-level job at the same company, the salary was $45,000 and had not changed in 8 years. She lived in a $2,800 a month apartment (max allowed on that salary is $1,100). Some occupants were wealthy foreign students, some were subsidized artists, many people were working internships or entry level jobs with parental support.
Where do the talented young people who aren’t subsidized live…they dodge bullets to and from work, along with the working poor.
I meant to say that the co-signers need to make 40-80 times the annual rent, which is no problem for the Oligarchs.
David…
You have shed light on a real problem, however…
“I decided to […] go and stay with my girlfriend, 100 kilometers away.”
Switzerland is a very small country with an amazing public transportation network.
I am Swiss, from Geneva. I spent years working for Nestle, travelling 100 km every morning and every evening (200 km a day). A lot of people do that.
United Nations and human rights… or Switzerland and human rights…
Do not expect a lot. Human rights are just a dream.
Caroline
Swiss Businesswoman and Refugee since 2014 (not in New Zealand)
I agree with you Caroline. For years I have been commuting for 1.5-2 hours because I liked my job and felt it was important enough to commute for.
If you really want the internship you could have easily gotten a public transport pass and commute. My feeling is that the ‘making-a-point’ was more the reason to take the job than the actual experience gained.
The UN clearly ask the question are you financially able to support yourself over the duration of the internship, therefore, if you are not able you should get some money together and come back when you have the financial means. Obviously interns endure that certain period unpaid to go on to earn big bucks and have a huge career and the majority of them will probably tell you it was worth it. Sometimes you just have to put the big dreams on the back burner, go out, work hard for a year or two until you have the money behind you then, if it still feels right, go after the dream. And also, this is the David Hyde who stood outside a police station in China holding a sign saying ‘Free Tibet’, this is nothing more then attention seeking, it’s in his nature.
Oh FFS, allactivists necessarily call attention to themselves unless they are engaged in covert activities such as sabotage.
Sure thing, mate. Kind of like when Mitt Romney cheerfully declared that if you are young and need work, why, just ask your parents for $30,000 and start your own business!
Your kind lives in an alternative universe.
hahahaha get real mate.
Unpaid internships, who benefits?
Unpaid internships are just another way the 1%-ers are consolidating their positions. In general, only the children of the wealthy can afford to take such an internship. These internships allow the lucky few to make connections that will cement their own place amongst the wealthy.
Countries with minimum wage laws should see them for what they are: jobs that pay a zero salary. Unpaid internships should be illegal under minimum wage laws.
Actually in Canada who has minium wage, it’s illegal to have inpaid intern unless the intership is part of an official school cursus.
Would not help in UN case, they are not subject to local laws.
The working classes are viewed as disposable grubby savages that wouldn’t get paid at all if it wasn’t for that bearded liberal do-gooder Abe Lincoln fucking up a more economically efficient American way of life. Ah the vexatious vicissitudes of life in the good old US of A. Imagine, paying people to make you rich, it’s a preposterous proposition on its face.
Well done David Hyde.
This “unpaid” internship scam is similar to Restauranteurs in the USA paying below minimum wage to their staff. Let me explain.
When you dine in the USA, the patron is expected to leave a minimum of 20%-25% gratuity (tip) regardless of whether the food and service was good or bad. The explanation given for this practice is that people in the service industry don’t make enough money with wages alone to survive hence patrons are responsible to tip to supplement their income. This practice is pure greed on the part of Owners. Gratuity (tip) should be a “bonus” for restaurant staff who are doing good work. Staff should not rely on tips to make ends meet nor should patrons be responsible to to ensure a workers well being.
When did that happen? 15% (sometimes a bit more if rounded up substantially), is still the world I live in.
@Ray – you miss the biggest joke of all.
A key tenet of the Republican faith is that it is wrong to tax rich kids on their inheritances, because that would be “double taxation”. The parents ‘earned’ the money, after the fashion the rich do, and paid taxes on it (or more likely, didn’t) so even though there’s a huge amount like $2 million that you can inherit before the tax even kicks in, they think it should be verboten for the starving masses even to dream of stealing a sliver of that.
But when you go in to the restaurant and hand out some of your money as a ‘tip’, none of that logic applies – the IRS wants tax paid on every penny. And since they don’t actually know how many pennies the servers make, they *guess* how much the servers *ought* to have made in tips to pay taxes on.
A “tip” is not expected nor required where I have eaten in the USA. A tip is therefore, not mandatory …no one is going to call the police and prevent you from leaving a restaurant if you do not tip…get it?
As a courtesy, a diner can leave a tip if the service is satisfactory. The tip goes to the server or can be shared with the “front service”. The owner does not have a legal right to take or share in a portion of the tip, and neither does the cook(chef), dishwashers, etc, in the “back” of the restaurant . Tips are the extra incentive to the servers to provide good service…does the country that you come from have the custom of providing tips to restaurant staff to encourage good or special service?
Be real….
I’m happy to see someone so similar to myself making this issue visible. I’m 22 and am in the process of applying to various reporting internships (paid and unpaid). I have no idea how many I will have to do to get a real career started, but I don’t see any other way of accumulating the necessary experience besides freelancing (which also seems like a difficult way to support yourself). Congrats on the feature David.
I’m having trouble sympathizing with a person who lied to get a UN job, decided to live in a tent, and worked 9 days at the UN before leaking his contrived story — all to supposedly make a statement?
And your sympathizing matters … why? And matters … to whom?
@ Kitt
C’mon Kitt, Nate doesn’t do “sympathy.” He’s just fucking around inferring there is some circumstance under which he might be able to muster some sympathy for someone, somewhere, some day. No “trouble” about it, just ain’t gonna do it no how no way. The capacity for sympathy or empathy is how you target a mark, not how you pass the days in the rough and rowdy realpolitick world of The Nate.
Nate is above all a fuckwit. One who constantly engages in fuckwitted nitpicking and contrarianism.
He is best ignored except to advise people like David Hyde that Nate is a fuckwit.
“The rowdy realpolitick world of The Nate.”
Sounds exciting!!
This story raises a couple of interesting questions regarding the Intercept’s business practices.
1) There seems to be some momentum in the media business for unionization efforts including at Salon.com. If the Intercept’s non-managerial employees decide to unionize with Intercept management recognize and accept them with open arms?
2) What is the Intercept’s practice with regard to unpaid internships? Personally, in America, I think the practice should be illegal in all instances. You want to work for something just out of the goodness of your heart–do charity work. You go engage in “work” tasks on behalf of an entity or individual for whatever other reason, that’s called “work” and you should get paid for it. If you show up daily, on time, and are only asked to watch, observe and learn then that’s an internship. But you do productive work of any kind for that entity you should at least be paid the legal minimum wage. No exceptions. To do otherwise leads to exactly where we are today–only the relatively affluent who can afford to “intern” for free can take advantage of the many life improving work related opportunities available while the relatively less affluent but equally worthy can’t.
Media companies have worked this scam since at least the 1980s. How does this affect editors’ and reporters’ attitudes toward poverty and labor issues? Do they feel superior because they got through it, or empathy for the impoverished, or are they just conditioned to believe exploitation is somehow normal and natural? What are The Intercept’s policies? Did contributors do unpaid internships?
Throughout Europe, the United States, and several other nations, corporations have discovered the latest carrot to dangle in front of the unwitting.
It is a carrot that is essentially a lie, dangled to induce the unwary to accept unpaid work, with the possibility of some future benefit.
It is yet another ploy to enrich the .01%ters, and beggar the masses.
Corporations these days see their labor force as parasites, that must be fed as little as possible to keep the host healthy.
Loyalty is history.
the question now is: how many more carrots can be invented to avoid paying people.
Augusto Faglia
Well pretty soon it will be “paid internships” as in you pay the company for the privilege of interning sort of like one of those multi-level marketing scams. Or like every recruiter, job placement and temp agency in America, you know where someone gets a cut of the wages that would otherwise go into your pocket while somebody else gets rich off being the unnecessary middleman you are forced to go through to get a job. That should be illegal in my book as well.
Some fashion labels already did that, “paid interships”.
http://fashion.telegraph.co.uk/columns/olivia-lidbury/TMG9626985/Bid-your-way-to-a-career-in-fashion.html
In the name of charity…that’s some twisted stuff right there.
I like you better than your son!
in Italy, where I live, young graduates with honors are up to 4 or 5 unpaid internships, one after one, until a “loving” managers will hire them (with the worst European employment contract) to a starvation pay. I don’t know if in other parts of the world works better or worse, but despite being a good story, I find it a disturbing normalcy
Who will teach this kids to say NO. Perhaps an interns union is needed.
forgive the typo (THESE). Perhaps it’s time to say good night. An edit feature would be nice.
This is a issue that needs to talked about.
I’m sure glad he tried this in Geneva and not New York. In New York, the media would have covered him as an example of how de Blasio’s soft-on-homelessness approach was ruining the city, then the cops would have arrested him anyway.
Cute….
In the US, even in places that pay interns, they get paid by other standards than the rest. For example, a person with a BS who is permanently employed is paid say 50k/year + benefits, while an intern with a BS+graduate degree or half graduate degree is paid minimum wage. This whole intern thing is wrong and exploitative. It should just be called temporary or training or something. And learning should be separated by work – which means contribution and therefore wages when for someone else. It is not an easy subject.