Petition Regulate the hiring and working conditions of interns across all industry in the UK

Unpaid interns are a blight upon our democracy and are engendering a culture of privilege, favouritism and non-competition in our economy.

The government must:

Ensure that their are clear regulations outlining what an internship is. A significant part of any internship role must be dedicated to personal development and learning for the intern.

If an intern adds value to the company, s/he should be considered an employee and given the same rights. Employers must be made to understand that they cannot use internships to perform roles vital to their business.

Interns must be paid at least a cost of living wage. If they are have responsibilities that are valued higher in the market, this must be reflected.

Employers must specify if an internship will lead to permanent employment and when this can be expected. It is not acceptable to keep valuable members of staff without paying them, on the promise of a job at some arbitrary future point.