Compare this statement:<p>> "Interns get a lot of experience," says Ahmad Fawzi, head of the UN's information service in Geneva. "First-hand knowledge about how the international system works: it's invaluable for them, and they have fun."<p>(while not paying your interns) to Article 23 of The Universal Declaration of Human Rights:<p>> (3) Everyone who works has the right to just and favourable remuneration ensuring for himself and his family an existence worthy of human dignity, and supplemented, if necessary, by other means of social protection.
Newsflash: young adult learns the harsh reality that living in highly desirable area is expensive, and adapts without whining by finding a pleasant and affordable alternative; local media freaks out.<p>Heck, <i>I'd</i> like to spend a summer working in Geneva (paid or not) and living in a tent on a mountain lake. Kudos to the kid for making it work in a way he'll long remember fondly.
> [...] the United Nations practice (one it shares with big business and some European Union institutions) of employing interns on an unpaid basis.<p>It's only bad when private businesses do it, of course.
One of the problems with unpaid internships is the system favors the wealthy: if you can't afford (via "[your] family and [your] own funds") to buy your way in, you won't get "first-hand knowledge about how the international system works".<p>From the article: "I am from a developing country," says Sabine, "and I know of many people from my university who would have loved this opportunity but could probably not afford to do it."<p>Populism aside; 1%-er arguments aside—from an <i>organizational</i> perspective, you're missing out on talent who can't pay.<p>(From the other side, I laughed a hiring manager off the phone in college who told me their internship [in Manhattan] was unpaid. You may be selecting for "passion", but the best* talent knows their worth.)<p>(* Not saying I'm the best, but I had other options, as will anyone reasonable.)
I have done similar things for no good reason at all. I wanted to know what it was like to study CS at a university, so I put up my tent on a nearby campsite and walked into some random classes. For medium-term solutions, it beats staying in hotels or hunting apartments. You simply put up your tent or caravan and have your own private place.
Interns being unpaid is still better than most organizations working with volunteers that they also expect to pay a fairly large sum for the privilege of volunteering.
not totally unheard of here in NZ and i think he was a kiwi(?). i remember the story 10-15 years back about how a couple of guys claimed unemployment benefit and lived in a cave in one of our national parks and hitchhiked up the mountain to ski every day. what can you say? it's a national park, you're supposed to go camping in it...