Because I understand applicant tracking systems which filter resumes, I recently helped my girlfriend's daughter with her resume for summer internships. She's an English major at a private Catholic college and she was seeking a publishing internship.
I also majored in English and graduated from a private Catholic college. Back in my day, no one I knew had an internship. I worked as a ranch hand and a lifeguard during the summers. Several of my college friends were lifeguards too. One of my lacrosse teammates was a white water rafting guide, another was a golf pro, and most of us were employed in recreation in some way. We all had money in our pockets by the end of summer.
I had assumed my girlfriend's daughter would probably get an unpaid internship. Instead, she has been offered two paid internships. One is in New York City in publishing. The other is in the town where she attends college in advertising. I discovered that unpaid internships are beginning to die out. There have been several lawsuits by interns and more and more interns are speaking out claiming that they are really doing a job.
There is a 6 point test established by the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 still in use today for hiring unpaid interns:
1. The internship must be similar to training given in an educational environment
2. The internship must be for the benefit of the intern
3. The intern does not displace regular employees
4. The employer derives no immediate advantage from the intern
5. The intern is not entitled to a job at the end of the internship
6. The intern understands that he is not entitled to wages
Most diving internships are paid. Normally, you pay a course fee to learn to be a divemaster or instructor. Then you start out by reading your manual, helping the instructor, watching, listening and learning how to do the job until you take on a leadership role under supervision. Once you've proven to the instructor that you can be fully vetted at the professional level you seek, you get certified.
At PDIC HQ, it took me a year to become a dive supervisor and another year to become an instructor. I can't recall what the dive supervisor course cost, but I remember the instructor course cost $1500. Once I became a certified instructor in 1989, I was paid $10/hr or $400 per 40 hour course.
To compare my internships with the 6 point test of the FLSA of 1938:
1. My instructor internship was very similar to the speech class I was taking in college at the time. Both used video to provide feedback for giving better presentations.
2. I learned from a team of experienced instructors and instructor trainers whose knowledge and experience became invaluable to me in this career.
3. In no way did I replace a regular employee.
4. Other than another "lifeguard" in the water and another pair of hands to do the work, PDIC did not immediately benefit from me.
5. I was not entitled to a job, but I was given one where I was paid immediately afterward and paid a reasonable wage for it.
6. I knew that while interning I wasn't entitled to wages, but the shop would give me a break on gear, free air fills, perks, usually pay for my meals when we went out to eat, and once I got a free trip to the Bahamas.
The diving industry, being behind the times (as usual) is starting to move toward paid and unpaid internships for instructors who are already certified. Most of these are in resort settings advertising for instructors to "gain experience" by teaching diving without pay in order to put real-world experience on their resumes. While the FLSA of 1938 doesn't protect interns outside the USA, of course, I've seen unpaid instructor jobs (and even those where an instructor pays to work) offered in Florida and the Mid-West! Clearly, these internships must violate federal labor laws.
What is the solution to this growing trend? Lawsuits? Unionizing scuba instructors and divemasters? Creating awareness to not patron resorts or shops that take advantage of dive pros? Doing nothing because it is the diving industry and no one cares? Or, am I wrong and such internships are perfectly legal? If so, are they good or bad for the industry?
In 2011, I left PDIC after serving as the technical training director for 4 years and joined PSAI as training director for sport, tech and cave diving in North America. Personally, I "pay" instructor candidates by splitting the course fees if the candidate sets up a class. I also offer instructor "institutes" where the candidate pays and I provide the students. But, I would never think of not paying an instructor to teach a class for which he is already certified.
I also majored in English and graduated from a private Catholic college. Back in my day, no one I knew had an internship. I worked as a ranch hand and a lifeguard during the summers. Several of my college friends were lifeguards too. One of my lacrosse teammates was a white water rafting guide, another was a golf pro, and most of us were employed in recreation in some way. We all had money in our pockets by the end of summer.
I had assumed my girlfriend's daughter would probably get an unpaid internship. Instead, she has been offered two paid internships. One is in New York City in publishing. The other is in the town where she attends college in advertising. I discovered that unpaid internships are beginning to die out. There have been several lawsuits by interns and more and more interns are speaking out claiming that they are really doing a job.
There is a 6 point test established by the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 still in use today for hiring unpaid interns:
1. The internship must be similar to training given in an educational environment
2. The internship must be for the benefit of the intern
3. The intern does not displace regular employees
4. The employer derives no immediate advantage from the intern
5. The intern is not entitled to a job at the end of the internship
6. The intern understands that he is not entitled to wages
Most diving internships are paid. Normally, you pay a course fee to learn to be a divemaster or instructor. Then you start out by reading your manual, helping the instructor, watching, listening and learning how to do the job until you take on a leadership role under supervision. Once you've proven to the instructor that you can be fully vetted at the professional level you seek, you get certified.
At PDIC HQ, it took me a year to become a dive supervisor and another year to become an instructor. I can't recall what the dive supervisor course cost, but I remember the instructor course cost $1500. Once I became a certified instructor in 1989, I was paid $10/hr or $400 per 40 hour course.
To compare my internships with the 6 point test of the FLSA of 1938:
1. My instructor internship was very similar to the speech class I was taking in college at the time. Both used video to provide feedback for giving better presentations.
2. I learned from a team of experienced instructors and instructor trainers whose knowledge and experience became invaluable to me in this career.
3. In no way did I replace a regular employee.
4. Other than another "lifeguard" in the water and another pair of hands to do the work, PDIC did not immediately benefit from me.
5. I was not entitled to a job, but I was given one where I was paid immediately afterward and paid a reasonable wage for it.
6. I knew that while interning I wasn't entitled to wages, but the shop would give me a break on gear, free air fills, perks, usually pay for my meals when we went out to eat, and once I got a free trip to the Bahamas.
The diving industry, being behind the times (as usual) is starting to move toward paid and unpaid internships for instructors who are already certified. Most of these are in resort settings advertising for instructors to "gain experience" by teaching diving without pay in order to put real-world experience on their resumes. While the FLSA of 1938 doesn't protect interns outside the USA, of course, I've seen unpaid instructor jobs (and even those where an instructor pays to work) offered in Florida and the Mid-West! Clearly, these internships must violate federal labor laws.
What is the solution to this growing trend? Lawsuits? Unionizing scuba instructors and divemasters? Creating awareness to not patron resorts or shops that take advantage of dive pros? Doing nothing because it is the diving industry and no one cares? Or, am I wrong and such internships are perfectly legal? If so, are they good or bad for the industry?
In 2011, I left PDIC after serving as the technical training director for 4 years and joined PSAI as training director for sport, tech and cave diving in North America. Personally, I "pay" instructor candidates by splitting the course fees if the candidate sets up a class. I also offer instructor "institutes" where the candidate pays and I provide the students. But, I would never think of not paying an instructor to teach a class for which he is already certified.
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