Given the current economic situation, an increasing number of students and graduates are working for free as the race for work experience gets tougher. 49% apparently, according to recent research by the National Council for Work Experience (NCWE), have worked unpaid for one month or more.

This raises the question – is an unpaid work placement or internship work experience or exploitation? According to the survey, 67% felt exploited or undervalued by working for free and it appears that there are some companies out there who are using the recession as an excuse to bring in talented students and graduates and have them work for nothing.

Whilst there are some industries, such as Media and PR, where an unpaid internship appears to be standard practice as a way into the industry, the advice from RateMyPlacement is to be careful before entering into any unpaid work. Firstly, despite what the Press would have you believe, there are still paid-opportunities out there for students and graduates looking for work experience this summer (and 10,000 graduate jobs still available too!) so students should not just resign themselves to working for nothing. Secondly, if you do decide to do an unpaid internship or placement, then it’s vital that both you and the employer go into it with the right expectations. You are not an employee of that company; you are there on a voluntary basis, with no actual legal obligation to complete the work. Obviously be sure to enquire about the actual employment opportunities after the placement or internship is over – make sure they are not just going to replace you with the next student that comes along willing to work for free.

The NCWE provide some expert tips:

• Discuss the purpose of the internship and clarify expectations from the start
• Ensure the placement is valuable – does it give insight into a particular industry? Will it improve certain skills or clarify career aspirations?
• Discuss the possibilities of any future paid work with employer, pointing out the skills that you have gained during the internship.
• Re-consider the value of the internship if it ceases to supply useful contacts and training opportunities
• Everyone has a choice and if the balance between valuable work experience tips into exploitation then it is up to you to decide whether to continue or not

There is no doubt that an unpaid placement can give you the foot in the door and experience you need but this should be weighed against the fact that you are providing your services and skills for free. Given the rising debt of today’s students, you need to ask if you can really justify working for free and not undervalue the skills and knowledge that you can bring to an organisation.

Check out our expert Advice section for more information on applying and securing placements and internships.