I applied for a part-time Editor job with The International, which appeared to be a political magazine. I was asked to take and editing test online and passed. I was then scheduled for a phone interview. Only at this time was I told that the "job" I had applied for was essentially an internship. Here is the exact content of the email concerning this point:
Please note that given the start-up nature of our organization, theposition is currently unpaid. The hours and schedule for the position are flexible, approximately 10 hours/week, so it is possible for you to work other employment at the same time. Letters of reference are obtainable from the management after 6 months into the position. Once we start putting
advertising on the website, a percentage of that revenue will be distributed among everyone.
So first of all, there is a violation because the internship was advertised as a job, both on the website and in various search engines. Secondly, when I asked the employer to tell me if the unpaid internship met the 6 guidelines established by the Department of Labor, he simply sent me a snarky email that did not answer much, but confirmed my suspicions that he was trying to exploit desperate workers. The internship does NOT meet the legal guidelines, as they would have had me edit articles for publication (this violates point 4 set up by the DOL).
Finally, Alexandre Labrie, the "CEO" of The International, has several misleading things on his website. He is listed as Alexandre LAbrie, Economics, Columbia University - which makes it look like he is affiliated with this department and/or works there.in fact he simply went to Columbia for undergrad and studied some economics there. Additionally, he states on his linked.in profile that he has been CEO of the International since 2008... However, the website still, in late appears to be largely empty and I have found no trace of any publications whatsoever.
The company has apparently had "financial hardship" in the past and they are still trying to get people to work for free even though there is no prospect of profits.
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