Doing an unpaid internship after uni costs you nearly £6000

Working as an unpaid intern will set you back nearly a grand a month in rent, transport and food costs.

A six month stint in London without pay costs a graduate a minimum of £5,556 according to research by The Sutton Trust.

And the study found one in three students work in an unpaid internship after leaving uni.

If you do an internship in Manchester, the total cost is still £4,728.

Mike Kelly, head of Living Wage at KPMG, said every intern should be paid fairly.

He added: “It seems as though unpaid internships have increasingly become the gateway to land the first job, but the reality is that a vast majority of individuals cannot afford not to be paid.

“Paid internships allow everyone to compete on a level playing field for valuable experience. It is best for the individuals and best for the employer.”

The research recommended all interns be paid the minimum wage of £6.50.

63% of cultural and creative, 56% of media-related, and 42% of financial and professional services internships advertised on the Graduate Talent Pool website were unpaid.