Scottish students struggle as they say unpaid internships widen class divide

Scottish students are struggling as they say unpaid internships widen the class divide.

According to the students, this then means it’s increasingly difficult for working-class graduates to gain industry experience.

They further noted that unpaid and low-paid internships are disproportionately disadvantaging working-class graduates, as new research suggests these opportunities increasingly favour those from middle-class backgrounds.

A study by the Sutton Trust, a social mobility charity, found that the gap between working-class and middle-class graduates undertaking internships has widened—from 12 per cent in 2018 to 20 per cent today. The findings highlight that many employers continue to underpay interns and prioritise offering opportunities to family and friends rather than openly advertising positions.

The study found that around 60 per cent of internships taken by recent graduates were unpaid or underpaid. Internships were also far more common in London than in other regions, such as the West Midlands, Yorkshire, Scotland, and Wales.

Many students cite financial barriers as a major reason for rejecting internships. Erin Cruickshank, a 20-year-old student from West Lothian, told the BBC she had to turn down an unpaid internship in London last summer due to the high cost of living in the capital.

“The cost of staying in the capital—where I had no family or friends to stay with—would have left me worse off,” she said. “It’s unjust and unfair.”

Unpaid “or unfairly paid” positions are commonplace, Erin added, and many take place in affluent areas like London. “I’ve had to turn down experiences—potentially wonderful ones—because I couldn’t stay in London to have them.”

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Instead, Erin, a French and social anthropology student, decided to take a paid position at a charity in Edinburgh for the summer. “To others who search for larger internships—from their perspective, maybe that wasn’t the best choice. But for me, it was […] I had a great experience,” she explained.

St Andrews, where Erin studies, via Pixabay

Since she often funds her own accommodation at the University of St Andrews, she only applies for paid positions. Currently on a year abroad working in France, she said: “If that means I’m not taking experiences in what others might consider a large name or big business, I take experiences I know will still expand my skillset and help me take steps towards my future.”

Chiera Mclaughlin, a fourth-year law student at the University of Glasgow, also iterated that financial constraints force many students to choose between gaining industry experience and affording basic necessities.

“There’s not that freedom to accept unpaid positions,” she said. “It’s often a choice between getting experience in your desired field or having money for food.”

She added that in the legal sector, paid internships were particularly rare.

“To get any early work experience in law, it’s expected that you won’t get paid for it.

“If I was trying to get experience in, say, corporate law or at a law firm, it seems really difficult to even get your foot in the door if you don’t maybe know someone there.”

Chiera, who is now doing a paid internship in an adjacent sector, agreed: “I’m the first person from my family to go to uni, and I don’t really have any family connections, or anyone in my social circle, that’s in the industry.”

A survey of over 1,200 recent graduates revealed that half had completed an internship, marking a 12 per cent increase since 2018. However, only 36 per cent of working-class graduates had undertaken an internship, compared to 55 per cent of their middle-class counterparts.

The research also revealed that internships were nearly twice as likely to be secured through personal connections rather than open job advertisements. This further contributes to the widening access gap, making it harder for working-class students to break into competitive industries.

Labour has pledged to ban unpaid internships—except those required for education or training—under its Make Work Pay plan. However, no timeline has been confirmed for the policy’s implementation.

Politics student Erin Dunne, 20, who studies in Cardiff and works part-time in a bar, said most internships she encountered were unpaid.

Cardiff, where Erin studies, via Pexels

“A train from Cardiff to London and back is nearly £100,” she explained. “I had to miss bar shifts to take part in an unpaid political scheme in London, but I couldn’t afford to go as often as I wanted.”

She noted that most paid internships take place during the summer, a crucial time when many working-class students need to work full-time to fund their studies.

“The pay for internships is often lower than what I’d earn in my regular job,” she said.

Another major hurdle, Erin added, is the lack of connections available to working-class students.

“I know someone studying law who got an internship through his dad at a top firm,” she said. “I’ve tried contacting PR agencies and political communications firms, but they just turn you away.

“It really is about who you know, not what you know.”

In many cases, those undertaking unpaid internships were able to do so because they received money from parents, lived at home or with family or friends, or used savings, the Sutton Trust’s research found.